Nick Jackson returning for one more season
The Iowa defense was already looking to be pretty loaded headed into 2024. That got even better on Sunday night. Hawkeye linebacker Nick Jackson decided to return for one more season in an Iowa uniform. The news was first reported by Scott Dochterman from The Athletic.
Jackson spent the first four years of his college career at Virginia. He was second team All ACC in his final three years with the Cavaliers, logging at least 100 tackles in each of those seasons. His senior season was cut short after a tragic shooting on the UVA campus led to the loss of three of his teammates. Virginia did not play their final two games of what was his senior year.
At that time the NCAA indicated to the Virginia players that if they desired, they could appeal for one more year of college football being added to their eligibility. Last spring, Jackson entered the NCAA transfer portal and after considering several options, he picked the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Jackson plugged right into the Iowa defense and after a somewhat slow start, he got better each and every week. He finished the season with 110 tackles, including 8 for loss and 4 sacks. He also had a pair of forced fumbles and four passes broken up. For his efforts, Jackson was named third team All Big Ten.
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He now has 464 career tackles, which is 114 behind the NCAA record of 578. That record is held by Carlton Martial from Tory, who completed his career in 2022.
In the past few days, the Iowa defense has added three impact players in the back seven. First there was the return of defensive backs Jermari Harris and Sebastian Castro. Harris will hold down one of the cornerback positions and Castro can continue to fill the role at “Cash” or strong safety. This also means that Jackson will pair up with Jay Higgins at linebacker for one more season. The duo combined for an incredible 281 tackles this past season.
The Hawkeyes will now wait to see what happens with starting free safety Quinn Schulte, who is still weighing his options. Schulte could return or he may opt to begin dental school this fall.
