Growing up with a former college basketball player and coach for a father, Elon Phoenix wide receiver Jackson Parham learned two very important rules.

The first was to never give anyone a reason to label him as soft. Anytime a player steps on the court or field, they must always be able to flip that competitive switch and play aggressively, without disrespecting their opponents.

The second: no complaining.

"My dad always used to say, 'nobody likes a complainer,'" recalled Parham, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior from Hillsborough, New Jersey. "I really take that head-on and try to reflect on myself whenever I feel like complaining. It's not helping the team, and it's not helping me."

Parham has learned both lessons well. 

Born in Pittsburgh, he and his family relocated to New Jersey when he was a year old, then to Hillsborough at age 6. His father, Lennie, was a guard at Gonzaga in the 1980s, teaming up with future Utah Jazz star John Stockton.

Lennie went on to coach under Ben Howland as an assistant at Pittsburgh and Northern Arizona, before becoming the boys basketball coach at Hillsborough High School. He now works for the state of New Jersey.

So, Lennie knows a thing or two about how to win. 

He passed along those traits to Jackson, who played basketball under him at Hillsborough and was a cornerback and receiver on the football team. He also played AAU and travel basketball.

One person who knows both of them well is Hillsborough head football coach Kevin Carty Jr. 

Carty, whose father and two brothers are all successful high school and college coaches, sees a lot of Jackson in his father.

"Lennie and Jackson (are) always positive, always have good things to say to people, but still work hard and are determined," Carty said. "It's something that they live, and they both have similar, awesome personalities."

As much as he enjoyed basketball, Parham decided to pursue football full-time during his senior year of high school.

"A lot of my friends played it growing up, and I always wanted to play with them," he explained. "I grasped football more naturally than basketball. I was pretty good at both. Once I hit middle school and high school, I just enjoyed (football) better."

Parham scored 800 career points in basketball at Hillsborough, but he shined the most in football. 

As a senior, he set a school record for receptions (50) and amassed 825 yards and seven touchdowns. The year before, he caught 36 passes for 746 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a three-time All-Mid-State 38 selection, and his success earned him a spot on NJ.com's Mt. Rushmore list of Hillsborough's greatest athletes and coaches of all-time.

Carty remembers one game during Parham's sophomore year where he really stood out. 

The Raiders were playing Phillipsburg, and Parham made two spectacular catches. Hillsborough eventually lost the game by a touchdown, but Parham's performance left a lasting impression on Carty.

"I think we all knew he was good since he was in youth football," Carty recalled. "I knew he was going to be one of the best players we had. But in this one game, he went up, made a couple of great catches, kept running and scored. From that point on, everybody around knew he was pretty tough stuff."

Parham was looking at several schools before choosing Elon. 

It was 2018, the year recruits could sign letters of intent during an extended period in December. While that may have been a benefit to some, Parham was unsure how his future would play out at first.

"There were some offers on the table I ultimately didn't get because I waited until the second signing day," he explained. "Elon came late in my recruitment. They said (I should) come down and check them out. Once I got here, I definitely got a feel of a good culture, a school that's on the rise, and it was a good school academically."

As a freshman, Parham spent most of his playing time on special teams. He appeared in all 11 games as a sophomore at wide receiver and special teams, catching 13 passes for 147 yards. In the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season, he played in all six of Elon's games, leading the team with 197 receiving yards on 14 receptions.

First day in full pads. @parhamjjjj and @tonytrisciani talk about how the team is developing and what we can look for when the season kicks off in September. #AED pic.twitter.com/PwBSmRdKSr

— Elon Football (@ElonFootball) August 11, 2022

Last season was Parham's breakout year. 

In 10 starts, he led the Phoenix with 57 catches for 820 yards and a touchdown. He ranked 31st nationally in receiving yards and 43rd in receptions per game. 

In the CAA opener against William & Mary, he posted the first 100-yard receiving game of his career with 10 catches for 106 yards. He had at least two receptions in every game and 50 yards or more nine times.

"He enjoys practice and working on his craft," Elon head coach Tony Trisciani said. "When you look at his career, you'll see the growth every season. The growth he's made developing his skill set and consistency is no accident. He had to work his way up the depth chart as a young receiver, and it was his consistency that won him the job."

Trisciani liked using Parham on special teams for his size, speed and competitiveness, qualities NFL scouts look for when building a profile. While some players don't enjoy special teams, Parham embraced it.

"I looked forward to special teams because I was just this freshman who wanted to help the team win," Parham said. "It was a good experience, and I learned a lot."

As pleased as he was with his junior season, Parham dropped some passes he believed should have been caught. 

In last season's opener against Wofford, he ran a corner route and dropped a pass from quarterback Davis Cheek that went right through his hands. He redeemed himself later in the game, catching a pass that put the Phoenix in great field position.

Parham is learning to develop the mentality of forgetting the last play and moving to the next one.

"It's not easy, especially when your position is catching the ball," he explained. "But, that comes with football. Nobody's perfect. You've got to have accountability and think about the next one."

Parham worked hard during the offseason on footwork, speed training and endurance. Trisciani would like to see improvement on gaining yards after the catch.

"Extending plays, getting in the end zone more - those are areas he and we recognize it's something he can improve on and take the next step as an elite receiver," Trisciani said. "It's breaking tackles, finishing runs, which is something he focuses on in practice. He's going to be tough to catch if he gets a couple steps. It's a matter of where he's catching balls and creating just a little bit of space or breaking a tackle."

Elon went 6-5 last season and is picked to finish sixth in the CAA preseason poll, but Parham has a league championship on his wish list as he enters his final season.

"We came close my freshman year, so that's something that's weighing on all of us," he said. "I think we have the talent. We just need to continue to trust in each other and be disciplined. None of us want to let each other down."