CHAMPAIGN – C.J. Jackson picked at the shredded gloves falling apart on his hands in Illinois' football practice Friday. The Jugs machine, spitting Juice Williams-like fastballs in Jackson's direction, momentarily shut off.

"I've actually torn three gloves out there trying to catch balls off the gun," Jackson said.

Then there was the helmet. Jackson had not squeezed his head inside one since November 2004 as a hotly recruited senior at Tri-County High School in Georgia. It felt more familiar back then, when Georgia and Auburn offered football scholarships on the same morning.

"I was pulling at the facemask, trying to get it away from my face a little bit," he said with a laugh.

Readjusting to the gear was Jackson's first speed bump in transitioning from basketball to football. A 6-foot-8, 260-pound sophomore on a basketball scholarship at Illinois, Jackson played about three series in the football team's spring game Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The tight end blocked downfield and dropped the only pass thrown his direction. It closed Jackson's first week with the football team – a tryout of sorts.

"Obviously he's an athlete," coach Ron Zook said. "Anybody who can play basketball at the University of Illinois is an athlete."

Exactly where this dual-sport odyssey will end up – at Assembly Hall, Memorial Stadium, or both – remains uncertain. Here's what Jackson knows for sure:

One, "I would love to play both."

Two, "This (football) is what I want to make a career out of."

Three, rumors he is considering a transfer are unfounded: "That's all just big talk. I'm not going anywhere. ... Illinois is like family to me."

Four, he won't give up basketball: "I can't not play basketball. ... My heart is out there on the hardwood."

Zook plans to meet with Jackson this week to evaluate his performance and future. Basketball coach Bruce Weber has called or text messaged Jackson every night since he joined the football team and said he'll meet with Jackson after Zook. Jackson said he regrets missing three weeks of spring practice but had enough physical tools to earn a scholarship offer from Zook while he was Florida's coach.

"When (Zook) came to my school, he couldn't talk to me. But he made sure he was somewhere I saw him," Jackson said. "He would kind of give me a nod or something like that to let me know he was there to talk to the coaches about me."

Don't expect a rushed decision on Jackson's future. He wants to discuss the options with both coaches, specifically Zook, and advance from there.

But what about this summer scenario: Basketball is holding a summer workout simultaneous to a football workout.

"If I can, I would love to do one and then leave for the other," he said.

His offseason conditioning plan: "I'm definitely going to do more weights geared toward football. But a lot of basketball over the summer is coming in, playing pickup, individual improvement. I'm going to definitely do some of that as well. I guess I'll be taking a pass at both of them."

Jackson seems to have support from both sports. Football teammates have ribbed him in study halls since he arrived at the UI, imploring him to swap sneakers for cleats. Jackson text messaged his 15 basketball teammates on the day he decided to pursue football. Each one replied, he said, with a cyber thumbs up. Assistant basketball coach Tracy Webster attended football practice Friday, when Jackson snagged passes from the Jugs machine as the last player to leave the field.

Jackson, who is on pace to earn a master's degree in five years, has three years of eligibility remaining in both sports. Some of the jarring screens he set in 12 basketball game appearances have yet to translate onto the football field.

"I'm used to not hitting guys. I've got to hit guys and stay on them," he said. They're not calling fouls out there. I've got to get used to that."

Whether Saturday's spring game was a football debut or curtain call remains to be seen. He said the coaches will help determine his path.

"If it isn't possible to do both, my whole mind-set will be different," Jackson said. "I definitely think it's possible to do both."