Aug 31, 2013; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defenders Harvey Jackson (1) and Greg McMullen (90) tackle Wyoming Cowboys running back Shaun Wick (21) in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 37-34. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Where there is smoke, there is usually some fire.
An internet rumor started brewing last week that another graduated senior was potentially going to transfer to BYU for the 2014 season. This time it was defensive back Harvey Jackson from Nebraska.
Jackson’s recruitment started to heat up when he took an official visit to BYU earlier this week. After visiting Provo, Jackson made his commitment known today that he was going to be a BYU Cougar.
Jackson picked BYU over West Virginia and Cincinnati.
Out of Fresno, California, Jackson saw significant playing time for the Cornhuskers in his three years at safety. Heading into spring football earlier this year, Jackson was going to be a key component of Nebraska’s “nucleus” in the secondary.
This is a big deal for the 2014 BYU Football team. On paper, this is the best secondary BYU has had under Bronco Mendenhall. Jackson slides right in at free safety next to Craig Bills at KAT in my opinion. Has great size for the position at 6-2, 210 pounds. A great replacement for Daniel Sorensen, who will likely be drafted in the later rounds of May’s NFL Draft.
The addition of Jackson gives BYU more flexibility in the secondary. Robertson Daniel is all of a sudden the first man off the bench, and he saw significant time as a starter last season at cornerback. Then you have guys like Chris Badger, Dallin Leavitt, and other talented players waiting on call if needed.
Jackson is now the third graduate transfer BYU has signed this year. The other two are Jordan Leslie (UTEP) and Keanu Nelson (Stanford). What this tells me, is Bronco and staff realized they have a special opportunity over the next two years to win big on the national stage with Taysom Hill under center. They had to seize the opportunity and improve the talent level across the board for BYU to reach their goals, and that’s to be in the national discussion. All three of these transfers have the potential to make a difference on this 2014 squad.