From NFL Draftscout.com
Overview
Omar is the prototype quarterback; blessed with the exceptional quickness of a tailback, the strength and size of a linebacker and the field intelligence of a player much older than his birth certificate indicates. He is one of the most accurate long-range passers in the game, but also shows impressive touch on his short throws. Few passers have the scrambling ability that Jacobs displayed. He is a consummate team player who takes losses personally, but in his short time at the helm, he shows tremendous poise in the pocket.
Jacobs was a standout quarterback at Atlantic Community High School. He was named the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and Boca News Offensive Player of the Year, adding Palm Beach County Amateur Athlete of the Year honors. Omar was a second-team All-Florida pick, who also earned firs- team All-Conference and All-County accolades. He was named to the "Super 11 Squad" after he threw for 2,670 yards, completed 63 percent of his passes and connected on 28 touchdowns as a senior. He also gained more than 1,000 yards passing during the playoffs that year, helping the team to a regional championship.
Omar also lettered in basketball and baseball. He was a first-team All-County and All-Conference performer in baseball. He also excelled academically, being named to the Vocational National Honor Society and also was the Rotary Student of the Month in 2001.
How Omar escaped the grasp of the Florida powerhouse colleges like Florida State, Florida and Miami is anyone's guess. But, the Bowling Green staff has been ecstatic over his performance since replacing Josh Harris in the starting lineup. He redshirted in 2002 and then saw limited action in four games during the 2003 campaign. He showed enough flashes of brilliance in the Eastern Kentucky and Liberty games that year to convince the coaches he would be a capable replacement for Harris in 2004.
What they got instead were an athlete that not only surpassed all expectations, but a player who would go on to shatter numerous school and Mid-American Conference records. Omar led the nation with 41 touchdown passes, breaking the old school record of 27 by Josh Harris in 2003 and the MAC mark of 39 by Marshall's Chad Pennington in 1999. He hit on 309 of 462 passes (school record 66.9%) for 4,002 yards and only four interceptions. He added 300 yards and four scores rushing.
His 45 touchdowns responsible for established a new conference season record. His 165.47 passing efficiency rating ranked third in the nation. His touchdown-to-interception ratio (41-4) was the best ever in a season by an NCAA player. He also led the nation in points scored, averaging 22.5 per game.
In just sixteen games with the Falcons, Omar completed 328 of 490 passes (66.9%) for 4,347 yards, 45 touchdowns and only four interceptions. His 66.9 pass completion percentage set a school career-record and ranks second on the MAC record chart behind Bruce Gradkowski (71.4%, 2002-present). His 45 scoring tosses rank fourth in school history while no other Bowling Green starting quarterback has had so few interceptions. He added 389 yards with six scores on 113 carries (3.4 avg) and has accounted for 4,736 yards and 51 touchdowns for the Falcons.
Analysis
Omar is a rifle-armed passer with a solid, thick frame. He has exceptional quickness rolling out of the pocket and the ability to throw on the run. He shows nifty footwork setting up in his pass delivery and shows keen pocket awareness to handle the pass rush well, as he smoothly steps up and away from pressure. He maintains his composure when the pocket is collapsing and will throw the ball away if his targets are covered rather than force the ball into traffic.
When he throws on the run, Oscar shows very good ability to set his feet and the power to throw off-balance. He has a very quick over-the-top release, but also shows accuracy when throwing three-quarters sidearm. He demonstrates very good touch on his long and short throws. Jacobs is very effective at setting up and drifting to throw the screen pass. He has true courage in the pocket and his feet make him a dangerous threat when running with the ball.
He shows no fear upon contact and will not hesitate to throw an aggressive block on the reverse. He is very effective handling the QB draws inside the red zone. He is a solid leader who plays with nice poise. Omar is very effective at reading coverages and then go through his progression to locate his secondary targets. His timing is impeccable when throwing through windows. He has the arm strength to lead his receivers deep and drops the ball in smoothly so they do not have to adjust in their routes. He keeps his eyes fixed downfield and does not lose much accuracy when he has to throw on rollouts.
Jacobs has the footwork to step into his throws and anticipates well his receiver's ability to break into the clear. He is especially effective at throwing the ball into the hole between the cornerback and safety. He carries the ball ear-high and has a compact over-the-top mechanics, finishing his throws with shoulders squared and feet properly set. While he has a very soft touch, his passes also come out tight and he rarely throws at the receiver's numbers.
Omar can break tackles and move the chains efficiently when running with the ball, but needs to hold the ball better, as he leaves it too exposed at times, causing some fumbles when the defender delivers the crunching tackle. His ability to slide away from the rush makes him a player than needs to be accounted for any time he rolls out of the pocket.
While he is still learning the intricacies of the game, it is evident that he possesses outstanding athletic ability, excellent maturity and poise, a cannon for an arm and superb accuracy. While he might not get the publicity he deserves, there is no question that he will develop into a franchise quarterback, if he continues on the path he is taking.
Scouting Report
Positives…Has a tall, muscular frame with room for additional growth…Shows excellent foot quickness in his pass drops to set up and the lateral agility to slide in and out of the pocket…Has a quick over-the-top delivery and throws the ball with a tight circle…Has the upper body strength and velocity to consistently throw the long bomb with touch and accuracy…Shows very good field awareness, making proper read progressions…Keeps his cool under pressure and has a good feel to step up and avoid the pass rush…Has very good accuracy on all throws (short, intermediate, deep)…Gets good placement and throws an easy pass.
Throws perfect fades and has the big arm to lead his receivers deep, doing a nice job of dropping the ball in over his target's shoulders without having to have his receiver adjust in the route…Consistently hits receivers coming out of their cuts…Goes through progression well and can instantly scan the field to find his secondary targets… Very mobile in the pocket, showing the ability to escape pressure while maintaining accuracy throwing on the move…Physical open field runner with the strength to break tackles and the cutting ability to push defenders back on their heels…Confident competitor with very good poise…Keeps his eyes fixed downfield and shows the awareness to move around and find the open lanes…While he can put impressive zip behind his long tosses, he also knows when to take something off his throws, showing very good touch on flares or dropping it in over the top…Has exceptional arm quickness to get the ball through the throwing arc.
Negatives…Consummate team player, but takes it hard when he fails to succeed…Very effective runner, but needs to secure the ball better, as he leaves it exposed on the run, resulting in some costly fumbles…Will generally do a good job of setting up, but when he fails to plant his feet properly, his passes tend to sail some (very rare that this happens).
2005 Season
It is hard to imagine that Omar has been able to accomplish so much in only one year as a starter…In sixteen games, Jacobs earned twelve starting assignments…He completed 328 of 490 passes for 4,347 yards, 45 touchdowns and only four interceptions…His 45 scoring tosses are topped only by Ryan Henry (46, 1992-95), Josh Harris (55, 2000-03) and Brian McClure (63, 1982-85) on the school's career-record list…His 66.9 pass completion percentage set a Bowling Green all-time record, surpassing the previous mark of 63.1% by Brian McClure.
Holds the school record and tied the NCAA Division 1-A season-record in 2004 by attempting 224 consecutive passes without throwing an interception, matching a figure first set by Matt Blundin of Virginia in 1991…Added 389 yards and six scores on 113 carries (3.4 avg)…Has been responsible for 51 touchdowns during his career…His four interceptions are the lowest figure of any starting quarterback in Mid-American Conference history…His 2004 ratio of touchdowns-to-interceptions (41-to-4) established an NCAA Division 1-A season-record.
All-American and All-Mid American Conference first-team preseason selection by The NFL Draft Report…Rated the best offensive player in college football by The Poor Man's Guide to the NFL Draft…Named second-team preseason All-American by The Sporting News...Is on the Preseason Watch List for the 2005 Maxwell Award, given annually to the College Football Player of the Year.
2004 Season
All-American second-team choice by The NFL Draft Report, adding honorable mention from CNN/Sports Illustrated…First-team All-Mid American Conference first-team pick and named MAC Offensive Player of the Year…Led the team to a 9-3 record, as he led the nation and set school and conference season-records with 41 touchdown passes, topping the old school mark of 27 by Josh Harris in 2003 and the MAC mark of 39 by Marshall's Chad Pennington in 1999.
His 41 touchdowns are surpassed by only seven players in the history of NCAA Division 1-A football, ranking behind David Klingler of Houston(54 in 1990), B.J. Symons of Texas Tech (52 in 2003), Jim McMahon of Brigham Young (47 in 1980), Tim Rattay of Louisiana Tech (46 in 1998), Andre Ware of Houston (46 in 1989), Kliff Kingsbury of Texas Tech (45 in 2002) and David Carr of Fresno State (42 in 2001)…Threw for 4,002 yards on 309 of 462 passes.
His 4,002 yards set a school season-record, topping the previous mark of 3,813 yards by Josh Harris in 2003…He also joined Byron Leftwich of Marshall (4268 in 2002 and 4132 in 2001) as the only players in Mid-American Conference history to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season…His pass completion percentage of 66.9 broke the previous Bowling Green record of 65.8% by Josh Harris in 2003…Ranked third in the nation with a 165.47 passing efficiency rating…Only Chad Pennington of Marshall (171.4 in 1999) and Ben Roethlisberger of Miami of Ohio (165.8 in 2003) had a better passing efficiency rating in a season by a MAC quarterback.
His 4,302 yards in total offense was the 17th-best season total in Division 1-A history and ranks third in MAC annals behind Harris (4643 in 2003) and Roethlisberger (4597 in 2003)…Attempted 224 consecutive passes without an interception, tying the NCAA Division 1-A record first set by Matt Blundin of Virginia in 1991…His four interceptions thrown was the lowest season total by a starting quarterback in school annals.
Added 300 yards and four scores on 95 carries (3.2 avg)…Registered 218 of the team's 322 first downs for the season (200 passing, 18 rushing)…His scrambling ability allowed him to escape the pass rush all year, as he was sacked only ten times…Fumbled the ball five times, but only two resulted in a turnover…His average of 358.5 yards per game in total offense ranked second in the nation…Threw for at least 300 yards in ten games and had at least four touchdown passes in eight contests.
2003 Season
Played in four games, serving as the back-up quarterback to Josh Harris…Completed 19 of 28 passes (67.9%) for 345 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions…Carried 18 times for 89 yards (4.9 avg) and two scores…Accounted for fourteen first downs passing and six more rushing.
2002 Season
Redshirted as a freshman.
Campus Agility Tests
4.59 in the 40-yard dash…350-pound bench press…485-pound squat…295-pound power clean…33-inch vertical jump…32 3/8-inch arm length…9 7/8-inch hands.
High School
Attended Atlantic Community (Delray Beach, Fla.) High School, playing football for coach Keith Tillman…Standout quarterback who was named the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and Boca News Offensive Player of the Year, adding Palm Beach County Amateur Athlete of the Year honors…Second-team All-Florida pick, who also earned firs- team All-Conference and All-County accolades…Named to the "Super 11 Squad" after he threw for 2,670 yards, completed 63 percent of his passes and connected on 28 touchdowns as a senior.
Gained more than 1,000 yards passing during the playoffs that year, helping the team to a regional championship…Also lettered in basketball and baseball…First-team All-County and All-Conference performer in baseball…Also excelled academically, being named to the Vocational National Honor Society…Named Rotary Student of the Month in 2001.
Personal
Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Physical Therapy major…Son of Barbara Bean and Frank Jacobs…Born Omar T. Jacobs on 3/03/84…Resides in Delray Beach, Florida.
