| Number | 48 |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Birth date | October 3, 1995 (age 31) |
| Birth place | Enugu, Nigeria |
| Height | 6 ft |
| Height in | 2 |
| Weight lb | 246 |
| High school | Golden Valley (Santa Clarita, California, U.S.) |
| College | Wisconsin |
| Draftyear | 2018 |
| Draftround | 7 |
| Draftpick | 230 |
| Pastteams | |
| Statleague | NFL |
| Statlabel 1 | Total tackles |
| Statvalue 1 | 66 |
| Statlabel 2 | Sacks |
| Statvalue 2 | 2.0 |
| Statlabel 3 | Fumble recoveries |
| Statvalue 3 | 1 |
| Statlabel 4 | Pass deflections |
| Statvalue 4 | 1 |
Leon Jacobs (born October 3, 1995) is a Nigerian-American former professional football linebacker. He played college football at Wisconsin.[1] The San Pedro native holds the record for most games played by a Football Bowl Subdivision player having played in 59 NCAA contests.[2]
Early life
Jacobs was born in Nigeria, the oldest of four children of Theresa, a nurse, and Tony, an entrepreneur. He was given an Igbo name, Somgolie Nwude. His brother, Chibueze, played college basketball at Sacramento State.[3] His family immigrated to California around the time that Jacobs began attending school.[4]
Jacobs played football as a freshman at Bishop Montgomery High School before quitting to focus on basketball. He did not resume playing football until he was a senior at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, California.[3][5]
College career
Jacobs attended and played college football at Wisconsin.[6] In 2015, his season was ended by a foot injury after four games. He was granted a medical hardship waiver and extra year of eligibility. Until 2016 he had played exclusively at linebacker.[7] He played both linebacker and fullback in 2016 and returned to just the defensive side of the ball in 2017 as the Badgers needed to replace linebackers T. J. Watt and Vince Biegel.[1]
College statistics
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF | ||||||
| 2013 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | FR | LB | 13 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | SO | LB | 14 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | JR | LB | 4 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | JR | FB | 14 | 24 | 13 | 37 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | SR | LB | 14 | 35 | 25 | 60 | 9.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | Wisconsin | 59 | 86 | 56 | 142 | 15.5 | 6.5 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
Professional career
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacobs was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round (230th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[8] He played in 12 games with three starts. In Week 14, against the Tennessee Titans, he scored a safety when tackled Cameron Batson in the endzone.[9] He was placed on injured reserve on December 14, 2018, with a quad injury.[10] Overall, he finished his rookie season with 21 combined tackles.[11]
Jacobs entered the 2020 season as a starting linebacker for the Jaguars. In Week 3, he suffered a torn ACL and was placed on injured reserve on September 28, 2020.[12][13]
On July 30, 2021, Jacobs was released by the Jaguars.[14]
Michigan Panthers
On December 13, 2022, Jacobs signed with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL).[15] He was transferred to the team's inactive list on March 20, 2023.[16] He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024.[17]
References
- ^ "NFL Draft & Combine Profile - LEON JACOBS". www.nfl.com. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ^ Potrykus, Jeff (December 28, 2017). "Orange Bowl victory would complete a historic run for Wisconsin senior class". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ^ Frenette, Gene (May 8, 2020). "Gene Frenette: From Nigeria to U.S., Theresa Jacobs nurtured her Jaguars son on right path". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ Mulhern, Tom (August 15, 2013). "Badgers football: Freshman linebacker Leon Jacobs finds new passion at UW". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "Leon Jacobs, Golden Valley, Outside Linebacker". 247Sports. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "Leon Jacobs College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "Leon Jacobs finally has a home at OLB for No. 5 Wisconsin". USA Today. Associated Press. October 15, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ Day, Ryan (2018-04-28). "2018 NFL Draft: Jaguars pick Leon Jacobs". Big Cat Country. SB Nation. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
- ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans - December 6th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "Jaguars make roster moves". Jaguars.com. December 14, 2018. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ "Leon Jacobs 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ Gantt, Darin (2020-09-25). "Jaguars linebacker Leon Jacobs tears ACL". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
- ^ "Jaguars Make Roster Moves". Jaguars.com. September 28, 2020. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ Williams, Charean (2021-07-30). "Jaguars sign Tevin Jones, cut Leon Jacobs, Aldrick Rosas". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
- ^ "Free Agent Signings". No. 1602751343713738754. December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ "Transferred to Inactive List". No. 1637994169707921409. March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ "2024 UFL Team Rosters". TheUFL.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.