Former Iowa LB Nick Jackson Among Best Rookies in NFL Preseason Debut with Buccaneers

Bucs coach Todd Bowles praised Jackson’s outing and said it was the product of his hard work since signing with Tampa Bay.

“[He was] a football player from the time he came in here,” Bowles told reporters after the game. “He was somebody we wanted to see, we wanted to watch, and we were paying close attention to him. He knows how to play the game, he’s very instinctive, he can read things, he’s physical when he needs to be physical, and he knows how to cover.

“He did a very good job tonight.”

Jackson’s interception was one for the highlight reel, as the linebacker caught a deflected pass from Titans quarterback Brandon Allen with one hand, ending Tennessee’s drive.

“I was just like, ‘Woah, I’ve got it,'” Jackson said after the game. “I just saw the ball and stuck my hand out there. That was all God right there, getting me the ball right there.”

Jackson played six years of college football, spending his first four at Virginia. He earned second-team All-ACC honors during his final year at UVA (2022) before transferring to Iowa.

Jackson was an immediate standout for the Hawkeyes, making the All-Big Ten third team in 2023. The linebacker logged a career-high seven pass breakups as a sixth-year senior in 2024 to earn honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. 

Jackson finished his college career with 555 tackles, the second most all-time at the FBS level. Despite that, he went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Buccaneers signed Jackson in May, and he has been a member of their 90-man roster since.

Jackson and the Bucs have three preseason games remaining before Week 1 of the regular season, and he is one of many players competing for a roster spot. But after a stellar preseason debut, Jackson seems to be on a path to making the 53-man roster.