Jestin Jacobs, a touted transfer from Iowa a season ago, couldn’t fully make the impact he wanted to in his first year in Eugene.

Jacobs missed the first half of Oregon’s regular season before making his Duck debut against Washington State. Through 32 tackles in eight games played to end the season, Jacobs said he never got into the rhythm he wanted to in 2023.

Fully healthy heading into a season for the first time in two years, Jacobs said it feels much different in 2024.

“I honestly can’t wait for it,” he said. “Missing last year, it was kind of hard to stay in a rhythm, especially being in my first year being with the guys. Missing some time, I wasn’t able to go through the first fall camp with them. This year my main focus is staying healthy and being available so I can build chemistry with the team.”

Jacobs, along with senior linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, make up two of the most experienced inside linebacker duos in all of college football.

With a mostly unproven group behind them aside from fellow senior Bryce Boettcher, Jacobs said he has taken on more of a leadership role in his second season and familiarized himself with Oregon’s defense.

At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, Jacobs is one of the taller middle linebackers in college football and has had to adjust his play to hit lower since arriving at Oregon.

“We watch a lot of (San Francisco 49ers LB) Fred Warner tape,” linebacker coach Brian Michalowski said. “Fred Warner is a taller linebacker; he plays under the chute a lot … I just want to continue to see that improvement with him. He’s playing extremely physical and he’s doing a great job of communicating as well.”

Jacobs said the first half of the season, despite being painful to miss, was beneficial for his growth as a player. Along with getting the playbook down, Jacobs said he lost seven pounds of fat while rehabbing and picked up a new appreciation for the game.

“When you’re out you really get to step back and see things for what they are,” Jacobs said. “Being able to step back, gather knowledge, and just being appreciative of the situation I’m in was helpful.”

Though Bassa is undoubtedly the leader of the Oregon defense, and a leader of the Ducks as a whole, Jacobs has developed into a leader in his own right, especially in the linebacker position room.

“He’s a guy that’s going to get into the building early and going to stay late,” Bassa said. “He’s a guy that is always asking questions and picking your brain from an o-lineman or a defensive lineman and see and communicate on their level so he can trigger and make a play fast. A guy that’s real smart, really intelligent and a sideline-to-sideline backer. I love playing with him.”

Keep an eye on Oregon linebacker Devon Jackson

Sophomore linebacker Devon Jackson turned heads with his unusual speed for his position, but he's also turning heads after a productive offseason. Now with a firm grasp of Oregon’s defense at inside linebacker, teammates and coaches have praised Jackson for his ability to make calls and be a master of the defense in a reserve role behind Bassa and Jacobs.

Oregon football newcomer to watch

Though it’s unlikely true freshmen will get a lot of playing time with so much experience ahead of them, four-star linebacker Brayden Platt is a name to watch among a large group of first year players. Fresh out of high school, Platt is already listed at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, the same height and weight as Oregon senior linebacker Bassa.

Number to know

1,480 – The number of total snaps Oregon is bringing back from last season at inside linebacker. 713 of those, roughly half, are from Bassa, while another 288 and 218 are from Jacobs and Boettcher, respectively. Outside of those three, there are just 261 returning snaps combined.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Fully healthy LB Jestin Jacobs ready to help lead Oregon football