Ex-Virginia LB Jackson commits to Iowa over Oklahoma

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Former Virginia linebacker Nick Jackson made his transfer decision official on Thursday when he announced a commitment to Iowa’s football program, choosing the Hawkeyes over Oklahoma.

The middle linebacker, who was a key figure in UVA’s defenses for Tony Elliott and Bronco Mendenhall, will graduate from Virginia in May and join the Hawkeyes in the summer as a graduate transfer. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

During his career as a Cavalier, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker was a tenacious tackler, a three-year starter and four-year contributor, piling up 352 tackles, making more than 100 tackles each of the last three seasons. Those numbers led to All-ACC recognition all three years.

Iowa, which operates a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, lost three linebackers to the draft or the portal after last season, so Jackson was a good “get” for the program. Jackson is expected to pair well with Iowa’s only truly experienced returning linebacker, rising senior Jay Higgins.

Jackson will actually be the Hawkeyes’ most experienced linebacker with 2,305 career snaps.