Former NFL player Eddie Jackson has found his new career and it will be on television. But it won’t be as an analyst but as a new Food Network host. Earlier this week, Jackson was declared the winner of Season 11 of “Food Network Star” by a panel that included two network execs and current network stars Giada de Laurentiis and Bobby Flay.

Jackson played college at Arkansas as a cornerback and strong safety then went to the NFL to play with the Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. But injuries cut his career short and Jackson turned to cooking. He previously competed on Fox’s MasterChef and this season’s Food Network Star.

Jackson was an early favorite and used the advice from Star hosts Flay and de Laurentiis plus 30 Minute Meals host Rachel Ray to get to the finals and was finally selected the winner.

As a result, Jackson will host his own show on Food Network. It will focus on barbecue and it will be called “BBQ Blitz” premiering in October.

In his exit interview with Food Network, Jackson said this was different than anything he had done in the NFL.

“I had never done anything like this, so to speak, in front of a camera one-on-one. So I kind of learned that I can actually do this. I’ve been in front of the camera in front of, you know, 60,000 people, playing football and things like that, but never one-on-one talking directly to a camera by myself. And over the course of this show, I realized that I really can do this and this is something that I want to continue to do for the rest of my life.”

Jackson tells Yahoo that in the NFL, he could depend on teammates if he made a mistake, but that was not the case in Food Network Star:

“I would say Food Network Star is definitely difficult, because with football, you have other guys that you can kind of depend on. But on this show, it’s just you and that camera, and you depend on yourself. It makes us that much tougher. It’s something I’ve never experienced before.”

Jackson says Food Network is working out the kinks and what the focus of the show will be:

Well, they’re basically still putting it all together. I know we start shooting in a few weeks. But right now, I think they’re putting all the final pieces together for it. And then I’ll know more about what exactly I’ll be doing.

Previous Food Network Star contestants who have gone on to front their own shows on either Food Network or its sister network Cooking Channel include Guy Fieri, Kelsey Nixon, Melissa D’Arabian and Jeff “Sandwich King” Mauro.

Here’s hoping that Jackson will have a long run with his new show. BBQ Blitz will get its season premiere on Food Network on October 9 at 10:30 p.m. ET.

[Yahoo]

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.

He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.

Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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