Leon Jacobs

Leon Jacobs (born October 3, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional American football linebacker. He played college football at Wisconsin. The San Pedro native holds the record for most games played by a Football Bowl Subdivision player having played in 59 NCAA contests.

Early years
Jacobs was born in Nigeria, the oldest of four children of Theresa, a nurse, and Tony, an entrepreneur. He was given an Igbo name, Somgolie Nwude. His brother, Chibueze, played college basketball at Sacramento State. His family immigrated to California around the time that Jacobs began attending school.

Jacobs played football as a freshman at Bishop Montgomery High School before quitting to focus on basketball. He did not resume playing football until he was a senior at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, California.

College career
Jacobs attended and played college football at Wisconsin. In 2015, his season was ended by a foot injury after four games. He was granted a medical hardship waiver and extra year of eligibility. Until 2016 he had played exclusively at linebacker. He played both linebacker and fullback in 2016 and returned to just the defensive side of the ball in 2017 as the Badgers needed to replace linebackers T. J. Watt and Vince Biegel.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacobs was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round (230th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He played in 12 games with three starts. In Week 14, against the Tennessee Titans, he scored a safety when tackled Cameron Batson in the endzone. He was placed on injured reserve on December 14, 2018, with a quad injury. Overall, he finished his rookie season with 21 combined tackles.

Jacobs entered the 2020 season as a starting linebacker for the Jaguars. In Week 3, he suffered a torn ACL and was placed on injured reserve on September 28, 2020.

On July 30, 2021, Jacobs was released by the Jaguars.

Michigan Panthers
On December 13, 2022, Jacobs signed with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL). He was transferred to the team's inactive list on March 20, 2023. He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024.