All 105 is a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State football player. In this edition, we will be taking a look at junior linebacker Curtis Jacobs.
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 238 pounds
Hometown: Glen Burnie, Maryland
Before Penn State: Jacobs played at the McDonogh School where he was a two-time team captain and two-way player.
Jacobs made the all-district and all-MIAA teams three times.
As a junior, he caught 55 passes for 1,015 yards and 12 touchdowns. The year before that, Jacobs had 48 catches for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns.
247Sports, ESPN and Rivals all had Jacobs as a four-star recruit.
He came in as the No. 34 overall player in the nation and ranked No. 3 at both outside linebacker and overall among Maryland players for the Class of 2020.
Jacobs committed to Penn State in February of 2019.
2020: Jacobs played in eight of Penn State’s nine games, recording nine tackles and a pass breakup.
2021: Jacobs played in 12 games, starting 11.
He picked up 61 tackles (38 solo), seven tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception.
Jacobs also caught a pass on a fake punt against Michigan. At the end of the season, he was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media.
2022: Jacobs was a unanimous All-Big Ten honorable mention, starting 12 of 13 games. He ended the year with 52 tackles (29 solo), four sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. Jacobs also recovered two fumbles, forced a fumble, broke up two passes and returned an interception for a touchdown against Michigan.
Where he stands: Jacobs has long been thought to have All-American potential, and this season could well be his last chance to showcase it at the college level. If Jacobs lives up to what he and others think he could be, a massive NFL payday might not be too far away.
A quote by Jacobs: “I know where I can be as a player,” he said. “I’m up there with the best guys in the country. It’s just about showing it every day.” — Jacobs to reporters at Penn State’s annual Lift for Life event in June.
A quote about Jacobs: “Turn on the 2022 Penn State tape and you’ll see a handful of defensive starters who could make this list — and plenty who could be top-50 picks in next year’s draft,” Miller wrote. “But Jacobs stands out in a big way, and there is some excitement in the scouting world to see his follow-up performance in 2023. “One AFC general manager who has done a surface-level viewing of the top 2024 prospects said Jacobs might be the most underrated player in the nation. “[OL Olu Fashanu] gets all the praise there, and he’s great, but Jacobs might be a top-five player in the class when it’s all said and done.” — ESPN Draft Analyst Matt Miller
