Nick Saban developed a countless amount of great players in 17 seasons as the head coach at the University of Alabama. Many of those players went on to have fantastic careers in the NFL.
When it comes to running backs, in particular, the two most notable to play for Saban at Alabama are Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry. Both won Heisman Trophies and National Championships, and both have had or are having great NFL careers. But there’s another running back whose Crimson Tide career may be forgotten, but he had a big payday this offseason. That’s Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs has had an outstanding first five seasons, leading the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards in 2022 with the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s also had two seasons with 12 rushing touchdowns. This offseason, Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Packers. Jacobs has had a lot of success in the NFL, but you would never know it by looking at his college stats.
Let’s take a look back at Jacobs’s career at Alabama.
Where Did Josh Jacobs Play College Football?
Jacobs played college football at the University of Alabama from 2016-18. He played 42 games in those three seasons.
Jacobs’ College Stats
Oddly enough, Jacobs didn’t have the most prolific stats at Alabama. Nevertheless, he still put up good numbers and was a valuable member of Alabama’s 2017 National Championship-winning team. It’s worth noting that Alabama played in the National Championship in each of Jacobs’ three seasons with the program.
What stands out about Jacobs’ numbers is that he never had more than 120 carries in a season. But those Alabama teams were so stacked in the offensive backfield with talent including Jalen Hurts, Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris, Najee Harris, and Brian Robinson Jr. In three seasons at Alabama, Jacobs was never the leading rusher on the Crimson Tide. He wasn’t even in the top three in rushing on his own team in all three seasons.
Jacobs began his career in 2016 where he rushed for 567 yards and four touchdowns on 85 carries. He only had double-digit carries in three of the Crimson Tide’s games in 2016 and only one 100-yard rushing game. In the College Football Playoff, Jacobs had just two carries for 16 yards in two games and had had one catch for negative three yards.
In 2017, Jacobs’ numbers went down to 284 yards and a touchdown on 46 carries. But remember, Alabama’s backfield was crowded with talent. So much so that Jacobs was fifth on the team in rush attempts and rushing yards. The four players ahead of Jacobs were Harris, Hurts, Scarbrough, and Harris.
His final season at Alabama, in 2018, was his best season. Jacobs had 11 touchdowns and 640 yards on 120 carries. That was good for second on Alabama in rushing attempts and third in rushing yards.
But when looking at his game log, it almost diminishes his final numbers. He only had four games with double-digit carries and no games with 100 yards rushing. But his season-high in rushing yards, 98, came in the College Football Playoff Semifinals against Oklahoma, helping Alabama race out to a 28-0 lead in the first 17 minutes and hang on for a 45-34 win. He also had four receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown in that game.
When Was Jacobs Drafted?
Jacobs was drafted 24th overall by the then-Oakland Raiders in 2019. It goes to show that sometimes quality is better than quantity. The Raiders realized there was so much talent in Alabama’s running back room and backfield that they were able to look past Jacobs’s low numbers and draft him in the first round.
Jacobs’s rookie contract was four years and $11.9 million fully guaranteed. His signing bonus was $6.7 million.