Michael Jackson III

Senior wide receiver for Purdue. 2025: 63 catches, 570 receiving yards, 1 TD.

WR · Purdue · Sr. · #2

6′0″ · 205 lb · Las Vegas, NV

CFB Index 58 · #146 of 485 WRsHigh confidenceReturning to Purdue for 2026

The numbers

570

receiving yards · 2025

63 catches · 1 TD · 9 per catch

Statement game14 rec · 94 ydsvs Illinois (FBS) · L 27-43

Top 0.1% catches game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 wide receiver for Purdue. 2025: 63 catches, 570 receiving yards, 1 TD.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to USC in 2021.
Transferred from Georgia to Purdue in 2025.

His career, year by year

How he plays

Moves the chains on third down.

Catch rate: 86th percentile.

The full scouting read

Michael Jackson III

WR · Purdue · Sr · #2

Moves the chains on third down. Across five seasons and three programs, four head coaches: Donte Williams, Lincoln Riley, Kirby Smart and Barry Odom. The receipt: 94 rec yds, 14 receptions against Illinois — Week 6, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021USC4-8HC: Donte Williams · Balanced, fast tempo

2022USC11-3HC: Lincoln Riley · Balanced

2023USC8-5HC: Lincoln Riley · Pass-leaning, slow tempo

2024Georgia11-3HC: Kirby Smart · Pass-leaning

2025Purdue2-10HC: Barry Odom · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

58Quality starter #146 of 485?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: catch rate (86th percentile). Strength: receptions (92nd percentile). Concern: yards / catch (23rd percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Catch rate#116 / 798 · 86th pct

78.8%

EPA / target#461 / 798 · 42nd pct

0.37

TD rate#493 / 798 · 38th pct

1.2%

Explosive rate#575 / 798 · 28th pct

6.2%

Yards / catch#618 / 798 · 23rd pct

9.1

Box-score rates (8)

Receptions#44 / 558 · 92nd pct

Rec yards#169 / 558 · 70th pct

570

Rush TDs#67 / 287 · 39th pct

Rec TDs#373 / 558 · 24th pct

Long catch#468 / 558 · 16th pct

Yards / catch#508 / 558 · 9th pct

9.0

Rush yards#267 / 287 · 6th pct

-5

Fumbles lost#196 / 218 · 6th pct

Season trend

EPA / target— first qualifying season

Explosive rate— first qualifying season

Catch rate— first qualifying season

TD rate— first qualifying season

Yards / catch— first qualifying season

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)

Third-down role

19%15 of his 80 targets came on third down · Receiver median is 24%

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home7g	5.7	47.4	7.8	0.1
Road5g	4.6	47.6	10.6	0.0

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	6.0	59.0	10.6	0.2
Weeks 8+6g	4.5	36.0	7.3	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Barry Odom

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Part-time starter

Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

58 · #146 of 485 WRs

Former four-star. Now #146 at the position.

2026 outlook

Outside shot for All-Big Ten

Based on 2025: #20 of 61 Big Ten WRs

How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed

22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Purdue	63	570	9.0	1	--
2024	Georgia	1	10	10.0	0	--
2023	USC	17	146	8.6	1	--
2022	USC	17	236	13.9	4	--
2021	USC	12	116	9.7	0	--
Career		110	1,078	9.8	6	--

Season	Team
2025	Purdue	3	-5	520	26	--
2024	Georgia	--	--	--	--	--
2023	USC	--	--	--	25	--
2022	USC	2	72	--	70	--
2021	USC	--	--	--	5	--
Career		5	67	520	126	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2025

W 34–17

vs Southern Illinois

1 rec · 7 yds

With R. Browne — 170 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · QBR 79.5 · 50 rush yds (9 car) · D. Mockobee — 126 rush yds (32 car) · 2 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 4 · Notre Dame · 3&11 · Q1 · EPA +3.32Ryan Browne pass complete to Michael Jackson III for 20 yds to the ND 31 for a 1ST down
Week 12 · Washington · 2&10 · Q1 · EPA +3.11(03:20) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 M.Singleton pass complete deep left to #2 M.Jackson III caught at WASH46, for 26 yards to the WASH46, End Of Play, 1ST DOWN
Week 4 · Notre Dame · 3&4 · Q2 · EPA +2.75Ryan Browne pass complete to Michael Jackson III for 19 yds to the ND 38 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Ball State · 2&5 · Q3 · EPA +2.53Ryan Browne pass complete to Michael Jackson III for 14 yds for a TD (Spencer Porath KICK)
Week 3 · USC · 2&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.38Ryan Browne pass complete to Michael Jackson III for 22 yds to the PUR 42 for a 1ST down
Week 10 · Michigan · 3&5 · Q3 · EPA +2.25(02:35) No Huddle-Shotgun #15 R.Browne pass complete short left to #2 M.Jackson III caught at PUR35, for 16 yards to the PUR41 QB hurried by #95 T.Pierce (#25 M.Curtis), 1ST DOWN
Week 10 · Michigan · 2&8 · Q1 · EPA +2.19(08:13) No Huddle-Shotgun #15 R.Browne pass complete short right to #2 M.Jackson III caught at PUR50, for 15 yards to the UOM49 (#25 M.Curtis), 1ST DOWN
Week 3 · USC · 3&6 · Q3 · EPA +2.12Ryan Browne pass complete to Michael Jackson III for 31 yds to the USC 9 for a 1ST down
Week 7 · Minnesota · 2&9 · Q4 · EPA +2.01Ryan Browne pass complete to Michael Jackson III for 15 yds to the PUR 41 for a 1ST down
Week 14 · Indiana · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.92(04:22) Shotgun #15 R.Browne pass complete short middle to #2 M.Jackson III caught at PUR42, for 21 yards to the PUR48 (#16 J.Boyd), 1ST DOWN

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 31-0vs Ball State	6	72	12.0	1	18
Wk 2	W 34-17vs Southern Illinois	1	7	7.0	0	7
Wk 3	L 17-33vs USC	7	70	10.0	0	31
Wk 4	L 30-56@ Notre Dame	4	62	15.5	0	20
Wk 6	L 27-43vs Illinois	14	94	6.7	0	13	Season-high 94 yds
Wk 7	L 20-27@ Minnesota	4	49	12.3	0	15
Wk 8	L 0-19@ Northwestern	5	36	7.2	0	13
Wk 9	L 24-27vs Rutgers	3	8	2.7	0	7
Wk 10	L 16-21@ Michigan	6	58	9.7	0	19
Wk 11	L 10-34vs Ohio State	3	15	5.0	0	9
Wk 12	L 13-49@ Washington	4	33	8.3	0	26
Wk 14	L 3-56vs Indiana	6	66	11.0	0	21
Total		63	570	9.0	1	31

How he plays

Play style

Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.

CFB Index positional classification

Money down · 3rd-down role

Money down

fact

8/153rd-down conversions

0.743rd-down EPA/target

0.28Other-downs EPA/target

10 of 15 caught on third down (66.7%) — EPA/target 0.74 vs 0.28 elsewhere (8 conversions).

Catch rate is disclosed context only, never the gate — conversions and EPA/target are. Interception targets carry no attribution row at any source, so EPA/target here is unfixably, slightly inflated.

2026 Outlook

Purdue

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Wide receiver · Purdue

Returning around him

48% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
Transfer portal: +5 net (29 in / 24 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Purdue · Last season: 2-10 · Talent rank #55 · 2026 recruiting class #55

DNA match

Player DNA

Possession Receiver

Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Cam Pickett’s 2025 season.

Cam Pickett

77%match

Kansas · 2025

Johntay Cook II

Syracuse · 2025

75%

Keagan Johnson

New Mexico · 2025

All-Mountain West

73%

Barrett Banister

Missouri · 2022

72%

Matches Cam on

EPA / play (adj)

Weight

Differs from Cam on

Reception volume (higher)

Class year (higher)

TD rate (lower)

Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Landon Ruggieri’s path through Bryant.

Landon Ruggieri

99%match

Bryant · 2023

Miequle Brock

Nicholls · 2025

99%

Noah Gray

Duke · 2020

NFL Rd 5

98%

Nate Stewart

Akron · 2020

98%

Brandon Smith

Iowa · 2020

98%

Matches Landon on

Yards per reception

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Keagan Johnson's graduate season at New Mexico (2025).

Keagan Johnson

77%match

New Mexico · 2025

All-Mountain West

LV Bunkley-Shelton

Georgia Southern · 2024

72%

Jalil Farooq

Maryland · 2025

67%

TJ Sheffield

UConn · 2024

66%

Keelan Marion

Miami · 2025

All-Big 12

66%

Matches Keagan on

Total EPA (college ability)

Reception volume

Weight

Differs from Keagan on

Yards / reception (lower)

Player DNA

Players who play like Michael Jackson III

Dimitri Stanley

Iowa State · 2023

92%

DeAree Rogers

Northern Illinois · 2026

85%

Dylan Goffney

SMU · 2021

84%

Jaden Alexis

South Florida · 2023

83%

Mycah Pittman

Oregon · 2021

82%

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Michael Jackson III

20214 games

2024

202512 games

2025 snapshot

Situational

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Possession Receiver

Players who play like Michael Jackson III