Leon Jacobs
{{Short description|Nigerian-American football player (born 1995)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Leon Jacobs
| image = Leon Jacobs by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Jacobs in 2023
| current_team =
| number =
| position = Linebacker
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|10|3}}
| birth_place = Enugu, Nigeria
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2
| weight_lb = 246
| high_school = Golden Valley
(Santa Clarita, California)
| college = Wisconsin
| draftyear = 2018
| draftround = 7
| draftpick = 230
| pastteams =
- Jacksonville Jaguars ({{NFL Year|2018}}–{{NFL Year|2020}})
- Michigan Panthers ({{USFL Year|2023}})
| status =
| highlights =
| statleague = NFL
| statseason =
| statweek =
| statlabel1 = Total tackles
| statvalue1 = 66
| statlabel2 = Sacks
| statvalue2 = 2.0
| statlabel3 = Forced fumbles
| statvalue3 =
| statlabel4 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue4 = 1
| statlabel5 = Interceptions
| statvalue5 =
| statlabel6 = Pass deflections
| statvalue6 = 1
| pfr =
}}
Leon Jacobs (born October 3, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional American football linebacker. He played college football at Wisconsin.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/leon-jacobs?id=32462018-0002-5599-36c5-f1746f05c67c|title=NFL Draft & Combine Profile - LEON JACOBS|website=www.nfl.com|language=en-US|access-date=April 28, 2018}} The San Pedro native holds the record for most games played by a Football Bowl Subdivision player having played in 59 NCAA contests.{{Cite web |last=Potrykus |first=Jeff |date=December 28, 2017 |title=Orange Bowl victory would complete a historic run for Wisconsin senior class |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2017/12/28/orange-bowl-victory-would-complete-historic-run-wisconsin-senior-class/982530001/ |access-date=April 28, 2018 |website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |language=en}}
Early years
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. His family immigrated to California around the time that Jacobs began attending school.{{cite web |last1=Mulhern |first1=Tom |title=Badgers football: Freshman linebacker Leon Jacobs finds new passion at UW |url=https://madison.com/sports/college/football/badgers-football-freshman-linebacker-leon-jacobs-finds-new-passion-at-uw/article_2b7d1657-c42e-5939-a3ba-485455e5dfc8.html |accessdate=September 12, 2020 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |date=August 15, 2013 |language=en}}
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.{{cite web |last1=Frenette |first1=Gene |title=Gene Frenette: From Nigeria to U.S., Theresa Jacobs nurtured her Jaguars son on right path |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/sports/columns/2020/05/08/gene-frenette-from-nigeria-to-us-theresa-jacobs-nurtured-her-jaguars-son-on-right-path/41703877/ |accessdate=September 12, 2020 |work=The Florida Times-Union |date=May 8, 2020}}{{Cite web |url=https://247sports.com/Player/Leon-Jacobs-27629/high-school-45588/ |title=Leon Jacobs, Golden Valley , Outside Linebacker |website=247Sports |language=en-US |access-date=March 1, 2019}}
College career
Jacobs attended and played college football at Wisconsin.{{Cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/leon-jacobs-1.html |title=Leon Jacobs College Stats |website=Sports Reference |language=en |access-date=March 1, 2019}} 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.{{cite web |title=Leon Jacobs finally has a home at OLB for No. 5 Wisconsin |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2017/10/15/leon-jacobs-finally-has-a-home-at-olb-for-no-5-wisconsin/106690496/ |accessdate=September 12, 2020 |work=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |date=October 15, 2017}} 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.
=College statistics=
| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| School ! rowspan="2"| Conf ! rowspan="2"| Class ! rowspan="2"| Pos ! rowspan="2"| G ! colspan="5" style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold;" | Tackles ! colspan="5" style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold;" | Interceptions ! colspan="4" style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold;" | Fumbles |
| style="font-weight:bold;" | Solo
| style="font-weight:bold;" | Ast | style="font-weight:bold;" | Tot | style="font-weight:bold;" | Loss | style="font-weight:bold;" | Sk | style="font-weight:bold;" | Int | style="font-weight:bold;" | Yds | style="font-weight:bold;" | Avg | style="font-weight:bold;" | TD | style="font-weight:bold;" | PD | style="font-weight:bold;" | FR | style="font-weight:bold;" | Yds | style="font-weight:bold;" | TD | style="font-weight:bold;" | FF |
| 2013
| Big Ten | FR | LB | 13 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014
| Big Ten | SO | LB | 14 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015
| Big Ten | JR | LB | 4 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016
| Big Ten | JR | FB | 14 | 24 | 13 | 37 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017
| Big Ten | SR | LB | 14 | 35 | 25 | 60 | 9.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| style="font-weight:bold;" | [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/leon-jacobs-1.html Career]
| style="font-weight:bold;" | Wisconsin | colspan="3" style="font-weight:bold;" | | style="font-weight:bold;" | 59 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 86 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 56 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 142 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 15.5 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 6.5 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 3 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 30 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 10.0 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 0 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 3 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 2 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 0 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 1 | style="font-weight:bold;" | 1 |
Professional career
{{NFL predraft
| height ft = 6
| height in = 1 1/8
| weight = 246
| dash = 4.48
| ten split = 1.58
| twenty split = 2.61
| shuttle = 4.44
| cone drill = 7.14
| vertical = 34.5
| broad ft = 10
| broad in = 2
| bench = 26
| arm span = 33 1/2
| hand span = 9 5/8
| wonderlic =
| note = All values from NFL Combine{{Cite web |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/leon-jacobs/32004a41-4374-6314-7b1e-ea5d6e37f012 |title=Leon Jacobs Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |website=NFL.com |access-date=December 31, 2021}}{{Cite web |url=http://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1006359&DraftYear=2018 |title=Leon Jacobs, Wisconsin, OLB, 2018 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football |website=draftscout.com |access-date=December 31, 2021}}
}}
=Jacksonville Jaguars=
Jacobs was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round (230th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.{{Cite web |last=Day |first=Ryan |date=2018-04-28 |title=2018 NFL Draft: Jaguars pick Leon Jacobs |url=https://www.bigcatcountry.com/2018/4/28/17297230/2018-nfl-draft-jaguars-select-leon-jacobs |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Big Cat Country |language=en}} 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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201812060oti.htm |title=Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans - December 6th, 2018 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en |access-date=March 1, 2019}} He was placed on injured reserve on December 14, 2018, with a quad injury.{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2018 |title=Jaguars make roster moves |url=https://www.jaguars.com/news/jaguars-make-roster-moves-x8832 |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=Jaguars.com}} Overall, he finished his rookie season with 21 combined tackles.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JacoLe00.htm |title=Leon Jacobs 2018 Game Log |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en |access-date=March 1, 2019}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Gantt |first=Darin |date=2020-09-25 |title=Jaguars linebacker Leon Jacobs tears ACL |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/jaguars-linebacker-leon-jacobs-tears-acl |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2020 |title=Jaguars Make Roster Moves |url=https://www.jaguars.com/news/jaguars-make-roster-moves-x0183 |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=Jaguars.com}}
On July 30, 2021, Jacobs was released by the Jaguars.{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Charean |author-link=Charean Williams |date=2021-07-30 |title=Jaguars sign Tevin Jones, cut Leon Jacobs, Aldrick Rosas |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/jaguars-sign-tevin-jones-cut-leon-jacobs-aldrick-rosas |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}
=Michigan Panthers=
On December 13, 2022, Jacobs signed with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL).{{cite tweet |user=USFLPanthers |title=Free Agent Signings |number=1602751343713738754 |date=December 13, 2022 |access-date=December 18, 2022}} He was transferred to the team's inactive list on March 20, 2023.{{cite tweet |user=USFLPanthers |title=Transferred to Inactive List |number=1637994169707921409 |date=March 20, 2023 |access-date=March 20, 2023}} He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024.{{Cite web |title=2024 UFL Team Rosters |url=https://www.theufl.com/rosters |website=TheUFL.com |access-date=January 20, 2024}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://uwbadgers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5062 Wisconsin Badgers bio]
{{Jaguars2018DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Leon}}
Category:Players of American football from Santa Clarita, California
Category:People from San Pedro, Los Angeles
Category:American football linebackers
Category:Wisconsin Badgers football players