When Iowa State signed former Millard South wide receiver Amarion Jackson, most Nebraska football fans shrugged it off, seeing the Cyclones operating on a lower level than the Huskers recruiting-wise. After all, Matt Rhule and his camp didn't even give Jackson an official offer. But now Jackson is at Penn State, a program arguably on a more solid footing than NU.
Adding insult to injury, earlier this week, new Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell sang the praises of Jackson during spring practice. It looks like Jackson could be starting (or at least seeing significant action) for Penn State this year.
Did Nebraska make a massive mistake with Amarion Jackson?
"I don't know if there's a true freshman that's had a bigger spring than what he has." Campbell said about the former Nebraska prep star. Speaking about the way he's had to rebuild the Penn State wide receiver room earlier this year, the former Iowa State head coach talked about the talent that came to Happy Valley with him.
"That receiver room at Iowa State, that's been our staple," Campbell said in February. "And I know we're coming to a place where we've kind of got to reshape that a little bit and bring that back to life."
Matt Rhule and Nebraska will watch Amarion Jackson closely in 2026
During his tenure in Lincoln, Rhule has come under fire periodically for not recruiting what fans see as the best players in the state. He's said the new reality of college football has made him and his staff change how they recruit within the state's borders. Those decisions have even drawn fire from area high school coaches.
Amarion Jackson, along with Jett Thomalla at Alabama will got a long way in testing whether Rhule turning down some of these players really is evaluating differently (and more accurately) than Matt Campbell and Kalen Deboer, or a couple of pretty massive missed opportunities.
Add us as a preferred source on Google