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2027 4-Star Wide Receiver Decommits from Nebraska

Nebraska's 2027 recruiting class lost a four-star wideout Thursday with the decommitment of Jabari Watkins out of Georgia.
Kaleb Henry|
Four-star wide receiver Jabari Watkins has decommitted from Nebraska.
Four-star wide receiver Jabari Watkins has decommitted from Nebraska. | @jabariwatkins18/X

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Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska football's vaunted 2027 recruiting class took a hit Thursday.

Jabari Watkins, a four-star wide receiver from Georgia, has decommitted from the Huskers. He confirmed the news on social media, saying, "God plans respect it💯💯".

Watkins committed to Nebraska in September. He originally chose the Big Red over three other finalists: California, Illinois and Florida State. His offer list also includes Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, UCF, USF and Wisconsin.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Watkins is the No. 28 wideout in the nation and No. 206 prospect nationally. He's the No. 25 prospect in Georgia.

Returning Wide Receivers

While transfer portal decisions can still be made with the Jan. 2-15 window approaching, Nebraska has several wideouts on the roster who will still have eligibility in 2027.

Those who could still be in Lincoln that season include Demetrius Bell, Janiran Bonner, Jacory Barney Jr., Quinn Clark, Connor Schutt, Keelan Smith, Rowdy Bauer, Hayes Miller, DJ Singleton Jr., Jackson Carpenter, Jeremiah Jones, Cortez Mills Jr. and Nyziah Hunter. The only wideouts currently on the roster who should be gone in 2027 are Roman Mangini and Dane Key.

The 2027 Class

The decommitment of Watkins drops Nebraska's 2027 class to six commits.

Omaha Central athlete Tory Pittman III leads the way as a five-star prospect. The top player in the state of Nebraska, Pittman committed in October.

A couple of months ago, another Omaha product made his commitment. Three-star Matt Erickson out of Millard South is set to follow in his father's footsteps in playing for Nebraska.

The first commit for the class came back in May. Four-star quarterback Trae Taylor has been the face of the class for several months, aiding the coaching staff in peer recruiting.

Earlier this month, three-star defensive lineman Jayden Travers became the latest commit for the class. The other commits are four-star wide receiver Antayvious Ellis and three-star running back Amir Brown.

Making up for 2026

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has talked numerous times about the small size of the 2026 class and how the staff targeted specific players. While this does leave room for more transfer portal additions in January, it is also a one-year hiatus from adding a deep bench of high school players to develop in the program.

The Huskers signed 10 to the class earlier this month, with five-star cornerback Danny Odem leading the way out of Florida. Four-star Claude Mpouma is a solid piece from Illinois.

Danny Odem on his official visit to Nebraska over the summer.
Danny Odem on his official visit to Nebraska over the summer. | @d8nnyblokk/Instagram

The rest of the class is rated as three stars: tight end Luke Sorensen, offensive tackle Rex Waterman, wide receiver Nalin Scott, wide receiver Larry Niles, interior offensive lineman Hayden Ainsworth, linebacker Jase Reynolds, running back Jamal Rule and kicker Michael Sarikizis.

Eight of the signees are early enrollees, with Reynolds and Ainsworth set to join the team in the summer.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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