Penn State Football: three potential breakout candidates on defense
By Nick Kreiser
Penn State Football linebacker – Curtis Jacobs
Depending on your definition of a “breakout candidate”, Curtis Jacobs may not fit the mold, as he was a starter last year who had a good season in which he racked up 61 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, and an interception.
However, the third-year linebacker has a chance to take that to totally different level … I’m talking about first team all-conference type production, maybe even more.
Almost all of Jacobs’ time last year was spent as Penn State’s strong side linebacker, where he played out of the box and even came off the field on most passing downs as the Nittany Lions went with a nickel package. The only game where he did not play as the SAM was the Outback Bowl, when he moved to the weak side due to Brandon Smith opting out of the game.
In that game against the Razorbacks, he tallied a season-high 10 tackles, including a sack. That could very well be a sign of what to expect out of Jacobs on a weekly basis in 2022, as he will make the switch to be the starting weak side backer this season for Manny Diaz.
It would not surprise me at all if by season’s end, Curtis Jacobs is a first team All-Big Ten selection, and maybe even wins the Butkus-Fitzgerald Award for Big Ten Linebacker of the Year.
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