If you have business with Congress or the federal government, consider teaming with Live Oak Strategies. Led by Ryan Thompson '01, Live Oak Strategies is a premier consultancy that specializes in Strategic Advisory Services, Business Consulting, and Federal Government Relations. Whether it's navigating the labyrinth of government regulations or building relationships with key policymakers, Live Oak Strategies has the experience and knowledge to help businesses thrive in today's competitive landscape.

For more information, email Ryan@liveoakstrat.com.

Wearing Gucci tennis shoes and sunglasses and a dapper blue suit, Jackson drew even more attention than a massive defensive tackle would normally. But when it came to discussing football, things got serious -- especially when it came to talking about A&M's 5-7 record last year.

"At times we didn't handle our business the way we should have. We didn't conduct ourselves the right way," he said in a candid assessment of the 2022 campaign. "It falls back on a lot of things, like leadership. I feel like this year, it's one of the things we've worked one specially this offseason, especially myself."

Jackson said the sting of disappointment has not diminished for his teammates.

"I think it's already beaten into their minds, but I remind them every day," he said. "They say they want to go to the NFL and do those things, then listen to what I tell you, listen to what coach (Elijah Robinson) tells you, because I'm going to do everything I can to get you there. Our group name is EST -- everyone shines together."

The depth of the defensive line, Jackson said, could provide plenty of opportunities to shine.

"You can go for a long time (down the depth chart)," he said. "There's so much we can provide for an offense. You can't gameplan for what we have. You have speed rush, you have power, you have bull rusher, you have defensive tackles slicing you, shifty ends...there's so much we can offer an offense. I feel sorry for teams who have to block us, I'll be honest."

While Jackson has plenty of confidence in what the defensive line can do, he said the improvement of the offensive line from last year to this spring was evident.

"They've grown tremendously. They've learned from last year and the mistakes their had. I feel like we have a great O-line, as good as the D-line," he said. "The whole O-line has shown tremendous improvement. They're more united, on the same page."

Jackson said the entire offense had taken on a different look with the arrival of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, and he expects it to put up a lot of points in 2023.

"I was scared for my defense. The first couple of days, they were moving the ball so well. It was how efficient they were moving the ball. We'd had this defense for a year; they'd only had the offense for a couple of months," he said. "They're more confident, more efficient and moving at a faster pace than before. They're going to put some numbers on the board."

Jackson is one of several upperclassmen who could have gone to the NFL after last season, but decided he owed it to his teammates to return. He said the NFL Draft is far from his mind as he prepares for the 2023 season and a chance to turn things around.

"I left a lot on the table," he said. "They're my teammates and my brothers. I wanted to go one more round with them."