Jacobi Francis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jacobi Francis
Personal information
Born: (1998-09-06) September 6, 1998 (age 25)
Covington, Georgia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Newton (GA)
College:Memphis
Position:Safety
Undrafted:2022
Career history
Career NFL statistics as of 2022
Tackles:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Jacobi Francis (born September 6, 1998) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Memphis and was signed by the Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

Early life and education[edit]

Francis was born on September 6, 1998, in Covington, Georgia. He played football for two years at Newton High School and recorded 50 tackles, earning honorable mention all-county honors.[1] He committed to play college football at the University of Memphis, and redshirted as a true freshman in 2016. In 2017, Francis appeared in 12 of 13 games and recorded six tackles.[1]

As a redshirt-sophomore in 2018, Francis appeared in all 14 matches and posted 24 tackles, an interception, and a fumble forced and recovered. He had five multi-tackle performances that season and was the only player on the team to have an interception, fumble recovery and forced fumble. Francis tallied 35 tackles as a junior and also made one interception as he started every game.[1]

During the 2020 season, Francis started nine games and helped Memphis compile a 8–3 record, while totaling 28 tackles, seven pass breakups and two interceptions.[1] After being given an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Francis opted to return to the team in 2021 and became their number one cornerback.[2] He also changed his jersey number to 1, as he had previously worn 32.[2] He ended up being one of only six players to start all of Memphis' games, and recorded 36 tackles and a team-leading two interceptions.[1]

Professional career[edit]

After going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Francis was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent.[3] He was released at the final roster cuts, on August 30, but was subsequently re-signed to their practice squad.[4][5] He was elevated to the active roster for their Week 11 game with the Washington Commanders,[6] and made his NFL debut in the loss, appearing on eight special teams snaps.[7] He later received elevations for Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins,[8] and Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns,[9] making his first career tackle in the latter.[7] He was signed to the active roster on December 17, 2022.[10]

On August 29, 2023, Francis was waived by the Texans and re-signed to the practice squad.[11][12] He was released on October 27.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Jacobi Francis". Memphis Tigers.
  2. ^ a b Barnes, Evan (July 24, 2021). "Francis ready for new role as Tigers' No. 1 cornerback". The Commercial Appeal. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Springs, Tyler (May 2, 2022). "JJ Russell, Jacobi Francis sign free agent contracts with Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans". WMC-TV.
  4. ^ Lane, Mark (August 30, 2022). "Texans' official roster cuts to get to 53". USA Today.
  5. ^ Lane, Mark (August 31, 2022). "Houston Texans 2022 practice squad tracker: Grayland Arnold returns". Yahoo! Sports.
  6. ^ Vandervoort, Oliver (November 20, 2022). "Houston Texans: Rookie DB could see first NFL action against Commanders". Toro Times. FanSided.
  7. ^ a b "Jacobi Francis Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  8. ^ Wilson, Aaron (November 26, 2022). "Texans elevate Jacobi Francis, Will Redmond". KPRC-TV.
  9. ^ Wilson, Aaron (December 3, 2022). "Texans elevate cornerback Jacobi Francis". KPRC-TV.
  10. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (12-17-2022)". HoustonTexans.com. December 17, 2022.
  11. ^ "Texans announce initial 53-man roster". HoustonTexans.com. August 29, 2023.
  12. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (8-30-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. August 30, 2023.
  13. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (10-27-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. October 27, 2023.