PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Goals, and not money, is what led Jaquae Jackson to Rutgers football. The wide receiver, who joined the Scarlet Knights this offseason out of the transfer portal, is looking to take the next step toward his NFL ambitions.
Quick and with good hands, Jackson has all the tools to be an explosive playmaker for Rutgers. He has shiftiness in the open field and if Rutgers can get him the ball, he should be able to stretch the field consistently.
Coming off an All-American season with Division II program Cal (Pennsylvania), Jackson had 77 catches for 1,178 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022. Coming out of the transfer portal, he held offers from Colorado, Georgia Tech, Miami, Pittsburgh and West Virginia in addition to Michigan State, Texas A&M
All of which makes Jackson’s mindset truly unique. He didn’t chase the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money when picking Rutgers. Instead, he saw an opportunity to take the next step in what are his NFL ambitions.
At Rutgers, there is a good blend of the opportunity for playing time and a coaching staff that can help him play on Sundays.
“No, not at all – you know, I’m here to play football,” Jackson said on Thursday when asked about how NIL factored into his Rutgers decision.
“That’s been my main goal. This whole thing you know, I’m not worried about NIL, no money or anything. I’m here to play football you know, I’m here to get to the next level. It has always been my dream – a goal of mine so I’m (going to) achieve it here.”
Part of the selling point for Jackson on picking Rutgers was the coaching staff in place. He highlighted the NFL experience of head coach Greg Schiano, who spent two seasons in the league as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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He also talked about wide receivers coach Dave Brock, who most recently was the wide receivers coach with the Atlanta Falcons.
When evaluating his other offers, having Brock’s NFL experience factored into Jackson’s eventual decision.
“It factored a lot, you know, like he coached for the Falcons so he coached Calvin Ridley, Julio Jones you know, Mohamed Sanu all great guys,” Jackson said.
“You know (players) that are in the NFL and produced at a very high level. So you know, what, him being my coach, he’s going to critique every single little thing that helped me get to the next level and help me just get better every single day.”
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