Steelers tryout started Jackson switches from Gaelic football to American football in Pittsburgh | News, sports, jobs

Tryout kicker Mark Jackson attends the Pittsburgh Steelers' NFL rookie minicamp football practice on Friday, May 10, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH – Mark Jackson doesn't look out of place.

Jackson's yellow No. 2 stands at the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice facility on Friday, mingling with the other 42 players trying to catch the eye of head coach Mike Tomlin during the team's rookie minicamp. At 1.90 meters tall and weighing a whopping 100 kilograms, Jackson practically towers over Caleb Shudak, the other kicker who was used.

However, things change when Jackson starts talking. It then becomes clear very quickly that while Jackson doesn't look out of place, he certainly sounds out of place.

An extended stay in the United States in search of a job he never expected did little to soften Jackson's Irish style. At one point, the 25-year-old from Baltinglass (just over an hour southwest of Dublin) is asked to spell the name of his hometown for clarity, a request Jackson happily obliges.

The way Jackson means it, it's okay if he has to translate a little to fit in. As long as the skills he honed playing Gaelic football at home – think a mix of soccer and rugby with a touch of basketball – carry over to the American version.

There is hope, perhaps more than a little, for a player who has never kicked an American football until six months ago when Tadhg Leader, who runs a professional kicking program in Ireland, asked Jackson if he would be interested in joining the International Pathway NFL Join Program.

Shortly thereafter, Jackson trained in Florida, where he completed a combine and attended a pro day. He returned home and received an invitation to Pittsburgh after winning the team's first American football kicking clinic in Dublin.

Yes, that was a lot for a player who admits he has spent most of his life playing his home country's national sport.

“When you’re a kid growing up in Ireland, the NFL is the furthest thing from your dreams.” Jackson said. “You could say it’s a dream, but you don’t actually dream that big.”

At home, Jackson is a goalkeeper where, when he's not making saves, he's shooting free kicks from deep, a skill that requires Jackson to hit the white Gaelic football (which looks like an oversized volleyball) over a crossbar 8 feet above ground and drill into between 21 foot diameter goalposts.

Jackson points out that there are only two sports in the world that require a player to shoot the ball straight off the ground through uprights. One of them is American football. The other is the game he grew up with.

“There are definitely transferable skills there.” Jackson said.

Still, it took some getting used to working with a snapper and a holder and figuring out the right time to start the movement. The sweet spot in American football is also smaller and requires a little more sensitivity.

Jackson believes consistency is one of his biggest problems. Apparently strength isn't one of them. When asked about his range, Jackson said he has made field goals from 70 yards out in practice. Not messing around on kickoffs, but in a traditional three-step approach.

“I guess I always had a big leg” Jackson said.

There is something of a pedigree for Irish athletes to reach the NFL. Charlie Smyth, like Jackson a Gaelic football veteran, signed a three-year contract as a kicker for the New Orleans Saints in March. Green Bay player Daniel Whelan grew up on the Irish coast before moving to the United States as a teenager.

As wide-eyed as Jackson may sound about his improbable journey, he is dead serious about finding a way to persevere. He signed with agent Robert Roche, who represents Baltimore Ravens star Justin Tucker, and seemed a little confused when asked what he hoped to get out of his tryout with Pittsburgh, which has one of the league's better kickers in Chris Boswell has.

“Of course the main goal to come here is to get a contract” Jackson said. “That's why I'm here. I wouldn't be here for any other reason.”

If Jackson impresses over the weekend, there's a chance he could earn a spot on the 90-man roster to serve as a reserve player during training camp.

Or perhaps the NFL's new kickoff rules, which prioritize directional shooting and could require kickers to be more active in the return game, lend themselves to Jackson's particular skill set.

Goalkeepers in Gaelic football at times act as de facto quarterbacks, using their legs to direct pinpoint passes to open teammates in the hope of generating a rush in the other direction.

“I think it suits us Irish, we’re not small boys either, we’re big and strong so we can make tackles.” Jackson said. “We have taken hits in different sports. So… having to place the ball in certain areas of the field is what we do as kids. That’s really our bread and butter.”

And if Jackson gets a foothold in Pittsburgh, all the better. The NFL awarded international marketing rights to the franchise in Ireland last year, and Dan Rooney, chairman and president of the Hall of Fame Steelers, served as U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.

The team's popularity is one reason interest in the NFL is growing so much in Jackson's homeland, where the Irish national rugby team is ranked second in the world. If he lands a job with the Steelers, who knows, maybe the flood of athletes trying to switch from one form of football to another will become a flood.

“You can see how much the NFL is growing in Ireland” Jackson said. “And yes, I want to be a part of it.”