Darrod Jacobs didn’t walk into his recruitment knowing much about Utah. The three-star defensive back from Port Arthur Memorial High School in Port Arthur, Texas, admitted the Utes were basically a blank slate to him when the offer and conversations started coming in during his junior year.
What he did know was enough to make Utah stand out.
“I didn’t know anything beyond that, to be honest,” Jacobs, a three-star recruit from Port Arthur Memorial High School in Port Arthur, Texas, told The Salt Lake Tribune.
The one thing he did recognize: Utah was the school where Chicago Bears corner Clark Phillips III played before reaching the NFL draft in 2023. And with Phillips having tied the Utah school record with six pick-6s, that connection gave Jacobs a real reference point.
A bigger part of the pull, though, came from Sharrieff Shah. Utah’s cornerbacks coach and associate head coach served as Jacobs’ primary recruiter, and that relationship helped push the Utes past Northwestern, North Texas, Baylor and Houston.
“He’s real energetic,” Jacobs said of Shah. “Anytime he calls me, he’s always suped up, ready to talk. We talked for an hour one night about football and family.”
That kind of conversation mattered, because Jacobs said the talks with Shah weren’t just about scheme or depth charts. They kept coming back to what kind of player he could become once he arrived in Salt Lake City in the coming months.
Utah’s recruiting pitch of football and family also showed up clearly during Jacobs’ official visit on May 29. He spent time around the coaches and players, including quarterback Byrd Ficklin and running back LaMarcus Bell, and the atmosphere around the program made an impact.
“What stuck out to me is the player-coach relationships they have,” Jacobs said. “On my OV, I was watching and seeing how the players moved.”
“And it wasn’t just the regular player and coach conversations that they were having. It was son and dad’s conversation - if you know what I’m saying.”
A little over 1,500 miles from home, Jacobs eventually made the call to commit to Utah.
“I never expected that I’d be a Ute right now,” Jacobs said. “But I’m glad I am, though.”
Now the focus shifts to what comes next. Jacobs said he wants to follow the path of the Utah defensive backs who have gone on to the NFL, and he’s already talking like someone who’s ready to get to work.
“When I touch down on campus, it’s grind time,” he said. “I don’t know how else to put it. I have to get to the top.”
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Cincinnati has made its home field count, and this matchup shapes up as a clash of two top-20 offenses with the Bearcats leaning heavily on the run. That puts Utahs rush defense in the spotlight, because the Utes are being asked to prove they can slow a ground attack that has been central to Cincinnatis recent surge and make the game turn on their terms instead of the home teams. [Read more 🡒]