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Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 310 pounds, Jackson Christian is typically the most physically imposing player every time he steps onto a football field. He’s incredibly strong, has a high motor and intense competitive spirit.

Port Neches-Groves’ stud offensive lineman is among the best at his position not only in the region, but in the entire state of Texas. He’s a fantastic football player, yes, but there’s more underneath the surface of his towering frame.

“I really wouldn’t say I’m the best,” Christian said with a laugh. “I’d really just say I’m one of the more known offensive linemen around this area.”

Christian’s coaches have raved about his talents in the trenches for the last three years, but they’ve talked even more about the quality of his character. PN-G head coach Jeff Joseph said the lineman works as hard as anybody in the weight room, is very intelligent and brings valuable leadership to the locker room.

With Christian’s blend of size and strength, not many opponents give him trouble. He said some of the competition he’s faced over the years forged him in the fire though, including Zachary Chapman from Fort Bend Marshall, now at Texas Christian University, as well as Little Cypress-Mauriceville product Amier Washington, now at Texas Tech.

The soft-spoken lineman has extra motivation to excel compared to most others, too.

The morning before PN-G’s game against Dayton in 2022, Christian’s older sister Morgan unexpectedly passed away at the age of 17. He still played that evening, and has done so in her memory every Friday night since.

Before each game, Christian wraps his wrists and writes “Pinky Lee” across the athletic tape – the nickname given to his sister by their father. 

“She took me to school and to all my practices when I couldn’t drive,” Christian said. “Losing her really did put a big mark in our family. But also, I’m doing this for her, and that’s one of the main reasons to keep me motivated. I know if she was here, she would still motivate me to do this.”

With that motivation to play hard and be a positive role model, Christian is setting the gold standard for the next generation of young football players and students alike.

“I remember looking up to a lot of players that I watched going to PN-G,” Christian said. “It’s a good feeling to have these little kids come up to you and think you’re an NFL player or something like that. In our community, there’s great support and that just goes into an overall great community.”

For now, Christian is focused on giving his all to the PN-G program and enjoying his senior year while it lasts. Having committed to play football at the University of Texas, he plans to graduate early and begin his collegiate career in January.

The senior said the academic prestige of UT was a big draw, especially since he wants to prioritize his studies as he pursues a mechanical engineering degree. And, it certainly doesn’t hurt that Texas is back — the Longhorns have resurfaced as one of the nation’s premier football schools.

“I feel like UT kind of reflects our program,” Christian said. “In Coach Sark’s first year they went five and seven. In the second year they were a little bit better. This year, they went to the playoffs and almost got to the national championship. And, I believe they’re gonna go back there again.

“But, I’m not really worried about that right now, because I’m still playing in high school. I’m just trying to enjoy my last few months that I have here and be a PN-G Indian for now.”