KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With football season upon us, players at all levels are reaching for their helmets.

However, one youth player in the Kansas City area can’t find a helmet. He’s considerably bigger than the other kids in the huddle.

“People always tell me to play football,” Brandon Jackson said.

But Jackson’s first season of competitive football might not take place. At age 12, he’s packed with potential as a lineman at 6-foot-2 and more than 300 pounds, but without a helmet, he can’t suit up.

Brandon’s mother, Delanda Jackson, said the seventh grader wants to play in the Kansas City Football and Cheer League, but because he’s bigger than the others, he needs a size 2X helmet, which is adult-sized, and hard to find.

“I’m hoping he gets to play football because that’s what I know he’s good at and he should enjoy,” Delanda Jackson said on Monday. “His coaches are loving on him and telling him he’s doing really good.”

Coaches in that popular youth sports league tell FOX4 it’s supply chain issues causing some helmet sizes to be scarce.

The 28-inch helmet Brandon needs might need to be custom made, which could cost up to $1,000, unless one of the local colleges or pro teams, including the Chiefs, has one he can use.

Dustin Cundiff, who coaches Brandon with the Northland Revolution, said an older one won’t do, since it needs to be certified for safety.

“He’s worked so hard in practice, day in and day out, being able to keep up conditioning. I’d hate to see him not be able to play because of something as simple as a helmet,” Cundiff said. “His God-given size, it’s not something you can teach.”

But without proper equipment, this promising young player might have to settle for watching the games instead of playing in them.

Anyone interested in helping the Jacksons with this need can contact them via the Northland Revolution website.