Jeremiah Johnson, 12-year-old Texas high school football star, says he started growing a mustache when he was SIX

A rising youth football star who shot to fame for sporting a mustache and tattoo has said it does not bother him that people don't believe he's really 12.

The athlete told Talk'R Media Network on Thursday: 'I know I don't look like my age. I mean, it doesn't really affect me.'

Jackson, from Fort Worth, Texas, also revealed he has always appeared beyond his years - and that he's been able to grow a mustache from the age of six.

An image posted online after he won an MVP honors award at the Youth National Championships in Miami in December caused a social media frenzy.

The revelation that he was just 12-years-old prompted an outpouring of disbelief online, where many were left in uproar, insisting that there is no way someone who looks as mature as he does could be so young.

Jackson, from Fort Worth, Texas, told Talk'R Media Network 'I know I don't look like my age. I mean, it doesn't really affect me.'

Rising football star Jeremiah Jackson shot to viral fame aged 12 for sporting a mustache and tattoo

Jeremiah Johnson, from Fort Worth, Texas, left social media users in a frenzy after his age was revealed

Not only did the photo of the running back show him holding his trophy, it also showed what appeared to be a tattoo on his right arm - sparking even more incredulity among users.

Users claimed there was 'zero chance' he wasn't a grown man, before adding that he looked like he 'had a mortgage.'

Others said he 'couldn't be 12 with a Steve Harvey mustache', and added that he looked like he was from the hit movie '21 Jump Street.'

 A video posted from the same event on TikTok also went viral.

The football player went viral after a photo of him sporting a mustache and tattoos surfaced on social media and users claimed he looked like a 'grown man'.

Jackson also revealed that he has always appeared beyond his years as he had been able to grow a mustache from the age of six

A TikTok user shared a video of the football player confirming his age - and viewers were left stunned when it was revealed, so can you guess how old the running back is?

Despite the disbelief, one mom wrote that she remembered him when he was younger, and that he had a mustache then too

The comments section of the video was flooded with similar stunned reactions from TikTok users, with many joking that Jeremiah 'might have graduated in 2012', while insisting that he could not be as young as he claimed.

'Y'all misunderstanding, he ran for 12 touchdowns,' another person chimed in, while a third joked: 'He was born on a leap year he good.'

Others demanded to see his birth certificate, claiming it must be 'fake', while another joked that the only way his age could be legitimate is if it was 'in dog years'. 

'He may only be 12 years old, but that mustache says divorced at least twice,' commented one user.

Another was in such shock over Jeremiah's real age, they suggested the picture was photoshopped.