Linebacker, Eastern Illinois, 2025–26
Ja’Wuan Nickson
- Number
- No. 5
- Height
- 6′0″
- Weight
- 240 lb
- Class (2026)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Tuscaloosa, AL
Ja’Wuan Nickson plays linebacker for Eastern Illinois. Last time out, against Lindenwood: 9 tackles. Nickson leads Eastern Illinois in tackles this season.
2026 so far
49 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2 INT
Last game: 9 tackles vs. Lindenwood, L 13–20
Next game: vs. Southeast Missouri State, Oct 24
Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.
Career highs
10tackles, career hightwice; last vs. Indiana State, 2026Defense
* The season in progress, so far.
| Season | Team | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD | Hur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Eastern Illinois | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 | Eastern Illinois | 49 | 20 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Career | 55 | 25 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Eastern Illinois | 5 | LB | Jr. | ||
| 2026 | Eastern Illinois | 5 | LB | Sr. | 6′0″ | 240 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Game by game
2026 Eastern Illinois 7 games, 49 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27 | at Murray State | W 28–14 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 3 | at Minnesota | L 7–59 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 12 | vs. Indiana State | L 35–42 | 10 | 5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 19 | at Illinois State | L 13–49 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | at South Dakota State | L 7–42 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 10 | at Gardner-Webb | W 21–7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 17 | vs. Lindenwood | L 13–20 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2025 Eastern Illinois 1 game, 6 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22 | at Alabama | L 0–56 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Is this you, or do you know of something wrong or missing here? Suggest a correction. We check each one against a source before changing the page.