Khalil Jacobs transferred to the Missouri Tigers from South Alabama with a dream of playing in the SEC.
But that dream was taken away from him after just two conference games.
“I was dreaming to play in the SEC, so finally getting that shot and then, you know, it being taken away from me in an instant, you know, kind of shook me up a little bit,” Jacobs said. “But now, you know, just looking forward and being prepared for what the future has.”
Jacobs was hurt on a somewhat routine play against UMass. He said it didn’t even stand out to him after the play.
“I went down to go get him and I made like a gator tackle, but I didn’t finish through all the way,” Jacobs said. “And I felt the pop in my right pec and my shoulder and I got up. I didn’t feel it at first, because whatever, but I was planning on going back in but my trainers told me to come to the tent and see what was wrong with me. And they figured out that I had torn my pec on my right side.”
It quickly became clear Jacobs would miss the rest of the season. And for someone who had never experienced that level of injury, the linebacker said it came as a shock.
“It took me a minute to actually, you know, process what happened,” Jacobs said. “That was the first time I ever got, like, a serious season-ending injury. And, yeah, it kind of shook me up for a little bit. But I realized I couldn’t harp on it too much and I gotta get back to work.”
Back to normal
The injury happened on Oct. 12 and it took a few months for Jacobs to get back to feeling normal. But he said there was a specific part of his workout that told him his pec was back and ready to perform.
“I would say right around January,” Jacobs said. “(I) was able to start doing push ups with one hand again.”
As he enters his senior season, the dream is back for Jacobs and he is taking advantage.
He has become a leader in a linebacker room filled with talent and has been shouted out by players and coaches alike for his energy and attitude through fall camp.
And he’s bringing that new energy and attitude into his final season of college football, trying to lead the Tiger defense as it takes another step forward.
“I might have got hurt, but I’m still here, and I still got one more year to show everybody what I got,” Jacobs said.
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