Alabama Football: 30 Tide Greats who exceeded their 3-Star high school rankings
By Ronald Evans
Alabama football players who exceeded 3 star ranking: 3. Josh Jacobs
- Running Back (2016-2018)
- 2016 Recruit Ranking: No. 469
Josh Jacobs might be considered an anomaly in this list. His Crimson Tide career stats set no records. He did not gain prestige with national awards. Concluding his limited production disqualifies him as an Alabama Football great would be a mistake.
Josh Jacobs was never the lead running back for the Crimson Tide. His career stats were 1,491 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, plus 571 receiving yards and five touchdowns. In his third and last Tide season, Jacobs became the most complete back on Nick Saban’s roster.
He makes this list and is rated so highly for three reasons. He was missed on most national recruiting radars and ignored by most teams before the Alabama football staff discovered him. Given the personal hardships, he, his father and his siblings survived, it is remarkable Josh Jacobs made it to college. That he did, and ended up being the top running back chosen in the 2019 NFL Draft is one of the greatest stories in Alabama football history.