The Nebraska football team has had some serious upheaval over the last nine months.
The Nebraska football’s roster has been one that has been shifting almost from the minute Scott Frost and company arrived. There are 51 players in Lincoln that weren’t here a year ago today.
Now make that 50. Cornerback Will Jackson has officially left the team.
Jackson was an under the radar get by the defensive staff as a transfer from Mesa (Arizona) Community College. He was specifically brought in because it was thought he might be able to make an immediate impact in the defensive backfield.
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Things haven’t worked out the way he or the coaching staff might have hoped. The Omaha World-Herald is reporting that an NU spokesman has confirmed the departure.
It appears that while the expectations were that Jackson would be looking at a starting spot, he hasn’t picked up the playbook as quickly as the staff was looking for him to pick it up. “We appreciate the competition Will helped incorporate into the room and we wish him the best,” a spokesman said.
Monday was the first indication that the relationship between the Husker coaches and Jackson had turned a bit sour. Secondary coach Travis Fisher went out of his way to say Jackson was a “slow blinker” who wasn’t getting a good grasp on the playbook.
That’s the bad news. The good news is the secondary in general has been getting rave reviews from coaches and visiting dignitaries. More than a few true freshmen have gotten mention as vying for playing time, if not a starting spot.
There is, of course, the concern that losing a player 12 days before the first game is going to be a hit to the depth chart. Reading the tea leaves, it appears Jackson was headed for a mop-up duty kind of role anyway.
With the bad news out of the way, the Nebraska football team can return to business as usual. Fall camp should start turning its attention away from general drills and more preparation for the season opener in the next few days.