Jackson initially attended Carencro High School in Lafayette, Louisiana until 2007 where his father, was the head coach of the football team. There, Jackson honed his skills as a corner under his father's tutelage. After totaling 93 tackles, 5 interceptions and blocking seven kicks as a junior, he was named Class 5A All-State by the LSWA. After his father returned to McNeese State, Jackson attended Alfred M. Barbe High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he made 92 tackles and intercepted 5 passes as a senior. He was also named Class 5A All-State a second time and received All-American honors by USA Today and SuperPrep,. In addition, Jackson participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Jackson was listed as No. 2 cornerback in the 2009 class. He originally committed to LSU on February 23, 2008, but rethought his choice on National Signing Day 2009, when he signed a national letter of intent to play football for Tennessee. Said Jackson: "Monte Kiffin was the difference. I love Tennessee. I have known Coach Orgeron for a while and I love him. But to realize that if you play defense at Tennessee, then you are going to know what Monte Kiffin knows is special. He invented his own defense and has been so good for so long, and now he is going to teach me what he knows. That was just too much to pass up."
College career
Despite Tennessee's depth in the defensive backfield, Jackson was expected to contribute as a true freshman in 2009. He arrived at Tennessee weighing 175 lbs, but bulked up to 192 lbs. According to head coach Lane Kiffin, Jackson "already covers like an SEC cornerback and hits like an SEC safety and has a chance to lineup alongside Eric Berry as a starter on September 5 against Western Kentucky." Until midseason, Jackson had started all but two of the Volunteers' games and had emerged as one of the better freshman players in the Southeastern Conference. He was suspended for the week 9 game against Memphis for violating team rules. On November 12, 2009, Jackson and fellow freshmen teammates Mike Edwards and Nu'Keese Richardson were arrested after an armed robbery attempt at a Pilot station on Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee. Less than two weeks later, charges against Jackson were dropped because a police investigation found that he had no prior knowledge of the alleged attempted robbery. On November 24, he was reinstated to the Tennessee football team. After recording 37 tackles, a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, Jackson was named to Rivals.com's 2009 SEC All-Freshman Team for his standout play. As a sophomore in 2010, Jackson started all 12 regular season games and compiled 65 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, a sack, 9 passes defended and 5 interceptions and was named to the All-SEC second team voted by the league's coaches. On August 24, 2011, the University of Tennessee announced that Janzen Jackson was released from the football team for unspecified reasons. On August 28, Jackson enrolled at McNeese State University, where his father, Guidry, played and coached for the McNeese State Cowboys football team.
Jackson has a son named Ethan. His parents are Tesra Jackson and Lance Guidry. In 2014, Jackson was accused of murdering his mothers then boyfriend. The victim, Frank Herrera, was found in an abandoned car. His death was determined to be from strangulation. In 2017, Jackson was convicted of voluntary manslaughter of Frank Herrera and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment, the maximum sentence. Jackson’s defense maintains that the killing was in self defense.
