Former Iowa State basketball player Michael Jacobson signed a free-agent contract with the NFL’ Seattle Seahawks on Friday.
As strange as that sounds, it’s true, as the Seahawks announced the move on their web site.
Before Jacobson played college basketball, he did play football … in high school, at Waukee (Iowa) High School. The Cyclones offered him a football scholarship before he chose basketball. From Waukee, Jacobson went to Nebraska and later transferred to Iowa State to play his final two years of basketball, helping the Cyclones to the 2019 Big 12 Tournament championship.
The Seahawks released Receiver Darvin Kidsy to make room on the roster. Seattle does not play its first preseason game until next week.
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It’s unclear how exactly the Seahawks became interested in Jacobson, who had been playing basketball overseas with Kyiv-Basket of the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague last year. But, as it turns out, Jacobson wasn’t the only former college basketball player the Seahawks were considering. Jacobson came in for a workout while North Carolina Central forward Jibri Blount came in for a meeting. Blount did have some NFL pedigree — his father is Hall-of-Famer Mel Blount. Plus, Jibri was with the Dolphins earlier this week.
Jacobson’s size is likely what intrigues Seattle. At 6-foot-7, 244 pounds, he fits the current NFL prototype for the pass-catching tight end.
Jacobson is a long way away from other basketball players who have converted to the position, most notably Hall-of-Famer Tony Gonzalez. But, at least Jacobsen is going to get the chance to try.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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