This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 5-star EDGE David Jacobs at Blessed Trinity in Roswell. He ranks as the nation’s No. 3 EDGE and the No. 11 overall prospect for 2026 on the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Industry Ranking has him as the No. 3 EDGE and No. 12 overall.
ROSWELL -- Blessed Trinity head coach Ed Dudley has coached all over the Georgia High School Association.
Buford. Carrollton. Walton. Winder-Barrow. Ware County. He’s been a head coach since 1992 and has put together nine seasons of double-digit wins.
When he says he’s never had a player like DJ Jacobs in his 40 years, the ears perk up.
“His personality,” Dudley said. “He’s very outgoing. He’s a real leader. Not just out here on the football field, but in the hallways of the school. [He’s] much loved out here at Blessed Trinity.”
“We love his effort. We love his enthusiasm, but most of all we love his personality.”
The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder is now bench pressing 300 pounds. He can get that on the power clean and power up 400-plus on the squat rack. Think Nolan Smith. On and off the field. Only two or three inches taller.
Jacobs could be the student in charge of giving school tours to potential Blessed Trinity Catholic students. The guy getting recruited by every major program in America could make anybody want to go to school at Blessed Trinity.
That spark never goes out.
“Every day,” Dudley said. “Every day without fail. He’s just a special person. He brings a special energy to rushing the passer and kind of lives life that way. I just love being around him. He elevates my game.”
Jacobs will be bigger this year. Stronger. His technique is spit-shined, plus he’s a step faster. Look for DJ to stack up around 15-20 sacks and 30 TFLs.
Now take all that good stuff and add the following:
- Both parents went to UGA. He’s a double legacy. His father, former DL standout David Jacobs, played during the Mark Richt era. Richt is also his Godfather.
- His younger brother, Dawson, also has an offer from UGA. The 4-star DT was recently ranked among the nation’s top 100 prospects in 2028. When asked about both of his sons a while back, Jacobs offered up this gem: “Hey, a lion just don’t have kittens now,” David Jacobs said.
- Jacobs, now rated as the No. 3 EDGE in the country for 2027, was offered by UGA as a freshman after a big game
- LaDamion Guyton, the other 5-star EDGE in Georgia for 2027, is the No. 1 EDGE in the country. Texas Tech locked up his commitment this month for what was reported to be a $900,000 figure for his freshman year in Lubbock
- The Dawgs only recruited one EDGE in the 2026 class after taking three players at that position in 2025. That lone commitment, Khamari Brooks, hung out with Jacobs at the annual UGA “Scavenger Hunt” event in May.
- His middle name is Maximus. He was named after that Maximus from the classic “Gladiator” film and plays the way the Russell Crowe character fought in the gladiator pits, too.
When schools could actually reach out to 2027 recruits for the first time over the summer, he got this message from Georgia’s Kirby Smart.
“He said, ‘Lock me in. Your future head coach’ and that sounds like Kirby,” DJ Jacobs said. “If you listen to him, ‘Lock me in. Your future head coach, and he’s just chill like that. I was very stoked to see it. I didn’t believe it. I thought it was one of my friends texting me because it was June 15, but it was him. But it was really cool.”
Jacobs did notice the move from Guyton last week. The 5-star visited Texas Tech for the first time over the summer. It was his only summer visit and it wasn’t long before he decided to commit to the Red Raiders.
“I’m happy for my guy,” DJ Jacobs said. “If that’s the best place for him, I’m happy for him.”
Jacobs wasn’t ready to discuss any top-of-the-list schools. But he’s consistently brought up Alabama, FSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC when he shares those thought bubbles.
The 5-star has a couple of game visits figured out for the fall. That would be Alabama at FSU on August 30, Alabama at Georgia on September 27 and Florida at Texas A&M on October 11.
He feels like he’ll be committed sometime next June or July after his official visits.
DJ Jacobs: What he likes best about Georgia
Jacobs is taking things light in his process. While he sees peers paring their decisions down to finalist groups or even committing, he’s not there yet.
“We’ll see where it goes,” DJ Jacobs said with a bit of showmanship to that answer. “My mind is open to everyone.”
It is likely those million-dollar-per-year offers will come his way, if they haven’t already. But that will work itself out in due time. While he wasn’t ready to say that the Dawgs will get an official, it feels like UGA will be there in the end.
“They treat me like family,” DJ Jacobs said. “... Athens is a great place to be. My parents love it up there.”
He appreciates how EDGE coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe recruits him. He said the UGA assistant doesn’t treat him like a priority 5-star.
“He talked to me like a normal or another player,” DJ Jacobs said. “Well, not like a normal player. Like one of theirs, you know? I appreciate that. Because I know everything on social media says 5-star blah blah blah, but I’m still just another person. I definitely just appreciate that and how they talk to me more and how they help me break down the game.”
What would be the biggest reason he’d sign with UGA?
“The biggest box it checks for me?” he said. “It is definitely just really close to home. I would say. I mean, it can’t get bigger than that. I would say. That’s probably it. For my Mom.”
The ideal school for Jacobs will relate to him as more than a football player.
“Just to have good people on campus,” he said. “I don’t want to go to school with like people just knowing me for football. I want people to know me for what a great guy I am. That’s why I came to BT. Just to leave a good mark here.”
DJ Jacobs: One good story
His last visit to UGA revealed another side of the staff. He enjoyed watching their personalities during the annual “Scavenger Hunt” weekend.
“Seeing the coaches on the other side of football,” he said. “That kind of raised the antenna a little bit. That was good.”
It fits in with one of his core hopes for college. He wants to learn from the life experiences of his coaches. His goal is to be a great person and not just a future All-American football player.
That, just like those big takeaways shared by Dudley, is what really matters.
“You are completely reading me corrrectly,” DJ Jacobs said. “I definitely just want people to see me as a guy you can come talk to. I know I’m big. I may have a little [angry face] going from my Dad. But definitely a kind guy. I just want to make sure everyone is happy and everyone knows that they matter. That’s definitely a big takeaway for me. Making sure everyone is happy. You never know what they are going through.”
Jacobs established a game tradition last fall. He wore inspirational messages or words of scripture across the black eye strips underneath his helmet.
“I do something different every game,” he said. “Something about God.”
Some examples were:
- Vaya con Dios - Which means “Go with God.”
- A message on grit and brotherhood
- Isaiah 40:31 - A passage stating those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."
“Just basically [God] guiding me through the game and being with me,” he said.
Have you seen this week’s “Before the Hedges” weekly recruiting special on YouTube yet? Check it out below.
SENTELL’S INTEL
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