Nebraska strengthened its defensive backfield with the addition of transfer Jamir Conn on Sunday evening.
Conn, a 6-foot, 180-pound native of Kansas City, played at Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North, where he was coached by current Nebraska assistant Jamar Mozee and played alongside future Huskers Isaiah Mozee (2025 recruit) and Missouri transfer Williams Nwaneri. Conn visited Nebraska on Saturday, taking in the Husker men’s basketball game against UCLA.
For the past two seasons, Conn played at the FCS level with Southern Illinois, where he became a key contributor from the start. Over 23 career games, he recorded 68 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Conn will have two seasons of eligibility left, along with a redshirt option if needed.
In 2024, Conn played in 11 games, recording 3.5 TFLs and six pass breakups. He entered the transfer portal on December 11 and received interest from several programs, including James Madison, Florida Atlantic, Kent State, Eastern Michigan, New Mexico State, UMass, Old Dominion, and Stony Brook.
Although Conn initially committed to JMU in December, he will now join Nebraska for the 2025 season.
He becomes the 14th transfer Nebraska has added this cycle, and the third defensive back, following Andrew Marshall from Idaho and Justyn Rhett from Georgia.
Analysis: What Nebraska is getting in Conn
Conn is a scrappy, quick cornerback with a quick trigger and above-average instincts. While he may be slightly undersized, he compensates by playing with the physicality of a larger defensive back. He covers ground quickly, changes directions with ease, and displays strong recognition as plays develop. Though he’s a willing tackler, his consistency in wrapping up could improve. He’s not one to shy away from physicality, often jamming receivers at the line and forcing routes to the sideline through sheer determination.
He excels at playing through the hands of receivers to force incompletions, though he could benefit from a bit more discipline with his hand usage at times. While quicker than he is fast, Conn has capable closing speed and can explode out of breaks, adjusting coverage mid-play without losing a step.
His footwork is solid, allowing him to mirror receivers in off-man coverage with good foot speed. Conn is more than willing to set the edge in the run game, although his eye discipline could improve as he closes in on ball carriers. Nonetheless, his physicality allows him to bring down bigger backs.
Conn plays bigger than his size thanks to his rangy limbs, though he could benefit from adding 10-15 pounds of body strength. Quick receivers can sometimes catch him out of phase early if he can’t get hands on them, but he has the ability to recover most of the time.
While his patience and technique could improve to avoid being out of position, Conn shows strong instincts and understanding in coverage. His technique and knowledge in zone coverage can continue to evolve as well.
Having primarily played outside cornerback in college, Conn is more than capable of moving inside to nickel. Although he’s likely to remain in the cornerback room, his willingness in the run game could also make him a viable option at safety.
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