The college football season is finally here, and it hasn't taken long for Purdue wide receiver Michael Jackson III to live up to his name.
The game was a good one for Jackson and his Purdue teammates, as he notched six grabs for 72 yards and the touchdown to help power the team to a 31-0 win over Ball State. After scoring the touchdown in question, the athlete paid tribute to Michael Jackson with a kick and a nod to one of his famous poses. The moment was captured by the Big Ten Network, which posted on X, "Michael Jackson III hits the Michael Jackson. Good timing, too, as it was the King of Pop's birthday yesterday."
The comments were equally entertaining, with one fan writing, "He certainly saw the 'Man in the Mirror' this morning and went out and was a 'Smooth Criminal' on the field, and another adding, "He's 'Bad.'" And then, of course, there was the "Hee Hee."
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Michael Jackson III hits the Michael Jackson 🕺
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) August 30, 2025
Good timing, too, as it was the King of Pop's birthday yesterday.@mike3jack x @BoilerFootball pic.twitter.com/2B4aALq3PF
Speaking of Jackson and his impact on the sports world, Michael Irvin revealed in the Netflix documentary “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys,” that he snuck out during the 1993 Super Bowl to watch Jackson's legendary halftime performance at the 1993 Super Bowl.
“We come in at halftime to sneak out and see Michael Jackson. The smoke came out…poof! He came out and he stood there like that for a while,” he recalled.
Happy football season!
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