The hot streak Nebraska was on regarding the 2027 class had to end eventually. The bright side of 4-star wide receiver decommitting on Thursday is that the Huskers still have just shy of a year to keep working on him on hoping they can get him back in the fold.
Watkins was always an interesting commitment to Matt Rhule and the Huskers mainly because he gave the program his pledge sight unseen. He had not taken a visit to NU before he committed. Those kinds of pledges are always hard to keep for very long. His last few months, having first committed in September.
Watkins' decommitment is the first blow for Nebraska in what had been quite a run in the 2027 class. The Huskers already had seven commitments and are ranked in the Top 10 in the country. In the Big Ten, they're behind only Ohio State.
BREAKING: Four-Star WR Jabari Watkins has Decommitted from Nebraska, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 18, 2025
The 6’2 185 WR from Thomasville, GA had been Committed to the Cornhuskers since September
He was one of seven commits in Nebraska’s 2027 Classhttps://t.co/Mw9nA2rw6j pic.twitter.com/aP3co4KjHQ
Nebraska football loses wide receiver Jabari Watskins commit from Top 10 recruiting class
The 2027 class is essential for the Cornhuskers because of how small the 2026 class was. NU didn't even reach a dozen signees earlier this month. Rhule has talked about filling the gap this year through the transfer portal, but he's also made it clear the program wants to have quite a few high school additions next year.
With the loss of Watkins, Nebraska now has DB Tory Pittman, QB Trae Taylor, RB Amir Brown, WR Tay Ellis, DL Jayden Travers, and OL Matt Erickson. The Huskers are considered in the mix and even front-runners for several 2027 recruits already, with nearly a year to go before signing day.