For much of last year, Mark Jackson was envisioning himself deciding games in the NFL in 2025, but instead this weekend he could be the match winner for his own county as they contest their first Tailteann Cup semi-final.
The Wicklow goalkeeper is just two wins away from playing a key role in securing the Garden County's first piece of silverware since 2012, when they lifted the Division 4 league title.
And if they are to get over the line in Croke Park on 12 July, his role will extend far beyond protecting his goal.
Crucial to his team's progression to this afternoon's Tailteann Cup semi-final against Limerick has been Jackson's scoring accuracy and range from placed balls - a skillset which earned him a place in the 2024 NFL International Player Pathway programme as a kicker and ultimately the NFL combine and a spot at the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp.
So far this year across both the All-Ireland and football's secondary competition, Jackson has shown exactly why his kicking ability caught their eye. He is the top-scoring goalkeeper of any of the 33 teams involved across the two competitions.
The Wicklow number one has scored 0-20 in four Tailteann Cup games, one full Leinster championship encounter, and extra time of his team's provincial preliminary round win over Longford.
The next highest scoring goalkeeper so far this summer is another former NFL hopeful in Monaghan's Rory Beggan. The Scotstown stopper has amassed 0-16.
Armagh's Ethan Rafferty has scored 0-15, four more than the country's fourth top-scoring goalkeeper in Antrim's Michael Byrne, who has 0-12.
Offaly's Paddy Dunican and Meath's Billy Hogan make up the top five with 0-10 apiece.
Rory Beggan's contributions at both ends of the field have been crucial for Monaghan
Rory Beggan's contributions at both ends of the field have been crucial for Monaghan
null
Jackson has taken full advantage of the new two-point scoring rule introduced this season to reward long-range scores from outside the new 40m arc, something which appears to be playing into the hands of free-taking goalkeepers.
Jackson has slotted eight so far, more than any other goalkeeper. Both Rafferty and Beggan have each scored five, while Byrne has converted four.
Jackson's 0-20 has come in under six matches, the same amount of games Rafferty has featured in for Armagh - although the latter has played in every minute for Kieran McGeeney's team - one more than Byrne and two less than Beggan.
Beggan has the marginal lead in terms of scoring average per game, albeit in one of Jackson's games he only played for the 20 minutes of extra time, meaning the latter has the highest scoring average per minute this summer.
Ethan Rafferty's marauding runs have long been a feature of Armagh's play
Ethan Rafferty's marauding runs have long been a feature of Armagh's play
While Jackson has mastered the two-point arc from placed balls, he's yet to contribute any score whatsoever from play, whereas the likes of Tyrone's Niall Morgan - who has a total of 0-07 in five games - and Beggan have found their range in general play.
But leading the way on that front is Rafferty, who along with nailing a two-pointer from play against Galway last time out has also scored another four points, making him the top-scoring goalkeeper from play.
Jackson's opposite number this weekend, Limerick's Josh Ryan, has scored 0-02 so far and is one of 20 goalkeepers to score so far across the All-Ireland and Tailteann Cup.
This time last season, 15 goalkeepers had scored across the two competitions, highlighting the rise of scoring shot-stoppers. They scored on 47 occasions in 2024 at this point in the season.
This year, goalkeepers have scored 83 times, with the two-point reward for a lot of their long-range efforts increasing their value and rewarding their talents even further.
Last year, Jackson scored 0-08 across his four championship matches, all coming in the Tailteann Cup, after missing the league and Leinster campaign as he embarked on his American football experience.
The year before, across the provincial and Tailteann Cup campaigns, he slotted 0-11 in five games.
This year, he has scored 12 times in six matches, maintaining a similar two score per game average over the past three years, albeit with the added gloss of the two-pointers in 2025.
Mark Jackson and Wicklow manager Oisín McConville
Mark Jackson and Wicklow manager Oisín McConville
Aside from his expert free-taking, Jackson has also made key saves and provided an excellent long kickout option for his team.
Against Offaly his key saves included a penalty stop. Last time out against Westmeath, in a surprise 2-18 to 2-17 win over the Lake County, he retained possession with just under three-quarters of his 15 restarts (73%), going long with all but four of them.
This weekend Wicklow face a Limerick side who pipped them by one point in the Division 4 race for promotion.
However, Oisín McConville's team were without Jackson for that league campaign. In their one point quarter-final victory over Westmeath he scored seven points, made up of a 45, and three two-point frees. In all he nailed four out of six long-range efforts.
If faced with another close game this weekend, his place-kicking could again be the difference, and on the big Croke Park stage he will also have the opportunity to show the NFL what they're missing.
Watch the Tailteann Cup semi-finals, Wicklow v Limerick and Fermanagh v Kildare, on Sunday from 1.30pm. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm.