Seattle Seahawks sign former college basketball player Michael Jacobson
Seattle made a unique addition to their roster in the midst of training camp. The Seahawks announced Friday the signing of former Nebraska and Iowa State basketball player Michael Jacobson as a tight end.
Jacobson is better known for his time on the court
While starting 56 of 65 games at Nebraska, Jacobson averaged 4.7 and 6.0 points per game in his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively, between 2015-17. He shot 18.1 percent from three-point range and 41.2 percent from the field. Jacobson then transferred to Iowa State, where he started all 67 games over his two years with the Cyclones (2018-20). He shot 57.6 percent overall and 34 percent from three while averaging 11.1 points per game as a junior. Jacobson shot 30 percent from three again as a senior while averaging 7.8 points.
In his junior year, Jacobson was part of the Iowa State team that won the Big 12 tournament and made the NCAA Tournament. Jacobson earned Big 12 All-Tournament team honors. Following his senior year at Iowa State, Jacobson moved overseas, playing last year with the Kyiv-Basket of the Ukrainian Basketball Super League. After playing a year of basketball overseas, Jacobson was given the opportunity to return to the states, albeit in a different sport alltogether.
Jacobson has a history in football as well as basketball
While he ultimately spent his college years on the court, Jacobson did play football while at Waukee (Iowa) High School. The now tight end earned a scholarship offer out of high school from Iowa State. Despite this, Jacobson turned to basketball at Nebraska. He finished his career on the court with the same team that offered him to play football in Iowa State.
Jacobson is not the first former basketball player to sign with the Seahawks, per Seahawks.com reporter John Boyle.
“This is not the first time in recent history that the Seahawks have attempted to convert a former college basketball player,” Boyle wrote. “Most notably, the Seahawks signed George Fant as an undrafted rookie following a standout basketball career at Western Kentucky, and Fant went on to play 46 games, starting 24 as a tackle and a big tight end over three seasons before signing with the Jets as a free agent last year.
“Seattle also signed Darren Fells, a UC Irvine basketball player, in 2013, and while he didn’t make the team, he has gone on to have a nice career, appearing in 102 games with 76 starts over the past seven seasons.”
The NFL is no stranger to former college basketball players transitioning to football. Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates are three of the best tight ends in NFL history. They are among many successful NFL players that made the transition from the court. Jacobson still has to earn a spot on the roster, and he will have the rest of training camp to prove that he is ready for the NFL.
Image courtesy of: David K Purdy via Getty Images.