Thursday's Pro Day at Ball State University will give senior members of the football team a chance to prove they have what it takes to get to the next level.
Brian Jackson hopes to impress at least one of the eight to 12 scouts who will be in attendance.
Jackson, 2006 Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, has spent Spring Semester working out five days a week in the hopes of either getting drafted or signed as a free agent by a National Football League team.
"My goal is to play in the Arena League, but my dream is to play in the NFL," Jackson said. "I'm not going to be a guy that gets drafted more than likely, but I'm trying to get into an NFL camp. Right now, I think I have a good chance to get into a camp if they like what they see."
Jackson and his agent, Martin Magid of MRM Sports and Entertainment, have produced a multimedia package for prospective teams. They have put together two separate films - a senior video and a significant games video - and a Web site.
Magid said Jackson's accuracy is his greatest asset.
"Brian's a very intelligent individual and has tremendous accolades," Magid said. "The knock on him is that he's small, but he has got a powerful leg and there's certain teams that like that lower center of gravity."
Jackson became familiar with Magid when a friend from his sports administration class suggested looking into Magid and his company. After sending Magid his game film, Magid was impressed and met Jackson and his family in Atlanta over Winter Break. Jackson signed with MRM shortly after.
Although Jackson hasn't heard much personally from NFL teams, Magid said he has been in contact with Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Denver and San Diego about Jackson's services.
"[Magid's] getting my name out there and I'm sure people are talking to him," Jackson said. "So it's just a matter of me being patient. If someone can see me kick, I can prove that I can kick well in front of them."
During his senior year, Jackson was 17-of-19 on field goals and 37-38 on extra points. For his career, Jackson connected on 77 percent of his field goals and 111/115 on extra points.
Jackson is also working with Paul Assad, well-known in NFL circles as a kicking/punting/long-snapping specialist based in Modesto, Calif. Assad, who goes by the nickname "The Kick Doctor," has more than 700 clients.
Assad worked with Jackson at two different camps after the collegiate season. When Jackson went to California, he actually stayed at Assad's home as a guest. Assad also said accuracy is Jackson's greatest strength and has been working with Jackson on getting more lift on his kickoffs and field goals.
"He's a reliable kicker," Assad said. "What I like to do is assess a guy and see what his strengths are. So I try to build him so he can become even more efficient and show him what characteristics our NFL-level guys have."
Jackson's NFL prospects vary from expert to expert. ESPN.com's Mel Kiper doesn't list Jackson among his NFL prospects, but Scout.com lists Jackson as the fifth-rated kicker and a priority free agent, which means Scout.com feels an NFL team will sign Jackson immediately after the NFL Draft, which concludes April 29.
Even if the NFL doesn't work, Jackson won't have to look too far for work. Two teams in the Arena Football League 2, the Fort Wayne Fusion and the Louisville Fire, have already offered a contract to Jackson.
"That's when I knew I was going to be good enough to play at the next level," Jackson said. "Now I have a backup plan. If I find out I'm not going to an NFL camp, I can get picked up by an Arena team in the middle of the season."
In the 2006 NFL Draft, only two kickers, Stephen Gotkowski (New England) and Kurt Smith (San Diego), were drafted. Magid said although it takes a few go-rounds before some kickers stick with NFL teams, Jackson has that opportunity.
"It's going to be a race to get him into the late rounds," Magid said. "At the end of the day, if you only get one team to like you, they're going to pick you."
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