THE SKINNY
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 220 pounds
Hometown/High School: McDonogh School (Owings Mills, MD)
Rating: ★★★★ (0.9371 247Sports Composite — No. 159 overall)
Notable Offers: Florida, Maryland, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
HIGHLIGHTS
THE TALE
For a third consecutive cycle Penn State has added a defender from Maryland powerhouse McDonogh High School. Athlete Curtis Jacobs joins PJ Mustipher from the 2018 class and D’Von Ellies from the 2019 class as McDonogh players to select the Nittany Lions in the past three recruiting cycles.
Jacobs camped for James Franklin and his staff in June, and earned an offer after how well he performed. The Nittany Lions quickly rose to the top of his list after being offered and solidified their spot as his leaders following a visit for the Whiteout Game. Jacobs then returned to campus for the Junior Day, and made the call for the Nittany Lions that evening.
OUTLOOK
While some recruiting services list Jacobs as a WR, the Nittany Lions have recruited him as an athlete most likely to end up at linebacker. With Jacobs already checking in at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, it is easy to see why. This and his athleticism combined give him the base to be a solid WILL or SAM linebacker in Brent Pry’s defense.
When Jacobs gets to campus he will have some learning to do. He plays wide receiver and safety in high school, although, a move to linebacker could happen during his senior campaign.
At safety, Jacobs does a good job in run support and is not afraid to get physical with the ball carrier. He flies to the ball and sticks his nose in the play, traits that should translate well to linebacker.
As long as Jacobs is able to develop the ability to read and react from the linebacker position, something he already does to an extent at safety, then he should be a good one for the Nittany Lions.