Jackson's Journey: Kuwatch Ready to Take Next Step With Carolina Panthers

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Ever since Jackson Kuwatch was nine years old, he's wanted to be an NFL player.

On Saturday, that dream moved one step closer to reality. Jackson Kuwatch family

The Miami University linebacker heard his name called in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft Saturday afternoon, as the Carolina Panthers selected Kuwatch with the 227th overall pick.

Kuwatch, who saw his draft stock continue to rise throughout his redshirt senior season with the RedHawks and especially over the past few months, celebrated at his older sister's home Saturday on the northeast side of Cincinnati with approximately 20 family members who had gathered for the occasion.

"We basically sat around all day and ate a lot of food [homemade brisket, catered Chick-fil-A, and mom's mac-and-cheese] and enjoyed the nice weather in southwest Ohio," Kuwatch smiled. "It was a long day, but I just sat out on the porch and got some fresh air and enjoyed the nice day – kind of stopped worrying about it and let it happen."

When the phone finally rang?

"It was pretty surreal," Kuwatch admitted. "Definitely something I'll remember for the rest of my life. I'm just super grateful and fortunate to be in the position I'm in.

Jackson Kuwatch

"It was awesome."

Kuwatch chatted with Carolina's general manager Dan Morgan, owner David Tepper, head coach Dave Canales and position coach Peter Hansen on the brief call, with Hansen pointing out, "I told you we'd be talking on this day!" Kuwatch had done a Zoom call with the linebackers coach as part of his extensive pre-draft preparation process, which included training for workouts, participating in the Hula Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl in January, a pro day on Miami's campus and plenty of meetings with scouts.

"Just being able to share my story and how I got to this point was big for me," Kuwatch said recently as he recapped the whirlwind offseason. "And then taking advantage of the practices down there [at the all-star games] was big as far as being able to show what I can do – there's a lot of good football players down there…

"The biggest thing for me that I wanted people to understand is I don't feel like anything really came easy for me in my football career," Kuwatch continued. "The hardworking mentality I have was the biggest thing I wanted to get across to people."

Kuwatch was lightly-recruited coming out of nearby Lakota West High School (where he played with future RedHawk teammate [and now-Baltimore Raven] Silas Walters) and began his college football career as a walk-on with Ohio State before transferring to Miami in 2023. He made 20 total appearances in his first two seasons with the RedHawks, mainly in a special-teams role, before becoming a starting linebacker in his final year with the Red and White. Silas Walters and Jackson Kuwatch

"Here's a kid that was a late bloomer in high school…very similar to his college career, he really busted on the scene his senior year," Miami head coach Chuck Martin said.

"Coach Brechin [Miami defensive coordinator Bill Brechin] did a great job of developing him; that's what we do…Jackson made a niche on special teams right away, but took his time and [we] developed him as a linebacker. He's a really sharp kid and really conscientious and really hard-working, and he just kept getting better and better and better."

Kuwatch recorded his first career sack in week two last fall against Rutgers, making 11 tackles in that game after only producing 14 stops total through the first four years of his college career. He went on to make 109 tackles during the 2025 season (ranking second on the team and sixth in the conference) while adding 10 tackles for loss and five sacks (finishing second on the roster and tied for 11th in the MAC in that stat category) to earn Third-Team All-MAC honors.

"At the start of the season, I just wanted to finish my career the right way and really give it everything I had and prove to myself that I could play at a high level," Kuwatch recalled. "[Toward] the end, my goal transitioned to wanting to get an opportunity at the next level and play in the NFL."

Jackson Kuwatch

"By the end of the year, I kind of knew [he was an NFL prospect]," Martin said. "He's exactly what they're looking for and now he's playing at a really high level…he's exactly what NFL guys want a linebacker to look like [physically] with the 'walk off the bus' test: He's got the length, he's got the speed and he's got the strength.

"He went to the Hula Bowl and not surprisingly knocked it dead. Next thing you know, he's in the East-West Bowl and he knocked it dead all week. A lot of people were like, 'Man, where were you hiding this guy?'

"I'm like, 'Well, he was a backup,'" Martin continued. "We always saw he was good; he was just playing behind Matt Salopek and Ty Wise, two very good players…but we knew we had guys ready to step into those roles, and by week three, we knew that he was not really a rotational guy, but an every-down guy…

"Players here will get developed if you want to be developed. Kuwatch wanted to be developed. He was a sponge. He took in all the coaching, came up here, spent extra time and always wanted to know what he was doing wrong and what he could do better."

"I think Miami has prepared me for the next level," said Kuwatch, who already owns a Bachelor's degree in Sport Management from the university. "The special teams experience I got will really pay off [when it comes time to try and make the Panthers' roster this fall]. My overall knowledge of the game that I learned at Miami really helped me this year and will continue to help me in my career. And something the coaches at Miami really harp on is being a pro, both on and off the field. I feel like I matured a lot at Miami and took care of my business and handled things the right way." Jackson Kuwatch

Kuwatch wil report to Carolina next Friday, May 7 and jump right into his first pro rookie minicamp, with plans to spend the next five weeks there for workouts. "I'm just ready to get down there and start playing some football, to be honest," Kuwatch said. Training camp gets underway in July before the Panthers are slated to open the NFL preseason in Kuwatch's home state for the annual Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6.

And when Carolina kicks off against the Arizona Cardinals in Canton on NBC and Peacock, Kuwatch will put on a Panthers helmet, don a blue, black and silver uniform and take yet another step in the journey he's worked toward his entire life.

What would nine-year-old Jackson Kuwatch think, knowing dreams really do come true?

"That's a good question," Kuwatch laughed. "I don't know if he would believe me right now.

"But he would be really excited, that's for sure."

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