Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
5 8 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Amarion Jackson put together a solid résumé as a wide receiver coming out of Millard South High in Omaha, Neb. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect totaled more than 3,300 yards on 188 receptions during his prep career, scoring 40 touch- downs. Jackson received a three-star grade from Rivals and was listed as the No. 72 receiver in the nation when he signed with Iowa State in Decem- ber. But everything changed when Cyclones coach Matt Campbell headed to Penn State … including Jackson's projected position at the college level. Jackson was released by Iowa State after Campbell's exit, and on Jan. 3 he committed to the Nittany Lions. While he had appeared ticketed for a role on of- fense when he signed with the Cyclones, he's expected to play on the opposite side of the ball when he takes the field for the Lions. As he told Rivals' Greg Smith fol- lowing his commitment, he's embracing the new direction. "I think it's a great opportunity to get developed and play for a strong building program," he said. Jackson, who was being pursued by Il- linois, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Min- nesota and Northwestern before commit- ting to Iowa State, said he built a strong relationship with Campbell and safeties coach Deon Broomfield during his recruitment. Broom- field has accompanied Campbell to Penn State and will help Jackson make the transition to the second- ary, where he saw some action as a junior at Millard South. "I've always had a good relation- ship with Coach Broom ever since I was first in contact with Iowa State," Jackson said. "I trust him to develop me into a high-level safety." Jackson noted that the staff liked his size and length, believing those attributes would help him thrive on defense. "Even though I didn't get to play it too much besides my junior year, they just kind of saw me as a natural," he said. — Ryan Snyder Three-star New Jersey athlete Josiah Zayas took a roundabout path to Penn State. It seemed at first that Zayas was going to stay close to home to play his college football. The Edison native committed to Syracuse last spring after three standout seasons at St. Thomas Aquinas. But after only about two months as part of the Or- ange's class, he reopened his recruitment. Following his decommitment, Zayas took official visits to Iowa State and East Carolina. He visited Ames in June and committed to the Cyclones a few weeks later, convinced that coach Matt Camp- bell's program was his best option. "Learning more about the culture made me believe in the vision fitting into it per- fectly," he told Cyclone Report at the time. When Campbell left for Penn State, Za- yas found himself with an opportunity to fit into that culture and do so with- out having to leave for the Midwest. He joined the Nittany Lions' class on Jan. 4, shortly after returning from an official visit to PSU. Zayas could potentially play wide re- ceiver for the Nittany Lions but is most likely to end up at cornerback or safety. He spent his first three high school seasons at St. Thomas Aquinas before transferring to Piscataway Township ahead of his senior season. During his last two high school seasons, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect totaled 93 re- ceptions for 1,784 yards and 26 touchdowns on offense. Doubling as a defensive standout, he totaled 67 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 9 interceptions. Zayas camped at Penn State as a wide receiver in the summer of 2024, turning in a 4.6-second 40-yard dash ahead of his junior season. He then attended the game against Ohio State in November 2024 but never earned an offer from the previous staff. Prior to his commitment to Iowa State, Zayas had totaled eight scholarship of- fers, with Wake Forest, Boston College, Wisconsin, Temple and Buffalo all pur- suing him. He's listed by Rivals as the No. 106 cornerback nationally and No. 14 player in New Jersey. — Ryan Snyder COMMITMENT PROFILE AMARION JACKSON COMMITMENT PROFILE JOSIAH ZAYAS Big Changes In Store For Nebraska Prospect New Jersey Athlete Will Be Staying Close To Home Zayas blurs the line between cornerback and safety. As a cornerback, he shows great zone instincts, including how to bait quarterbacks into throws by showing one zone and then undercutting the ball for an interception. He provides Penn State with the option to play him outside in a zone-heavy system or to be a bound- ary cornerback with size and physicality. However, at 190 pounds as a freshman, his likely home will be safety. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N Jackson is a unique athlete. There has been legitimate discussion throughout his recruitment on whether he's better suited to play offense or defense in college. He's productive at both on his loaded high school team. Jackson has the size to be a good out- side receiver and is a good route run- ner. The Omaha native doesn't have elite speed for the position, though. I think his ceiling is higher on the defensive side of the ball, where he could be a star at safety or even grow into a hybrid linebacker type of player. He's got good football instincts and is young for his grade, which suggests he's got a lot of growth potential. — Greg Smith, Rivals national recruiting analyst P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N