Nakian Jackson
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for two head coaches at two programs in two seasons: Jeff Choate and Billy Napier. One game to point at: 14 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against San Diego State — Week 3, 2026.
65 tackles · 2.5 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
65 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 7 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | James Madison | 65 | 33 | 7.0 | 2.5 | -- |
| 2025 | Nevada | 51 | 22 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 |
| Career | 116 | 55 | 7.0 | 2.5 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 7 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 9 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 20-13vs Liberty | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 87-3vs Wagner | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 26-13@ San Diego State | 14 | 6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 14 tackles |
| Wk 4 | W 46-20@ Old Dominion | 9 | 2 | 2.0 | 1.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 45-17vs Marshall | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 27-24@ Georgia Southern | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 49-22vs Georgia State | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 31-34@ App State | 9 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 21-24vs Troy | 7 | 6 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 65 | 33 | 7.0 | 2.5 | — | 0 |
Oct. 29 · L 21-24 vs Troy, play by play
7 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback twice.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 7 tackles for loss, 2 of them sacks, in the 9 games with play by play.
How James Madison’s defense played that day
Troy’s 14 drives: 11 stopped (1 takeaway) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 7 of 9. His hurry came with James Madison up 7.
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 1-yard loss. Second quarter, up 35-10.
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 10 for him; the box score credits 9.
Sacked the quarterback for a 5-yard loss on 3rd and 9. Third quarter, up 33-17.
A big game: 14 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 4 · 2026
W 46-20
at Old Dominion
1.5 sacks · 2 tackles for loss · 9 tackles
Dominant 26-point win on the road against Old Dominion.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -15 to +8 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
65tackles this seasonTFL rate
11%7 TFLSack rate
4%2 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups65 tackles · 7 for loss · 2.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 6.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 8.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 7.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 8.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Billy Napier
Pass share
45.5%
283 pass / 339 run
Plays / game
69.1
9 games
Team sack rate
3.3%
306 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
65 tackles in 9 games, more tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #71 at the position.
The No. 3,071 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Sun Belt.
2026 is in progress.
Played for three programs.
The role got bigger.
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Jeff Choate and Billy Napier.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to James Madison
