Only Curtis Jacobs Until Penn State Football

With just 23 days until Penn State begins the 2021 football season against Wisconsin in Camp Randall, today we shift out focus to the defensive side of the ball.

In addition to running back transfer John Lovett, freshman linebacker Curtis Jacobs dons the No. 23 for the Nittany Lions this season.

Jacobs, a five-star prospect in the class of 2020 out of McDonough School in Maryland, is expected to start at the SAM linebacker position this season alongside Brandon Smith at the WILL and any number of options at the MIKE.

An elite athlete for the position who stands at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, Jacobs flies to the ball and has the potential to be elite in pass coverage at his position. A former high school wide receiver, he reads the game well and gets sideline to sideline in an instant. With Smith making the switch from SAM to WILL and playing more downhill in 2021, Jacobs will likely be called upon to play in space often, including matching up with opposing tight ends when the Nittany Lions go man across the board. Don ‘t be surprised if he comes up with a number of interceptions in 2021 and turns himself into one of the conference’s best linebackers despite his relative inexperience.