Episode Details

Mike Jacobs serves as the 23rd head football coach of Lenoir-Rhyne University, which plays this weekend at Valdosta State in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Playoffs in a 1 pm kickoff on Saturday. Previously, Jacobs coached for four years at Notre Dame College in Ohio, where he coached for four years and accumulated a 42-8 record. Jacobs is a two-time Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year and Don Hansen Football Gazette's National Coach of the Year in 2018. After leading his squad to the Region 1 Championship, Jacobs replicated that success in 2019. Notre Dame rattled off nine straight wins to open the season, eventually making it to the NCAA quarterfinals. The Falcons offense ranked fourth in Division II in scoring offense at 39.5 points per game and topped the record for all-conference selections in 2019 with 18 being named All-MEC, including winning the Offensive Player of the Year, Offensive Freshman of the Year and Defensive Freshman of the Year for the second straight season. In addition, six players were named All-Region, and two were All-Americans. Individually, Jacobs coached RB Jaleel McLaughlin to be a Harlon Hill finalist in each of the past two seasons, including a runner-up for the award in 2019. McLaughlin led Division II in rushing in each of the past two years and his 2,421 yards gained as a freshman in 2018 is a Division II record. Jacobs has had four Academic All-Region selections and three Academic All-Americans in the classroom. In addition, Jacobs significantly improved the team's overall GPA by implementing the Falcons for Life initiative focused on helping players achieve success in the classroom and develop transferrable skills to set players up for success after college. Before joining the Falcons, Jacobs spent more than six years with the Vulcans of California University of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) as their defensive line coach and director of football operations. While with the Vulcans, their defensive unit produced 16 All-PSAC performers, three NCAA-II All-Americans, a PSAC Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year and two Gene Upshaw Award finalists. In 2010, Cal U finished second in D-II in total defense. During his six seasons there, he helped the team win the PSAC four times, appeared in the playoffs four times and made two Final Four appearances. Jacobs also spent three years on the Purdue coaching staff as an assistant offensive coach. He was the offensive line coach at Wilmington College in 2004 and spent the two years before that as the assistant offensive line coach at Eastern Michigan. As a student-athlete, Jacobs was a five-year member and two-time letter-winner at the Ohio State University from 1997-2001. He was an offensive lineman and a long snapper for both John Cooper and Jim Tressell. Following the senior season in 2001, Jacobs earned Academic All-Big Ten honors. He played in over 30 games during his career, including two Sugar Bowls.