Making a Splash
ITHACA, N.Y. — Jake Stebbins was hoping to get his feet wet this fall for the Cornell University football team.
Instead, he has made a big splash as a freshman middle linebacker.
Entering Saturday's season-finale against Columbia, the Seneca Valley graduate is third on the Big Red in tackles (51), first in sacks (4½), second in tackles for loss (6½) and tied for the lead in forced fumbles (2).
His effort has not gone unnoticed outside the Ivy League. Earlier this month, it was announced that Stebbins is one of 24 players across the country on the Jerry Rice Award Watch List. The honor goes to the top freshman player in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA). The winner will be announced shortly after the season concludes.
“I've been blessed with opportunities my whole life,” he said. “This is just another example of that.
“When summer practices started, I was just hoping to play on special teams this year, maybe get on the field a bit at linebacker,” added Stebbins.
But even in the season-opener against Marist, Stebbins got a handful of snaps on defense. He impressed his coaches enough to earn more playing time and was soon getting as many reps as starter Lance Blass.
When Blass tweaked his hamstring against Harvard in mid-October, Stebbins stepped in and started the next two games against Colgate and Brown. Blass is now healthy and back on the field, but the Big Red still count on Stebbins for 40 snaps per game.
“I felt like I was fairly well-prepared for the college game coming in, both physically and mentally,” Stebbins said. “The speed at this level is totally different, but I was able to adapt to it.”
The Big Red show multiple fronts, from a 4-3 to 3-3 to a 3-4. Stebbins has found a comfort level no matter the scheme.
“A lot of it comes down to studying film and knowing your opponent,” he said. “By the day of the game, I'm prepared.”
Stebbins also starred at linebacker while in high school, piling up 174 tackles in his varsity career. He totaled 93 tackles and five sacks as a senior. That effort helped the Raiders reach the WPIAL championship game.
For the most part, team success has eluded Stebbins and his teammates this season. With one game remaining, they own a 3-6 record, though three of the defeats have come by one score, including one-point losses to Colgate and Penn.
“I feel bad for our seniors,” said Stebbins. “We have so much talent on this team, but lost a lot of games because we made one big mistake.
“We really didn't play a full game until beating nationally-ranked Dartmouth (No. 11) last week (20-17).”
Stebbins has laid a solid foundation for the rest of his collegiate career, one the Big Red are sure to benefit from.
“I love football and I love being out there with my teammates,” he said.
