Fresh off his commitment to Nebraska football, 2026 running back commit Jamal Rule joined Hurrdat Sports Live to share more about why he chose the Huskers.
Rule hails from Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is considered a three-star recruit according to 247Sports Composite. During his junior campaign at Charlotte Christian High School, he rushed for 1,236 yards and 15 touchdowns and had 12 receptions for 121 yards and another touchdown while only playing in seven games.
He’s the eighth Husker commit in the 2026 class and chose Nebraska over Virginia Tech, Michigan State and Syracuse.
Rule said that it feels good now that he’s officially committed and done with the recruiting process.
“It feels great,” Rule told Damon Benning and Ravi Lulla. “Not going to lie, it’s a big weight off my shoulders. The recruiting process, it was fun, but it was also stressful at times.”
The family-like atmosphere at Nebraska appealed to Rule. He said that spending time around both the players and coaches and seeing their closeness also helped him make this decision.
“I just like the people there,” Rule said. “Hanging out with Matt Rhule, Dana (Holgorsen), Coach EJ (Barthel), some of the players, just felt like family. On my official visit we went out, went to go eat. It’s all fun and games, and I was sitting with the players it was just fun. It was just fun to hang out with them.”
Rule is a big back, standing at 6 feet and weighing approximately 200 pounds. He said he originally played offensive line when he first started playing football before his coaches discovered how well he moved for his size.
“My first position was center,” Rule said. “That’s just because when I was little, I was still a little chubby and little big, so people thought I couldn’t move like that. So they put me in the back field, and then the rest is history after that.”
He said that the coaches and staff told him they were drawn to him because of his size, quickness and toughness.
“They said my physicality, they said I play the running back position the way it’s supposed to be played,” Rule said. “They said my explosiveness, my size and for me to have my speed at my size.”
Lincoln is a long way from his home state of North Carolina, but Rule said he thinks Nebraska will be a great fit for him and will allow him to flourish both on and off the field. That and a strong team bond were priorities for Rule in his recruitment process.
“At the end of the day, this was the best place for me, I believe,” Rule said. “What I was looking at, I wanted a family environment, and then a place where I can be developed on and off the field, because I’m going to be a person way longer than I’m going to be a football player. And then also I wanted a coaching staff that I could come to about problems on and off the field.”
Many young athletes look up to or compare their game to players that came before them. For Rule, that athlete seems to be the starting running back for the Kansas City Chiefs as many people have brought up that comparison to him.
“They call me Isiah Pacheco because I run so hard,” Rule said.
Rule said he’s most looking forward to getting to experience what the fan base is like as he takes the field for the first time as a Husker.
“I’m excited about the first game,” Rule said. “Going through the tunnel and seeing all the fans.”
Although he still has one more year before he’ll be playing for the Huskers, the powerful back is excited for the future and ready to represent the N.
