Men's Golf
Ackerman, James 2500 Nebraska Men's Golf 2025-SB 6795

James Ackerman Season 2025-26

ClassSophomore
HometownLeawood, Kan.

Honors & Awards

  • Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2025)
  • Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2024; Spring 2025)
  • Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2025)
  • Kansas 6A Player of the Year (2023)
  • Eastern Kansas League Individual Champion (2023)
  • Kansas 6A Team Championship (2021, 2022)

Freshman (2024-25)
James Ackerman made an instant impact on the Husker lineup, earning a spot in Nebraska’s top five at the season-opening Gopher Invitational (Sept. 8-9).

His collegiate debut included a second-round 70 (-1), after opening with a 76 (+5) on a 7,586-yard layout at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minn. He closed the tournament at 228 (+15) to tie for 60th in a strong 80-player field to help the Huskers to a third-place finish.

He competed as an individual in Nebraska’s “B” lineup at the Git-R-Done Invitational (Sept. 23-24). He recorded a career-best 218 (+5) on a challenging par-71, 7,003-yard layout at Firethorn Golf Club, including a second-round 70 (-1) to match his collegiate best. He tied for 31st overall in a 65-player field.

Ackerman closed the fall by competing as an individual outside the Husker lineup at the Steelwood Collegiate in Loxley, Ala. (Oct. 26-27). He put up Nebraska’s No. 3 individual finish at the event, tying for 43rd in a 78-player field with a three-round total of 219 (+3) that included an even-par 72 in the second round and a final-round 70 (-2) on the 7,096-yard layout at the Steelwood Country Club.

He competed as an individual outside the Nebraska lineup to open the spring at the Palmas Del Mar Collegiate in Puerto Rico (Feb. 9-11). Ackerman overcame illness to play all three rounds but settled for a 237 (+21) to finish 82nd.

Ackerman produced a 75.17 stroke average over 12 rounds in 2024-25.

Before Nebraska
The 2023 Kansas Class 6A Player of the Year, Ackerman helped Blue Valley High School to back-to-back state championships in 2021 and 2022. He tied for third individually at the state tournament as a senior in 2024, after also taking third as a sophomore in 2022. He tied for sixth as a freshman in 2021 and added a tie for eighth at state as a junior after winning the 2023 Eastern Kansas League individual title.
Following his sophomore season, Ackerman competed at the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur at Brandon Dunes in Oregon and also qualified for the 2022 Notah Begay III National Championship, earning a spot with a win at the Kansas Regional Qualifier at Firekeeper Golf Course with back-to-back rounds of 70 (-2) to finish at 140 (-4).

A high-performing student, Ackerman was a 2023 AJGA Rolex Scholastic Honor Roll selection and carried better than a 4.2 weighted GPA at Blue Valley High School.

Personal
The son of Joel and Jill Ackerman, James is a finance major and earned spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters of 2024-25. Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner in 2025, he was also a member of the 2025 Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

He chose Nebraska over Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa and Iowa State.

“I chose Nebraska because I felt a family environment with the Husker Athletic Department and developed a great relationship with both Coach Cornell and Coach Minzel right from the beginning,” Ackerman said. “There was also a strong sense of camaraderie on the Nebraska golf team, and the other athletes immediately made me feel like part of the team. I am excited about the opportunity to help grow the program into a top tier Big Ten team competing at the national level.”

Career Statistics
Year Rounds Strokes Average
2024-25 12 902 75.17
2025-26      
Totals 12 902 75.17

Nebraska Career Bests
Best Tournament Finish - T31st (Git-R-Done, 9/24/24)
Low 54-hole score - 218 (Git-R-Done, 9/24/24)
Low Round - 70 (Steelwood, 10/27/24); Gopher, 9/8/24); (Git-R-Done, 9/23/24)
Career Rounds Under Par - 3