Feb 15, 2020; Ames, Iowa, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Kai Jones (22) defends Iowa State Cyclones forward Michael Jacobson (12) at Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
A former Cyclone basketball player tried out for the professional ranks on Thursday — with an NFL team.
Michael Jacobson has worked out for the Seattle Seahawks with hopes of making the leap from professional basketball to professional football, according to a report from NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Waukee native is listed as a tight end by Seattle.
Jacobson, a key member of the Cyclones’ 2018-19 Big 12 Tournament championship team, was considered one of the best football players in the state of Iowa during his time at Waukee High School and had a scholarship offer from Paul Rhoads’ staff at Iowa State as a member of the class of 2014.
Ultimately, Jacobson decided to play basketball at the collegiate level, first enrolling at Nebraska before transferring to Iowa State prior to the 2016-17 season, which he sat out due to the old NCAA transfer rules. Once he was able to hit the floor, Jacobson made an immediate impact for the Cyclones in 2018-19, starting all 35 of the team’s games, averaging 11.1 points, a team-high 5.9 rebounds and earning the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
His most memorable moments in cardinal and gold came during the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, where Jacobson averaged 9.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in the team’s three contests to earn All-Tournament team honors. He grabbed 16 rebounds and scored nine points in the Cyclones’ semifinal win over Kansas State then added 14 points and five boards in the championship game against Kansas.
After starting 32 more games for Steve Prohm’s team in 2018-19, Jacobson went onto a professional career that saw him play last season for Kyiv-Basket of the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague.
