Alabama had been Jacobs’ dream since he was in middle school.

He watched the Crimson Tide defeat Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 11 and thought, “if I ever get a chance, I’m going to prove everybody wrong.”

“Being underrated” motivates Jacobs.

“That’s just the community I come from,” he said. “Being a young black male in general, we have to strive for better. That alone pushes me. Getting a degree. Furthering my life for everybody. Actually being able to make money so I can come back and give to the community. That’s huge, too.”

Jacobs, his family and coaches did not give up — though they say they also would have been happy with the schools that originally offered him. Through social media, contacts and a highlight video that backed up his superlative statistics, schools began to discover him.

It all happened fast. Jacobs remembers coaches from Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Missouri coming to visit him on the same day.

Last weekend, he drove with his dad Marty, his uncle and his two younger brothers to visit Missouri and Alabama on back-to-back days. Both impressed him.

What swayed him toward Alabama is not what you might think.