Recently, we saw rapper Toosii suspend his music career to chase his football dreams and become the first multi-platinum recording artist to play Division I college football. Now, it is almost the other way around. A former Navy college football player is taking a bold move out of the military and into music.

Former Navy defensive lineman and US Marine Captain Jackson Perkins is set to complete his active duty service and move to Nashville next summer to pursue his music career full-time, according to the program’s official website. The country musician has successfully built a team of musicians and supporters while he blended music and active service and is now set to focus on his passion.

According to reporter Alyssa Britton-Harr, Perkins always had music in him but had no plans to take it as far as he is about to. The confidence to pursue his passion came from his former Navy teammates, Ford Higgins and Paul Carothers. The trio would often come together to prepare a performance and play in the Navy talent show. That foundation was what set him on this path.

He then took his commitment to the next level, rehearsed more, and perfected his skill while others were asleep. At the same time, he enjoyed much success on the football field. Before the 2019 season, he won the Admiral Mack Award in spring drills, presented to the player who improved the most. He started the last 20 games of his collegiate career and recorded 54 tackles during that time.

Football ended with his college days, and he was no longer involved in the military or football. It became military and music, as music soon replaced football. After he was commissioned into the Marine Corps in 2021, he would frequent Stan and Joe’s Saloon on Mondays for open mic night. His Navy football teammates were often there to cheer him and make videos.

Even when he had to leave for Japan and South Korea, the passion remained. Luckily, he was assigned to the Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., in 2025. There, he became more active, taking music gigs and performing around Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. During this time, he built his fan base and reconnected with some of his old teammates.

Last July, he performed “In Color” with Riley Green at the Windy City Smokeout during Marine Week Chicago. Four months later, he was at his Marine Barracks performing Hank Williams Jr.’s “Family Tradition.” He released his first single, “Miles to Go,” on May 28 and has almost 70,000 plays on Spotify. His next song, “Middle of the Pack,” would be out later this month.

Perkins believes being in the Marine Corps has done him so much good. It was not only a vehicle he used to promote his music, but also the discipline, humility, and leadership developed at the Naval Academy, which have been valuable tools in his music career.

Perkins dares to be great

Commissioned officers are typically required to fulfill a 5-year mandatory active-duty service obligation as junior officers, after which they are free to move on. The military offers some certainty, but Perkins chooses the uncertainty of a music career over that assurance. A major force in his life is his roommate and one of his biggest supporters, Tobe Okafor, who never misses Perkins’ live performances.

“Once I started gaining traction in D.C. and hundreds of people started coming, he said, ‘Yeah, you’re good,'” Perkins said, per Navy football’s official website. “It showed me he wasn’t super into the music but wanted to be supportive as a friend.”

Perkins is daring to be extraordinary with this move. His playing music in college helped him open up, but fully committing to music is a bigger step. Regardless, he sees the larger context, knowing it’s about the lives he impacts, not just about him.