#24 Nigel Malone — Incoming freshman cornerback Martel Jackson has chosen to wear the No. 24 jersey, evoking memories of K-State great Nigel Malone (24). | Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

In which BracketCat counts down the 25th day until the 2025 kickoff with a profile of Kansas State cornerback Martel Jackson.

#24 Martel Jackson

True Freshman | 6-1 | 175 lbs. | Wichita, Kansas

Position: Cornerback
Previous College: None
Projection: Redshirt
Status: On Scholarship

Martel Jackson (b. Oct. 18, 2006) is a promising young cornerback from Derby High School who lives in Wichita and plans on majoring in business. He is likely to redshirt and not play.

Jackson prepped under head coach and former K-State wide receiver Brandon Clark at Derby, where he was rated as the 60th-best cornerback in the Class of 2025 by ESPN, while the organization viewed him as the eighth-best overall prospect in the state of Kansas.

On3 ranked him the 62nd-best cornerback in the nation after he earned all-state honors as a junior and senior from The Wichita Eagle and KSHSAA Covered, while he picked up the honor as a senior from Sports in Kansas.

Jackson finished his senior season with 32 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a 44-yard average on five kickoff returns, while he had 38 tackles as a junior.

As a Panther, he prepped at the same high school at starting running back Dylan Edwards and he also ran track, in which he finished third at the state meet in the 200-meter dash.

Jackson’s primary recruiters were his new position coach, assistant head coach Van Malone, and director of recruiting Taylor Braet.

He is the son of Rashad Jackson and Jenifer Loud, both of whom attended K-State.

Here is what GoPowercat.com’s Cole Carmody had to say of Jackson back when he signed:

Being able to run with receivers down the field consistently, his man-to-man skills are the best attributes in his tool bag. With a long wing span, Jackson could potentially play some safety at the next level, but fitting in the molds of former Wildcat corners like Julius Brents and Will Lee III, Kansas State will likely try him on the edge first.

Speed. Maybe not so much short-area quickness because of his longer stride, but if you need someone to cover the deep ball then Jackson is your man. He’s already got a ridiculous wingspan and his 10.94 100M track speed translates in 1v1 matchups with the fastest players in the state. Will be fun to see him locked in with the Big 12’s best over the coming years.