Parkview running back and linebacker Brandon Jacobs is just a regular high-school kid. He attends New Mercies Christian Church on Sundays. He draws. His mom keeps him healthy by cooking ground turkey instead of beef. He wears the same number his father wore in high school, No. 6. Jacobs grew up a fan of both the Georgia Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers with their big bruising runners, Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson.
“[Walker and Jackson] ran over people, but knew how to use their speed,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs, himself 6-foot-1, 230 pounds with a 4.5 40 time, is a quiet young man who only wants what is best for the team. His goals for this season are beating Brookwood, winning Region 8-AAAAA and advancing in the playoffs.
“He does all his talking on the field,” said Parkview head coach Cecil Flowe.
Jacobs started playing football at the age of 9 at Mountain Park Recreation Department in Lilburn with Parkview teammates Clayton Wilkin and Alan Johnson.
His first touchdown run at Parkview was for 90 yards last season against Collins Hill. Jacobs finished his junior season with 880 yards and seven touchdowns.
“I watched him as a seventh-grader and knew what kind of player we were going to have,” Flowe said.
FUTURE TIGER
Auburn, UAB and Wake Forest all offered Jacobs a scholarship. Georgia, Georgia Tech and a multitude of other schools showed interest with letters and phone calls.
“He’s a dynamic runner and has that burst of speed that you don’t think he has at his size, and that’s why Auburn likes him so much,” Flowe said.
Jacobs committed to play football at Auburn because of its spread offense, recruiting coordinator Greg Knox, and running backs coach Eddie Gran. But while Auburn recruited Jacobs to play running back, he also plays linebacker for the Panthers.
“We were going to try to put him just on the offense this year and he’s getting more carries than last year, but we still have to put him on the defense,” Flowe said. “We just have to do it because there are certain times that he just has to be out there.”
Jacobs has taken full advantage of getting more carries, gaining 639 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns in Parkview’s first four games this season.
TWO-SPORT STAR
After Jacobs committed to play football at Auburn, he received a call from Auburn’s baseball coach, John Pawlowski. Jacobs batted .518 last season with seven home runs and over 30 RBIs for the Panthers.
Flowe compares Jacobs to two former Parkview graduates who starred on both fields and chose baseball in the end: Jeff Francoeur and Clint Sammons.
“Auburn’s got a great player if he doesn’t just blow the top off the baseball. Brandon has always said he’s a football player that plays baseball, but time will only tell,” Flowe said.
But Jacobs isn’t going to make a decision regarding baseball until he has to. “Loving both sports, it will be a hard decision, but it will be a decision me and my parents make at that time,” he said.
For now, Jacobs is content just playing football.
“I’m going to Auburn to play football. Anything else is a plus,” he said.
Last Friday, Jacobs had his best game of the young season, rushing for 217 yards and four touchdowns in a 65-20 victory over Meadowcreek. And to celebrate the win, Jacobs splurged. He ate fast food instead of Mom’s ground turkey.
See, he’s just a regular kid.
Wiley can be reached at dwiley12@gmail.com.
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