One of the top shining center prospects emerging in this year’s draft is Jackson Powers-Johnson. A lot of teams have been making a beeline for the 2023 Rimington Trophy winner from Oregon, including the Dallas Cowboys.

The 21-year-old switched to the starter center position last year from playing as a guard for his first two seasons with the Ducks. With 829 offense snaps, 332 run block snaps, and 497 pass block snaps last season, Powers-Johnson’s stats stand out just like his last name, which he adorns in honor of his biggest support system: his parents.

Meet Jackson Powers-Johnson’s parents

The Utah native was born on January 23, 2003, to mother Jennifer Powers. Due to undisclosed reasons, his biological father wasn’t in the picture much, but Jackson got his new dad when he was three years old. Jennifer married James Johnson, who immediately stepped up to the role of his young stepson’s dad.

“When my husband and I got together, James and I got together, Jackson was two and a half years old,” shared Jennifer. “And when we got married, he was three. And his biological dad has always struggled with different things, and so, James really came in and was the dad.” However, the transition wasn’t easy for the young Jackson.

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James entered the mother-son’s life, and it took some time for him to adjust to the future center’s “big personality.” However, after a few “road trips” and going to stadiums to watch “games together,” Jackson gradually warmed up to his stepfather and turned him into ‘dad.’

Sharing the heartwarming moment, James said, “He looked up at me, and he said, ‘Ok, you’re dad now.’ And I’m like, ‘Ok’ and that was it and from there on out, I was dad.” The next big step came when the future draft prospect turned 18 and returned his stepdad’s love in a big gesture!

Why the center adopted ‘James Powers-Johnson’ as his surname

Jackson had already embraced James as his “dad” as a kid, but he fully expressed his gratitude on reaching adulthood when he chose to change his surname to honor the two pillars of his life. ‘Powers’ comes from Jennifer’s maiden name, while adding ‘Johnson’ was the athlete’s way of giving back to the man who raised him as a child and the couple who stood on the brink of starting his college football career.

As shared with KVAL, the freshman athlete left his Ducks practice early for a court date through Zoom. Once the formalities were over, he Facetimed his dad. After the initial jokes and teasing, an emotional Jackson delivered the big news. The center also announced the happy news on his social media account.

Talking about his reaction to the surprising news, James said, “And then he goes, ‘Do you want to hear my full name? I’m like, yeah, and I just assumed it was going to be Jackson Powers-Johnson. He goes, ‘It’s Jackson James Powers-Johnson. For me, for him to take my last name was huge.” Jackson’s bond with his parents is a testament to the role loving and supportive family dynamics can play in a person’s life.

The Oregon star’s social media accounts are laden with loving photographs of the athlete with his biggest cheerleaders, showing how the family has been together in every step of his football journey. Today, he is projected to be the ‘best center of the 2024 draft’ and will be entering the NFL to start a new phase of his life, with the unwavering support of Jennifer and James by his side.