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At 5'11" 200, and two common names, Joshua Jacobs is the most average seeming running back you could possibly find. What isn't average, however, is the fact that he rushed for 2704 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2015 with an average gain of 15.1 ypc. Despite this production, Jacobs was hardly recruited at all for much of the process, only getting offers from New Mexico State and Wyoming.
Suddenly in January, he had offers flying in from schools all over the nation, such as Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, TCU, and Alabama. He took a visit to Missouri, and then received an offer from Alabama and took off to see Tuscaloosa the very next day. For Jacobs, it has been a whirlwind two weeks, but the allure of playing running back for the Crimson Tide was strong enough to make a rapid decision.
The three star all purpose back is 10th in the nation at his position, and ranked 349th overall. Not only is he an accomplished running back, but has significant experience at receiver as well. Not only that, but he seems to have his head on straight as well:
"I’m completely open," Jacobs said. "My dad and I talk about it all the time. It isn’t just the next four years for me. It is about the next 40 years. There is life after football and that’s what this is all about for me.
"When I was in the seventh grade I talked with an engineer from Williams Companies. That’s when I decided I wanted to go into engineering. What I do in school, and in football, is all geared about the long view of life."
Jacobs said his education interest include natural gas, both exploration and management.
As a current Chemical Engineering student at Alabama, I would personally be elated to see the first Alabama football player since Leigh Tiffin give the program a shot.
With Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake both leaving for the NFL and fellow 2016 running back B.J. Emmons a possible academic casualty, Jacobs will be in the running for playing time as a true freshman, particularly in the role vacated by Drake.