Jackson State head coach T.C. Taylor thought he knew everything there was to know about quarterback Jared Lockhart.
Then one day this spring, he opened social media.
“I look up on social media and he’s out there throwing the javelin,” Taylor said during SWAC Football Media Day. “I’m like, wow, this dude… he has it.”
Taylor admitted he was caught completely off guard when Lockhart joined Jackson State’s track and field team.
“That shocked me,” Taylor said. “I know the track coach had called me, but I didn’t actually know he was going to do it.”
Scoring points for Jackson State in two sports
Rather than simply trying a new sport, Lockhart became a contributor.
The sophomore quarterback finished fourth in the men’s javelin at the 2026 SWAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a throw of 59.19 meters (194 feet, 2 inches), earning five points for the Tigers.
His versatility mirrors what he’s already shown on the football field.
After taking over as Jackson State’s starting quarterback last season, Lockhart completed 76 of 113 passes (67.3%) for 1,187 yards, eight touchdowns and just three interceptions in seven games while posting a 173.55 passer rating.
Meet the fastest member of the family
As impressive as Jared’s athletic résumé has become, his sister, Sanu Jallow-Lockhart, may have set the family standard.
The Arkansas standout capped an extraordinary 2026 season by winning the NCAA outdoor championship in the 800 meters, breaking the collegiate record with a time of 1:56.86. The performance earned her USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year honors after a season in which she repeatedly climbed the collegiate all-time rankings.
She has also represented The Gambia on the Olympic stage in 2024.
A journey that began in West Africa
Long before she became one of the fastest women in collegiate track, Jallow-Lockhart’s journey began in The Gambia, where she dreamed of running while growing up in West Africa.
She immigrated to the United States at age nine, unable to speak English, according to a 2022 profile by The Charlotte Observer.
After settling in Charlotte, she discovered organized track and field and quickly emerged as one of North Carolina’s top high school athletes.
Her life changed again when she became part of the Lockhart family.
West Mecklenburg track coach Janelle Johnson-Lockhart and her husband, Daszmar Lockhart, eventually took legal custody of Jallow after years of mentoring her through track. She would later refer to them as her parents, while developing a close bond with their sons, including Jared and Jackson State wide receiver Jayden Lockhart.
That family support helped launch one of the nation’s premier middle-distance runners.
“Just an athletic family”
Taylor sees that competitive spirit throughout the Lockhart household.
“He comes from an athletic family,” Taylor said. His brother is with us—Jayden Lockhart, a great receiver, big-time speed. Just an athletic family. A gifted family.”
It’s a fitting description.
One sibling is helping lead a SWAC championship contender.
Another has become the fastest woman in NCAA history over 800 meters.
And this spring, even Jackson State’s head coach discovered his quarterback had another talent he never saw coming.