Kearis Jackson’s biggest highlight during Georgia’s 27-6 win over Auburn came with just over 6 minutes played in the 2nd quarter.

With the Dawgs already up 17-0 and facing a 1st-and-15 at their own 41, quarterback Stetson Bennett IV stepped back, surveyed the field and launched a perfect strike to the redshirt sophomore, who created just enough distance from his defenders to haul it in at the Auburn 12. Key to the catch was the awareness he showed to make a slight route adjustment to make sure he didn’t overrun the ball.

After the catch, an energized Jackson popped up, scowling at the camera ahead of him — perhaps knowing that he had effectively announced his presence to a nationwide audience watching on ESPN.

We knew that DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle were bound to do big things for Alabama this year. Kyle Pitts? We figured he’d do big things too at Florida, but not quite the big numbers he’s put up thus far. But Kearis Jackson? Where did this come from?

Make no mistake: George Pickens is the Bulldogs’ option 1 at wide receiver. He’s not gotten off to the fastest start, but he’ll get warmed up with time, hopefully as soon as Saturday against Tennessee.

That being said, it’s time to have a talk about Jackson, because the hype train’s slowly, but surely, starting to heat up.

Jackson was certainly set to play a bigger role in the offense Kirby Smart and Todd Monken carved out for this season. I don’t think anyone quite expected him to have the start he’s had. Against Arkansas, Jackson made 6 catches for 62 yards. Not a bad performance. In Saturday’s win over Auburn, though, he was Bennett’s favorite target, hauling in 9 catches for 147 yards, including his longest of the night, the 49-yarder in the 2nd quarter.

Could Jackson’s outing be attributed to an off night from Auburn’s secondary? Sure, that could have been the case. But you don’t accidentally get 147 yards receiving, either.

“(He’s_ one of our leaders,” Kirby Smart said after the game. “(He’s) one of our toughest players, he’s one of the most demanding guys of other people, he’s a great academic student, he does what he’s supposed to do when he’s supposed to do it. He deserved that game more than anybody. He made plays, and he did a great job with that.”

It’s that leadership and work ethic the Dawgs will be counting on this season.

Pickens, along with Dominick Blaylock, was supposed to provide a 1-2 punch in the receiving corps this season, even with the questions about who’d be playing quarterback. But a knee injury has shelved Blaylock for the 2020 season.

Enter Jackson. We saw him line up as a slot option throughout the night against the Tigers, and while he can use his speed to get behind the safeties as he did in the 2nd quarter and provide a downfield option for Bennett to work with, he can also utilize it on screens to get on the edge and turn it upfield as he did on a 21-yard catch in the 4th quarter. (In case you didn’t guess, he was a track star at high school in Peach County, Georgia, who most recently sent Demarcus Robinson to the NFL.)

And the chemistry he has been able to develop with Bennett can’t be understated, either. That will become that much more vital as the Dawgs progress throughout the coming weeks. We should see more from Pickens and hopefully upperclassmen Matt Landers and Demetris Robertson, along with true freshmen Jermaine Burton and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. It’s not a stretch to say that by the final whistle of their game against Florida in Jacksonville, their destiny will be set up for a possible clear path to the SEC Championship and potential Playoff berth, or a 3rd consecutive year on the outside of the Playoff bubble looking in.

Jackson’s early performance has been a pleasant surprise. Is it a sign of things to come, or is it a 2-game flash in the pan?

The Bulldogs are hoping that it’s the former. So you’d do well to get your tickets for the hype train now before it leaves the station.

And while the final destination’s unknown at this time, let’s hope it ends up at Hard Rock Stadium in January to pick up some long-awaited silverware for the program.