Why Rutgers’ All-American WR transfer says he has ‘something to prove’

Published Aug. 04, 2023, 7:20 a.m.
By Brian Fonseca | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
After putting together one of the best individual seasons among all Division II players last fall, JaQuae Jackson went through a whirlwind offseason.
Once the star wide receiver entered the transfer portal in search of a new home for his final season of eligibility, the floodgates opened. The California University of Pennsylvania star was courted by multiple elite programs with thick wallets, from Miami (Fl.) to Texas A&M, from Deion Sanders’ Colorado to his hometown Pittsburgh Panthers. The Division II All-American was being treated like a proven commodity, and no one would blame him for feeling like one.
But Jackson still carries a massive chip on his shoulder from his time in Division II, from his experience being overlooked as a high school prospect. It wound up playing a large part in where the 6-foot-3, 180-pound prospect landed at the end of his “very crazy” portal process.
Before he took visits to see the Hurricanes, Aggies and Buffaloes, his first stop was Rutgers. All throughout the process, his mind always drifted back to Piscataway. In May, he decided to rebuff those other opportunities and chose the Scarlet Knights, believing head coach Greg Schiano, wide receivers coach Dave Brock and their staff give him the best springboard to his ultimate goal of the NFL.
In a five-minute interview with local reporters Thursday following his first training camp practice at Rutgers, he called his decision a “no-brainer” three times.
“They’ve been in the league, coached in the league, so they know what it takes to get to that next level,” Jackson said Thursday after his first training camp practice at Rutgers. “They can help best prepare me to get to the next level, so I thought this was a no-brainer.”
Jackson said NIL did not play a factor in his decision — “not at all” — and that his focus is on playing football.
“That’s been my main goal with this whole thing,” Jackson said. “I’m not worried about no NIL, no money or anything, I’m here to play football, I’m here to get to the next level. It always been my dream and goal of mine, so I’m gonna achieve it here.”
Jackson will take a big step toward his ultimate goal if he can match the production he had in California, Pennsylvania, last fall. There, he collected 1,178 yards and 12 touchdowns on 77 catches, all of which ranked in the top 15 nationally among Division II players.
A similar season this fall would rank among the greatest in Rutgers program history, with the current single-season records standing at 1,371 yards (Kenny Britt, 2008), 10 touchdowns (Leonte Carroo (2), Brandon Coleman, Marco Battaglia) and 115 catches (Mohamed Sanu, 2011). There have only been seven players that surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in a season and just three players surpass the 70-catch mark (Sanu, Britt, Tres Moses) in program history.
But compared to recent history, a season half as productive would mark a successful fall for Jackson. Since the 2015 campaign, Rutgers has had only one receiver collect at least six touchdown passes and more than 600 yards in one campaign: Bo Melton in 2020.
If all goes well for him, Jackson should have plenty of opportunities to surpass those marks. The Scarlet Knights lost their top three receivers from last season, a group that played a combined 794 snaps and owned 63.6% of their receiving touchdowns, 58.3% of their receiving yards and 50% of their targets, so there are a lot of snaps up for grabs.
There is “a great battle right now” at the position, Schiano said Thursday, and Jackson is the favorite to earn the top spot in the rotation. He brings “a lot of versatile things” that he says “Rutgers Nation is going to see” this fall: “speed, good hands, quick feet, (getting) in and out on my cuts.”
But the DII transfer is not taking anything for granted, saying he feels he has something to prove at the Big Ten level.
“(I’ve had this chip on my shoulder) since I started playing football,” Jackson said. “Coming out of high school, I didn’t have a lot of offers. (I was) a D II guy, had DII offers, I went to D II. At this time when I was at DII, you don’t get the resources, facilities and everything that’s going on, so I’ve had that chip and I’ll forever have that chip.
“In high school, I was a lot thinner, a lot smaller - but I could always play. My talent always spoke for itself. Guys ain’t want to believe me [and] take a chance on me, and I thank Coach Schiano for taking the chance on me and bringing me here man, it’s been great.”
Jackson believes Schiano’s bet on him will pay off.
Between his desire to reach the NFL, the skillset he brings and the significantly better resources, facilities, practice competition and coaching attention he is receiving compared to the Division II level, Jackson has a good chance of proving himself to the world and validating his own gamble on the Scarlet Knights.
“I’ve been feeling like I got something to prove my whole life,” Jackson said. “This is just another journey, just a part of the journey for me to get to the next level.”