Drew Kerekes

Monday’s national championship game between Alabama and Georgia will go down as an all-time Crimson classic for the Alabama fanbase.

Facing a 13-0 halftime deficit with not much going on offense, the chances of an Alabama comeback seemed slim if the status quo remained the same. Of course, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know what happened by now. Alabama came back to tie the game 20-20, missed a field goal that would have won it at the end of regulation only to make a miracle throw to come out on top 26-23 in overtime.

There are countless storylines coming out of the game, the biggest obviously being Tide coach Nick Saban’s decision to go to his bullpen and replace sophomore starting quarterback Jalen Hurts with true freshman Tua Tagovailoa. The defense allowing just a touchdown in the second half and stopping Georgia for a field goal in overtime. The fact Saban remained perfect against his former assistant coaches when coaching against them. The fact that it was his sixth national championship as a coach and his fifth leading the Tide.

The commentary surrounding those and other storylines has been done many times over elsewhere. I would instead like to focus on a lesser-known aspect of the Alabama football team, that being running back Josh Jacobs.

Jacobs was a lightly recruited running back from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who signed with Alabama back in February 2016. When he got on campus and into games, it became clear that it wasn’t exactly clear why Jacobs was lightly recruited, as he looked as good as any Alabama running back that season. Poised for a big sophomore year this fall, Jacobs began the year on the sidelines with a lingering hamstring issue and didn’t see action until Week 3 against Colorado State, in which he only rushed one time for 6 yards. 

Throughout the season, Jacobs never carried the ball more than nine times in any one game, and it was clear that, even though he was still immensely talented, he wasn’t quite getting the production he did just a season ago, prompting speculation that maybe that hamstring issue had never fully gotten better. He didn’t action at all against Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal, and he only had three carries against Georgia Monday.

On Thursday, Jacobs tweeted the following: “Lowkey nervous about having surgery tomorrow I’ve been playing on a broke ankle since week 5. It’s definitely been hard playing knowing that any play could be your last. I’m grateful and blessed to (have finished) the season much more coming soon.”

Oh boy. 

The good news here is, a day later, Jacobs tweeted that the surgery was a success, so it seems reasonable he’ll be ready to go no later than the start of fall camp. One of the biggest storylines for Alabama this past season is how it overcame a seemingly insurmountable amount of injuries this season, and it appears there were even more injuries than what was being shared publicly.

Here’s the thing: Jacobs is clearly an NFL talent, which means he risked potential millions by playing through a broken ankle this season. Further, the shelf life for running backs in the NFL is short, which means the more pounding they take as early as their college careers, the less time they’ll have playing in the league. You think Jacobs wasn’t worried about all of the punishment he took during a season he could have redshirted and not risked catastrophic injury to his already broken ankle?

Despite the risks, Jacobs chose to play anyway, and I can only speculate as to why. I assume, as a competitor, he loves the sport so much that he doesn’t want to sit. As a teammate, I’m sure he feels like he’d be letting his teammates down if he didn’t do everything he could to play. 

The fact remains, though, is Jacobs took a great risk to ultimately entertain the masses of fans that attend and watch games. Yes, football is a competitive outlet, which means athletes like Jacobs are drawn to play the game, but it’s also a money maker for universities and broadcasting networks. He may be getting an education in exchange, but he certainly isn’t seeing any of the millions the schools and networks bring in, and there is no 100-percent guarantee that football is going to still be an option for Jacobs a couple of years from now considering the physical toll the sport takes on its players.

The lesson here is one of appreciation. The next time you watch your favorite college football team take the field, know that it is possible a significant portion of the roster is playing through nicks, bruises or full-blown broken ankles. Know it doesn’t cost you much to cheer your team on from the comfort of your couch, while it could potentially cost some players a future earning. 

Keep all of that in mind the next time you dog a player because he didn’t make a catch or missed a tackle. These young men put themselves through more than most of us can understand. 

Drew Kerekes is the sports editor at The Meridian Star. He can be reached at dkerekes@themeridianstar.com.