With the recent changes to the college eligibility rules that give players five years to play five, the Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball team has some interesting questions in front of it. There are several Huskers who believed they entered 2026 with their eligibility running out. For players like Andi Jackson, this was supposed to be the last ride. Now she and teammates Bergen Reilly and Harper Murray, among others, suddenly know they’ll be allowed to play in 2027, should they want to do so.
For some players, it’s a no-brainer that they’ll take advantage of another year to play for a school like Nebraska. However, for Jackson, there are many other things to consider when deciding whether she’ll take her full five years. However, after some recent comments, it looks like there is at least a chance that head coach Dani Busboom Kelly could bring back one of the best middle blockers in the country for one more season after 2026.
When NTV’s Randy Silver recently caught up to Andi Jackson, he asked her point-blank whether she planned to use her fifth year at Nebraska. She started her response by saying that she’d avoided giving the idea much consideration because she didn’t want to get too excited if the new rule didn’t pass.
“I haven't really thought about it much,” the Nebraska volleyball star replied. “I didn't want to stress myself out with it, just with everything going on until it officially got passed. So it's definitely something that I've spent more time thinking about and something I'm definitely open to. So we'll just see what happens.”
Could Nebraska Volleyball's Two-Time All-American Middle Blocker Andi Jackson return to Husker Nation for a 5th year?
— randysilvertv (@randysilvertv) June 28, 2026
She's entering her senior year, but with the new NCAA 5-for-5 eligibility rules, she would be allowed to.
Hear her thoughts👇
Full📽️ https://t.co/EHjcbvn3Xu pic.twitter.com/UKLQjZ1H9m
Andi Jackson is open to fifth year with Nebraska volleyball after NCAA rule change
That “definitely something I’m open to” is certainly a big step in the right direction. It seems unlikely that Jackson, or any of her teammates who are presented with similar questions, will arrive at a concrete answer until after the 2026 campaign. In that way, the extra year is like any other when there are other options available.
For Jackson and Reilly, there is the option to compete with the USA National Team and potentially make the 2028 Olympics team, should they want to go that route. Even if they don’t, they are all but guaranteed the chance to play professionally in the LOVB league. That might even allow her to stay in Nebraska but play at the pro level.
Jackson’s decision won’t just affect her either. If more than one Husker volleyball 2026 senior returns for the 2027 season, Nebraska will need to thin the herd and see some players transfer out. There will also be some players, such as setter Campbell Flynn, who might leave if enough seniors return. Flynn would start for essentially any program in the country. She has been biding her time and waiting to take over from Reilly. It’s a pretty big deal that she stayed this offseason. She may not do that again if Jackson and her veteran teammates all choose to come back for a fifth season.
The NCAA announced on Tuesday, June 23, that its Division I Cabinet unanimously approved the adoption of the five-year eligibility model for student-athletes. The alteration makes an athlete’s five-year eligibility clock start upon full-time enrollment at a university or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. The new rule means that programs like Nebraska, which rely on redshirting to keep young players around, will now simply hope they’re willing to wait until 5th-year seniors move on.
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