Nick Jackson enjoys his ‘short time,’ but ‘great time’ at Iowa

IOWA CITY — When Nick Jackson entered the transfer portal after last season, the then-Virginia linebacker’s “end goal” was to “play for a championship.”

Fast-forward almost a year to Saturday, and that is exactly what Jackson will get to do as the 16th-ranked Hawkeyes play in the Big Ten championship game.

“This is the kind of game you want to be in, the opportunity that you wanted at the end of the season,” Jackson said. “We’re a 10-2 football team going to be able to compete for the Big Ten championship. It doesn’t really get better than that at this point.”

Saturday’s championship game and the subsequent yet-to-be-announced bowl game will cap off the weakside linebacker’s quick-but-productive Iowa football career.

“It’s been a short time here in Kinnick, but it’s been a great time,” said Jackson, who is in his final year of college eligibility after four years at Virginia. “I’ll be telling my grandkids about Kinnick and all that stuff. Shoot, hopefully they’ll play here. … You’ve been here for six months, but it feels like you’ve been here for a few years.”

Jackson, a third-team all-Big Ten honoree, has 91 tackles so far this season. (His roommate and friend Jay Higgins is the only Hawkeye with more total tackles.) Jackson’s eight tackles for loss, four sacks and seven quarterback hurries are second only to Joe Evans.

Kirk Ferentz said the Virginia transfer has been a “home run” for the Hawkeyes.

“Really good player, productive player in college, but also a really good guy,” Ferentz said earlier this month. “If you get him in the room with the guys that are younger, pay attention to him because he knows how to operate. That’s what you’re looking for — guys who are going to be teaching other guys.”

Free safety Quinn Schulte described Jackson as a “smart, tough football player.”

“You guys have seen it on the field,” Schulte said. “He’s always flying around to the ball. … He works really hard every single day.”

While it will not show up on any stat sheet, Jackson was the one to make the presnap adjustment in the Nebraska game that led to Ethan Hurkett’s game-changing interception.

Hurkett said it was a “really good call,” but Jackson was quick to redirect credit to linebackers coach and assistant defensive coordinator Seth Wallace.

“Basically, it was just a formation in which Coach told us to make that check,“ Jackson said. “As much as Hurkett wants to credit me, let’s credit Coach Wallace.”

Away from the field, Jackson has developed a close friendship with Higgins, who is a “heck of a football player, better person.”

“I don’t think I could have done it without him,” Jackson said. “As much as he’s helped me on the field, he’s helped me off the field. … He’s just helped me day in and day out.”

That includes little things like “knowing where to go.”

“I remember the first day I got here, he was like, ‘OK, let’s go to Chipotle after this,’” Jackson said. “I’m sitting there like, ‘Bro, where’s Chipotle?’”

Back on the field, Saturday’s championship opportunity is a stark contrast from what Jackson experienced during much of his Virginia tenure. After going to the Orange Bowl in 2019, the Cavaliers did not finish above .500 in the following three seasons.

As Jackson and the Hawkeyes prepare for Saturday’s game, they are obvious underdogs against Michigan. To be exact, 22-point underdogs, according to ESPN.

Regardless of Saturday’s result, Jackson “couldn’t be more thankful” for the place where he is spending his final year of college eligibility.

“I couldn’t have been happier,” Jackson said. “I couldn’t have been in a better spot.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com