Jacob Good: ‘I had to be a Panther’
Almost all Panther fans are familiar with record setting 2015 Gibsonia (PA) Pine-Richland High School quarterback Ben DiNucci. The 6-foot-3 inch signal caller was the first player in Pennsylvania history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. Shortly after national letter of intent day, the player that consistently snapped the ball to DiNucci decided to join him at Pitt.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t speak to Pitt until the day before letter of intent day,” stated Gibsonia (PA) Pine-Richland High School lineman Jacob Good (6-foot-3 inches, 240 pounds). “I had provided tape to a graduate assistant at Pitt. The coaches evaluated my film and told me they wanted to meet with me. I have always dreamed of playing for Pitt. I had a number of other offers to consider but the Pitt coaches asked me to visit and wait to see what they offer.”
“I visited the Tuesday after letter of intent day and just fell in love with Pitt. By the time the day was over, I realized I would do anything to be Panther. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.”
Good is currently 6-foot-3 inches, 240 pounds. When asked if he would play offense or defense, he stated, “I met with (Pitt offensive line coach) John Peterson. He’s a great guy. After talking with him, I believe I’ll be playing offensive line. I’m open to a flop to the other side of the ball if they need me too, but I believe I’ll start my career on the offensive line.”
The Panthers have gained a reputation for fielding mammoth offensive linemen. Good is fairly light at 240 pounds. He was asked about the disparity in size and he confidently stated, “I have gained good weight every year. I’m a lanky 6-foot-3 inches and I have the frame to add a lot more weight. I gave myself time to recover after the state championship game but I have gained 5 pounds since then.”
Good and his family were able to sit down and speak with new Pitt offensive line coach John Peterson. The conversation made quite an impact on him. “Coach Peterson emphasized to me that it will be a lot of hard work moving forward but they were presenting me with the opportunity of a lifetime,” he said. “He told me I would be treated no differently than any other player on the team.”
“I thought Coach Peterson made a great point when he reminded me that the new staff is attempting to meet the entire team. The day I was there was one of the first days the coaches actually met some of the players. He told me that they would have fresh eyes when evaluating all of us. Coach Peterson is an awesome guy. He spent time talking with us about Pittsburgh and future housing for me.”
When Good was asked about his strengths as a football player, he stated, “I would first say my knowledge of the game. I was the starting center for the runner up in the AAAA championship game. I primarily played offensive tackle my junior year. In May of that year, I was asked to make the quick transition to center. I did it for the team. I picked the position up quickly and studied a lot of film.”
“The second thing I would mention is my work ethic. I’m a very hard worker. I know I have a battle to earn a scholarship and I’m willing to put in the time to get it.”
Good wants to major in business at Pitt. He specifically mentioned the quality of education at Pitt as one of the primary reasons for joining the Panther football team.
“I’m extremely excited to get to Pitt and join the team. I’m going to work hard every day to earn a scholarship and play. I played 16 games this season and went up against a lot of D1 players. I went up against former Pitt commitment Kevin Givens at Altoona and shut him down the entire game. I strongly believe I’m a D1 player and I’m ready to seize the opportunity in front of me.”
DreamBackfield.com’s Harry G. Psaros can be found on Twitter at @PittGuru
