Nebraska I-back Brandon Jackson announced on Monday that he will forgo his final season of eligibility at Nebraska and make himself eligible for the 2007 National Football League Draft.

“Coming off a good year at Nebraska, I felt like the situation and timing was right for me to advance to the professional level. My decision was not based on the last game of the season. It was based on the opportunity in front of me to play at the next level in the NFL.

“I want to thank Coach Callahan and the rest of the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play Division I football at Nebraska and helping make me a better player. I have had a great three years there and this has been a hard decision to make because I have always tried to put the team first. I also want to thank the athletic administration and especially my academic advisors, Dennis (Leblanc) and Kim (Schellpeper) for helping me out along the way. I will come back to Nebraska and finish my degree.

“Finally, I want to thank the Nebraska fans for cheering me on and being the best fans in America. I will be a Husker for life and I hope to represent Nebraska in a great way in the National Football League.” 

A native of Horn Lake, Miss., Jackson played in 33 games during his three-year Nebraska career and made 11 starts. He finished his career with 1,431 career rushing yards to rank 35^th on the Huskers’ career charts. Jackson ran for 989 yards and eight touchdowns in 2006 en route to earning first-team All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press. Jackson had four 100-yard rushing games in 2006, and also caught 33 passes from 313 yards out of the backfield.

Coach Bill Callahan statement on Brandon Jackson:

“We have been made aware of Brandon Jackson’s decision enter the NFL Draft. I want to thank him for his contributions to the Nebraska football program and we wish him nothing but the best in the future. We were hopeful that he would choose to stay at Nebraska to complete his eligibility and, most importantly, continue to pursue his college degree.”