Leon Jacobs (born October 3, 1995) is a Nigerian-American former professional football linebacker. He played college football at Wisconsin. The San Pedro native holds the record for most games played by a Football Bowl Subdivision player having played in 59 NCAA contests.
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. His family immigrated to California around the time that Jacobs began attending school.
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.
College career Jacobs attended and played college football at Wisconsin. 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. 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 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. 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. He was placed on injured reserve on December 14, 2018, with a quad injury. Overall, he finished his rookie season with 21 combined tackles.
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.
On July 30, 2021, Jacobs was released by the Jaguars.
Michigan Panthers On December 13, 2022, Jacobs signed with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL). He was transferred to the team's inactive list on March 20, 2023. He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024.
References
External links Wisconsin Badgers bio