Player Previews: Don't Sleep on USC Transfer RB Bryan Jackson

Over the course of the summer leading up to Big Ten Media Days and fall camp, Badgers On SI will extensively preview Wisconsin football's roster with a write-up for each player expected to be remotely involved in 2026.

We continue the series with a once highly sought-after high school recruit, USC transfer tailback Bryan Jackson.

2025 Stats

36 carries, 123 yards (3.4 yards per carry), four touchdowns | Two catches (three targets), 17 yards

Overview

Jackson came to USC as a highly-regarded prospect. Despite the fact the he was a consensus three-star recruit on every major recruiting platform, the tailback from McKinney, Texas racked up over 30 offers including Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Notre Dame, among many others.

He took exactly 36 carries in each of his first two seasons at Southern California, and never managed to truly crack the rotation in a meaningful way. But Wisconsin, who also pursued Jackson out of high school, now has a big, bruising tailback with some legit pedigree and experience.

That's exactly the tailback's style; he's a bigger, physical runner and probably the de-facto power back in new position coach Jayden Everett's running back room. The Badgers appear to want him to lean into that notion.

“He’s a guy that’s highly touted, got a lot of ability. Learning to use his 235 pounds, run behind his pads a little more," Luke Fickell said this spring.

Best-Case Scenario

Wisconsin running back Bryan Jackson. | Christian Borman.

Jackson looks like the No. 3 halfback at the moment behind Abu Sama and Darrion Dupree. But in this run-heavy scheme, and especially with his unique archetype as a power back, Jackson could see plenty of carries as a junior in Madison.

If things go Jackson's way this fall, that probably entails his game meshing perfectly with the physicality and brute force of the Big Ten. He fits into Wisconsin's downhill running scheme perfectly, and gets far more action than just short-yardage or goal-line touches. In this scenario, Jackson becomes a legitimate change of pace back for the Badgers who flirts with 10 touches a game. Whenever the 6-foot-2, 240-pound ball-carrier trots onto the field, defenses wince in anticipation of having to tackle him in the open field.

Worst-Case Scenario

If things go sideways for Jackson, Wisconsin's offense could certainly be to blame. Another extremely lethargic unit isn't going to be very kind statistically to its RB3. If the Badgers' offense flounders again, there's little shot that Jackson makes an impact in 2026.

The halfback could certainly wind up being the victim of a terrible offense, like many Wisconsin ball-carriers in recent years. However, he could also squander what appears to be a great opportunity to revitalize his career if he doesn't do much with his touches. In this scenario, Jackson provides nothing as a receiver, and struggles to run behind his pads and get the tough yards Wisconsin needs him to. He doesn't break bigger runs, and is potentially surpassed by TCU transfer Nate Palmer or JUCO bounce-back Julius Pope at the RB3 spot, which would likely result in him hitting the portal and playing for a G6 school as a senior.

Prediction

Former Southern California Trojans running back Bryan Jackson. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Jackson is dripping with potential; it's simply a matter of whether he can tap into it. I believe he's in an excellent offense to maximize his skillset, but the question is how many opportunities will he get?

“I think one thing with BJack or bigger backs is understanding how people are gonna attack you," his coach Everett said this spring. "Being a big back, people are gonna make business decisions, DB guys are gonna tackle you low. From a backer standpoint, they’ll put their face on you. My challenge to him is playing the game more parallel, more square, getting his pad-level down. And obviously the pass protection piece too, it’s gotta be automatic when you’re in there. I think he’s done an unbelievable job."

I'm not ready to pencil Jackson in for 500 yards, but I do see a clear path to his best statistical season, especially if he gets a lot of the goal-line work in this offense. I'd imagine Jackson looks good in a somewhat limited RB3 role this fall, to the point where Badgers fans wish they saw a little more of him.

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