For the past four years, Kearis Jackson has had the same wish.

His birthday falls on Dec. 9, always around the time of the SEC Championship Game. Every year, he wants one of those shiny SEC title rings for a birthday present.

That wish has gone unfulfilled. Georgia has lost three SEC Championship Games during Jackson's four years in Athens. But as he met with the media Wednesday, standing in front of a black 2022 College Football Playoff backdrop, Jackson appreciated the opportunity to play for an even bigger prize.

"Today it's finally presented itself that I'll be playing in my first national championship," Jackson said. "It's been like a dream come true and a journey as well."

While this is the first one he'll play in, this isn't the first time Jackson has prepared for a national championship.

As an early enrollee in the Class of 2018, Jackson worked on the scout team as the Bulldogs prepared to battle Alabama in the national championship that season. He said he felt like part of the team that week before going home to watch that contest.

"Being able to watch the game on TV kind of fueled myself that, man, in the next few months I'm about to be in those same colors with those same guys, can be playing for something that's bigger than I ever expected, the national championship," Jackson said.

The Bulldogs often talk about practice being tougher than games. Jackson got a strong dose of that when he arrived in Athens for good in January 2018.

He withstood the physical nature of practices. After all, Jackson comes from a tough football program at Peach County High School. But other aspects let him know that he had some work to do if he wanted to contribute.

"Just all the volume, all the running and things like that, had to get in shape, get adjusted to, like, the way of Georgia practicing," Jackson said. "I just wasn't too far behind when I got here, things like that as far as in terms of being physical. But I did have to learn like how to push myself a little bit harder, be able to sustain reps, sustain practice time, because everything gets a little bit longer once you get in college."

Jackson's time at Georgia has been mercurial. He played in just four games and caught no passes as a freshman. Jackson then broke his hand in the season opener in 2019 and missed three games.

He finally broke out in 2020, hauling in 36 catches for 514 yards and three touchdowns in the 10-game season. But that role has diminished this seasons, as Jackson's stats have dropped to 15 catches for 186 yards and one touchdown through 14 games.

"I know my role is a little smaller this year, I still take it as a major key part of this team because I am," Jackson said. "And just knowing what I'm doing for this team, I'm playing my role just being there for my teammates. That's the best thing I can do right now. And I'm enjoying it, man."

Jackson is used to having to persevere. He said his mother went hard on him as a child, telling him things won't always go his way. She taught him to not let one problem or inconvenience define who he is as a person.

Those twists and turns have now led Jackson to Indianapolis for his first shot at a national title. It's not the birthday present he's always wanted, but it's a chance at an upgrade.