By: Charles Chaney/JUCOWeekly Contributor
For Jackson Filer, he represents arguably the best defense in the NJCAA this season.
The Iowa Western Reiver has been selected as a finalist for the first ever Walter Jones Trophy, which recognizes the top NJCAA football player throughout the nation. The finalists were selected by a panelists of media voters throughout the season.
Filer, is the second COVID sophomore to be nominated for the award, has seen a fantastic season and the offers have been rolling in because of it. He's seen multiple Division I offers come his way.
This season, as the Reivers rank near the top of every Division I NJCAA statistical category, he's been the leader. He leads the nation in sacks with 14.5 sacks this season. His tackles for loss, also is first with 26.0 this season. He's also second on his team with 5.3 tackles per game. He's also forced two fumbles, recovering one.
Filer's 14.5 sacks this season is a new school record for the Reivers, beating a record that was previously set in 2013. He's also the career leader in sacks with 25.5, which broke a record that was also set in 2013. He's the career leader in TFLs with 43.5 and is tied in the career lead with five fumble recoveries.
None of it was as impressive as what he did against Independence. The sophomore sacked the quarterback four times, and even broke up a pass as the Reivers overcame injuries in a low scoring affair to beat Independence on the road. He also had three sacks in the win over rival Iowa Central on Oct. 29, forcing a fumble and recovering it.
For what he's been able to do on the line, it's forced many defenses to go the other way. Two JUCO coaches we spoke to said they eventually had to run away from him. As he's done that, the Reivers have thrived. They ranked third in yards allowed per game (179.9) and only one team has accrued more than 300 yards in a game this season against the Reivers. They're second in rushing yards per game (45.3) and their 15 interceptions this season ranks them ninth nationally. The Reivers, led by Filer, led the nation in total sacks with 47. The 115 points allowed this season by the defense is the best in the nation.
Filer is from Des Moines, Iowa and Dowling Catholic where he helped his high school to consecutive state championships in the state of Iowa. He was selected as a first-team all-state selection his senior year.
The Walter Jones Trophy will be presented to the best JUCO football player in America on November 21 in Orlando, Florida. Visit walterjonestrophy.comfor details including the current watch list.