The early signing period for football prospects in the Class of 2020 is upon us, and Penn State is expected to bring in a larger-than-usual class throughout the day. On the Penn State blog today, I’ll be breaking down each of the signees. Here is my scouting report on the top-rated player in Penn State’s latest class, linebacker prospect Curtis Jacobs.
Penn State LB prospect Curtis Jacobs. PHOTO BY PENN STATE ATHLETICS
Height: 6-2
Weight: 230
School: McDonogh School (Md.)
Projected position: Middle linebacker
Rating: Four stars by Rivals.com, 247sports and ESPN
Other offers: Boston College, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
Projection: Jacobs is the consensus top-ranked player in Penn State’s class, and there’s good reason for that: He’s a heck of an all-around football player. Watch his video, and they line him up all over the field, on both sides of the ball. He plays every linebacker position, lines up on the edge and rushes the passer and gets over the guard and stops the run on defense. On offense, you see him making plays as a tight end, lined up wide as a receiver one-on-one with corners, and he’s a load as a running back. Penn State will wind up using him as a box linebacker, which is where he fits best, and someday, he’ll help fill the void when Micah Parsons is gone. He has the speed and strength to be one of Penn State’s most effective blitzers, and he has the potential to be strong in pass coverage as well. He’ll be a valuable backup and special teamer for Penn State in 2020.
Donnie Collins has been a member of The Times-Tribune sports staff for nearly 20 years and has been the Penn State football beat writer for Times-Shamrock Newspapers since 2004. The Penn State Football Blog covers Nittany Lions, Big Ten and big-time college football news from Beaver Stadium to the practice field, the bowl game to National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Contact: dcollins@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5368; @DonnieCollinsTT