It’s official, Michael Jacobson will be transferring out of the Nebraska basketball program. The junior forward will have two years of eligibility left in his NCAA career.
Per the Nebraska release:
University of Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Tim Miles announced Monday that sophomore forward Michael Jacobson has decided to transfer and continue his college career at another institution following the spring semester.
“After much deliberation, I have made the decision to transfer,” Jacobson said. “This was a very difficult decision for me, but I feel it is necessary at this time. I want to thank the Nebraska fans for their incredible support. I also want to say thank you to Coach Miles and his staff, my teammates and the Athletics Department. I will always be grateful for the opportunity I was given here at Nebraska.”
“I support Michael in his decision to transfer,” Miles said. “Although I am disappointed, we’ve appreciated his hard work in our program over the last two seasons. Michael and I have had numerous discussions regarding his role and what position he would be playing for us in the future. After a lot of thought, Michael decided to find a new school. I understand and respect his decision.”
Jacobson, a 6-foot-9 forward, started all 31 games, averaging 6.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 24.0 minutes per game for the Huskers in 2016-17. Jacobson had a pair of double-doubles, including a 12-point, 10-rebound effort against Northwestern, one of three games where he grabbed at least 10 rebounds. Jacobson reached double figures eight times, including five times in Big Ten play. In his two seasons at Nebraska, Jacobson averaged 5.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 65 games, including 56 starts.
“Although we have lost some depth in the frontcourt, we are excited about the players already in our program who give us great options in Jordy Tshimanga, Isaiah Roby, Jack McVeigh and Isaac Copeland,” Miles said. “We have been pleased with our spring workouts and a renewed commitment by our guys to build a culture that leads to success for Husker Basketball.”
This last season he played a fairly major role in the starting lineup for the Huskers. He averaged 6.0 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, and 1.1 assists per game. While his minutes went up from his freshman year, his production went down a little going from shooting 42% from the floor to 39%. Not a huge drop but not something he was probably not terribly happy with.
Not all was bad for Jacobson during his sophomore season. Michael noticeably bulked up during the off season and was more of a force in the paint. With the emergence of Ed Morrow (also recently transferred out) he saw his role move outside a little bit from the rim. A move he most likely was happy with.
The word is with Morrow gone Michael’s role would be back to the 5 spot under the basket and a place that he didn’t want to play. While he did put on some weight this last season he was still hampered by bigger teams in the paint as the season went on. With Michael gone expect to see larger roles for Jordy Tshimanga, Isaiah Roby, and Georgetown transfer Isaac Copeland next season and the depth at forward a little thinner on the bench.
Jacobson joins Ed Morrow Jr., Jeriah Horne, and Nick Fuller as this years transfers out of Coach Miles program. The Huskers now have 5 open scholarship spots for the upcoming season.
We wish Michael the best in his future career and thank him for his time at Nebraska.