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‘The Cardinal Countdown: 36 Days Until Kickoff’
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‘The Cardinal Countdown: 36 Days Until Kickoff’
Summary: If you follow high school recruiting at all, the name Jacob Smith is likely a familiar one here locally. The in-state product, alongside his brother (Jerod) were looking to be Michigan men out of high school, and then late in the process flipped to Kentucky to play closer to home. Both were highly ranked, and their accolades spoke for themselves, with Jacob being an all-state selection out of Corbin High School, coming to Kentucky looking to break into a veteran heavy rotation. Injuries and depth played a key role into limited time in his first two seasons, but now Jacob is targeting having a much bigger impact in 2026.
While injuries are always a possibility, and depth is another challenge here with guys like TJ Capers and Stanquan Clark roaming the middle, Smith now has a couple seasons of D-I conditioning and training and is planning to be in the mix of the two deep as a rotational piece at minimum to start the year. No question the removal of Stoops and the existing relationship with Vince Marrow lead the Smith brothers to Louisville, now its time to turn that high caliber high school career into one worthy of recognition at the collegiate level. I love the measurables on Jacob and what he did in high school, and believe if 2026 isn't the year, he may get a shot next season to be one of the leaders at linebacker.
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