The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: Scott's Branch junior Jackson's versatility and leadership lift football, basketball programs

In SCHSL 1A athletics, versatility is key.

Smaller schools don't have the deepest benches, so having players who can fill multiple roles can be the difference between making a run to a state championship or having one injury derail an entire season.

Quintin Jackson is that malleable weapon at Scott's Branch.

On the football field, he does a little bit of everything. He's lined up at running back, wide receiver and quarterback on offense while leading the Eagles' defense from the safety position. In basketball, he wants the most difficult challenge on defense, and the 6-foot junior has the speed and strength to lock down most positions on the court. Quintin also serves as the Eagles' sharpshooter in a balanced scoring lineup.

Simply put, Quintin is the all-around athlete most coaches dream of penciling into their starting lineup every night, and he's trying to take the Eagles to new heights.

"The expectation is to get bigger and better. We're trying to compete for a state championship," Quintin said. "I don't like to lose, so I'll do anything to win."

GRINDING THROUGH TOUGH TIMES

When Quintin first got to Scott's Branch, he found an athletic department in transition.

The Eagles were struggling on the football field, begging to get any victories they could muster on Friday nights. On the basketball court, Scott's Branch was coming off four consecutive runs to the SCHSL 1A state championship game, though they fell short each time. After the peak of success, the hoops team hit a lull after the graduation of their biggest stars.

As a freshman in 2023, Quintin was fighting through the frustration of failure. The football team failed to win a game, though he was able to carve out some playing time on both sides of the ball. Football is Quintin's greatest passion, but that season left him wondering if it was worth all of the time and effort he was putting in.

"Going 0-10 that year, it just did something to me," Quintin said. "I wanted to quit, but I love the game too much to quit."

Luckily, he didn't pack it up. A year later, the Eagles were a new program after Pat Fleming walked in the door.

NEW SPARK

When Scott's Branch hired Pat as their head coach, the mentality shifted for the Eagles. He played college football at South Carolina in the early 2000s and brought a college mindset to a program desperate for structure.

"It really changed the program around," Quintin said.

Pat immediately knew he had an incredible athlete when he saw Quintin on the field, but his work away from the gridiron showed that the then-sophomore had the chance to be truly special.

"It all starts in the weight room for a younger athlete because that's where they start to get confidence. He took onto the weight program; he dove in and never looked back," Pat said. "He gained 15 pounds of muscle in one year, so he took to it. He works extremely hard, and now it's starting to trickle down to the other guys."

Scott's Branch took a massive leap in Year 1 under Pat. They won four games and earned a trip to the postseason with Quintin at the forefront. He was one of three all-state players for the Eagles, catching 16 passes for 350 yards and seven touchdowns. He ran for two touchdowns and took three kicks back to the house for scores. On defense, he had 70 tackles and picked off five passes.

"When we first came in, they said, 'Coach, we haven't won a game since rec.' It's kinda hard to stick with anything when you're not getting success," Pat said. "We expect to win now, it's the standard, and those guys have risen to it. Me, as a coach, I've gotta push them, I've got to dig a little deeper, I've got to expect more of myself, coaches and players, as well. We're excited with where we're at but more excited about where we're going."

JUNIOR YEAR LEAP

After a strong 2024, the Eagles got even better in 2025. A little taste of success lit a fire under Quintin and his teammates. They spent all offseason putting in the work to check off their next goal: winning a playoff game.

"We were just happy to win a couple of games," Quintin said of the 2024 season. "It got our confidence up. Everyone was working out, and everything mattered during that time. Guys were focusing, practicing hard, intensity was up. We were just trying to make the playoff run."

Scott's Branch got an early sign that the season had the potential to be spectacular when they toppled Manning for the first time in the lives of every player on the roster. Quintin had a special game, catching four passes for 47 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 60 yards and adding 100 kick return yards. But when the celebration erupted, Quintin was watching from the sideline, as he was knocked out of the game by a high ankle sprain.

"I wanted to play, but I knew that I couldn't, so I just had to accept the fact and put all of my faith and trust in my teammates," Quintin said.

Quintin spent the next couple of weeks watching as the Eagles started a winning streak. But he wasn't just a silent observer. Pat saw his leadership come to the forefront as he helped a young secondary learn how to fill his shoes.

"He became another coach for us," the Scott's Branch head coach said. "He sat in on some of the coaches' meetings; he was just eager to help any way he could, and he did a good job helping the younger guys out. We had some guys who had never played in the secondary who had to step up for him. Luckily, on offense, we had some returning guys with some experience, but on defense, he really helped with some of the younger safeties with alignment, assignment and just encouraging those guys when a play was made on them to just keep going."

When Quintin returned to the lineup, he didn't miss a beat. He put together another all-state season as the team's Swiss Army Knife. In the Eagles' penultimate regular season game, starting quarterback Jaiven Conyers tore his ACL. Quintin stepped up and led Scott's Branch to a 57-16 victory by passing for 96 yards and a touchdown while adding 88 yards and two scores on the ground. He caught a touchdown pass before filling in at quarterback and managed to intercept two passes and return them both for touchdowns on defense.

"Any time you're challenging a kid like Quintin, he rises up," Pat said. "I always tell him the cream rises to the top, and he does a great job of preparing mentally, emotionally and physically. Especially when you challenge him, he takes it and embraces it and runs with it."

Quintin spent the rest of the season splitting time between quarterback, running back and receiver, as JoJo Jackson saw regular reps at QB down the stretch. But Quintin was prepared to take the snap whenever his number was called.

"It was more pressure … Every little thing matters at quarterback," Quintin said. "The receivers had to rely on you to get them the ball, but then, we had our backup quarterback, so I got to move around again once he got into position."

Quintin finished a superb junior season with 500 passing yards and six scores through the air. He caught 18 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 454 yards and eight touchdowns. On defense, he collected 52 tackles and two interceptions, scoring two defensive touchdowns.

VERSATILITY

Quintin's ability to move all over the field is a devastating weapon for the Eagles. He's difficult for opposing teams to game plan for because he can do damage from several different positions on the field.

"I call him our Deebo Samuel; we can put him anywhere, and he's effective," Pat said. "He does everything we ask of him. When you have a guy like that, it's easier to game plan week to week. We had a package for him (at quarterback) all year. We were trying to save it for the playoffs, but we had to dive into it a little earlier when Jaiven got hurt against Bethune-Bowman. He did a great job, and that's a testament to his leadership, his determination, his will, his grit, all the things we've based our program around."

It's not easy to prepare for multiple positions every week, but Pat knows that Quintin wants to take his game to the next level, so he challenges his star junior to prove he's capable of thriving in any circumstance.

"It's not easy, but we're trying to prepare guys for the next level with film training and just having an IQ for the game. A lot of these guys had an IQ before, and we're just boosting it and teaching the extra parts of the game with things to look for," Pat said. "We've got a group of kids who are pretty smart in the classroom, as well, so we're just taking advantage of that. My motto as a coach is 'Smart, fast, physical football.' We've got the first two, we're just trying to get more physical in the trenches."

That IQ isn't just on the football field, either. Pat knows he has an intelligent superstar, so he can handle a heavy mental workload.

"That comes with maturity. He's real mature for his age, and he's got a good grasp on his future, where he wants to go and the projection of it," Pat said. "He's been a leader on and off the field, he has a 3.4 GPA; he's done everything and more. You want a guy like that when you're trying to establish a program, to give someone for the young guys to look at and be that kind of central figure."

While the offensive side of the football sees more flashy numbers, Quintin takes pride in being a bruiser on the other side of the ball.

"I like to come down and hit," Quintin said. "I'm definitely tougher than a lot of people out there. I just like to hit people; no consequences."

STEPPING UP ON THE COURT

While the football program got a facelift in 2024, the winds of change didn't blow into the basketball program until 2025, when Damian Days took over at Scott's Branch. It didn't take him long to realize that Quintin would be a major asset this winter.

"We built up the relationship this summer, and it carried over after they came off the football field," Damian said of working with Quintin. Once they saw what we were doing, just being a natural athlete - probably the best athlete there - he picked it up, he understood what we were doing, and he took the lead."

Quintin's leadership has been important for a Scott's Branch squad with just two seniors. While Quintin and the rest of the football players got out to a later start because they were busy in the postseason, he quickly set the tone for the Eagles.

"He's the natural leader. He's vocal on the court, he tells the other guys what to do, he leads by example, he doesn't miss practices," Damian said. "Once he understood my expectations as a coach and what we wanted to do with our system, he took the lead and makes sure all the guys are doing what they're supposed to be doing."

Early in the season, the Eagles struggled to find their groove. All of their games were against larger programs, and they quickly fell in a 4-9 hole before the calendar flipped to 2026. Despite the early struggles under a new head coach, Quintin pushed his teammates to keep tinkering as they found their identity.

"He takes the initiative to get our team better," Damian said. "He never gave up when we were playing the Crestwoods, the harder teams. He always had some sort of motivation, even for some of our better players. I really enjoy him as a player-coach because he's not going to take any plays off and push the team to be better."

Once January hit, the Eagles found a new gear. Scott's Branch hasn't lost in 2026 and earned a huge 60-51 win over Bethune-Bowman, who was the top-ranked team in SCHSL 1A at the time.

On the court, Quintin is a classic 3-and-D player. He can shoot the lights out of the gym, and his defensive prowess from the football field carries over to the court.

"Quintin is our shooter," Damian said. "On the defensive end, he runs people down and defends their hardest player. On offense, he's our shooter. If we're trying to get someone warm, hitting a couple of threes, he's our guy. Even though he's physical on the basketball court, he has a natural jump shot that's smooth. You'd be surprised a football player can shoot the ball the way he shoots it."

Quintin has the toughest task on defense. Alongside defending the opposing team's top player, his role in the Eagles' press would have many players gasping for air.

"We play man-to-man, and he's going to pick the best player. Then, when we press, he's going to play the hardest position, the one where you're going to have to run around and scramble and chase," Damian said. "If the other team makes a steal, he's going to be the first person back down the court. His speed on that football field carries over to the basketball court, and he's going to do it every play. He doesn't take any plays off. He very seldom comes off the court; he's the only player that plays the whole game. That intensity, that fortitude that he has is amazing."

Quintin doesn't have the most gaudy stats on the court, but that's by design. Damian preaches balance to his team, as no one scores more than 12 points per game, but five players score at least six points per game. Quintin is averaging 8.3 points per game while snagging a shade under two steals per contest.

"We teach the guys to play together; that's one of our main points every game. If the next guy is open, I don't care if it's the 12th man, pass him the ball so he can get an opportunity to make the layup because you're not open," Damian said. "We teach that because we play full-court fastbreak, so the score should be balanced because it takes a total team effort."

As the Eagles look to carry their excellent momentum into a playoff run, Damian knows that Quintin's leadership will lift his team to great heights.

"He's gonna guide us through any hard time. He's going to want to play the best player, he's going to want to play the hardest, and he's going to hit that shot when we need it," the Eagles' head coach said. "Against Baptist Hill, he hit three big threes in three big moments in the game that made us stretch it out to push the win. He's just that guy. He's going to do the big things and the little things to help the team win. Going into the homestretch and the playoffs, I'm going to expect him to step up the way he's stepped up defensively and offensively for us when we really need it."