Former QB Jacob Lane moved to defense. Now he’s an offensive line wrecker for state-bound Jags
Jacob Lane hasn’t always been a prized defensive end recruit. He actually began his high school football career playing quarterback for the Emerald Ridge c-team, as a freshman.
These days, he’s the one chasing quarterbacks in the backfield and wrecking offensive lines.
The team Lane played quarterback on as a freshman went winless. It was probably around that time he realized he wouldn’t be the next Peyton Manning and made the switch to the defensive line. With the athletic tools and a growing frame, the move made sense heading into his sophomore year.
“I already knew I was a good athlete,” Lane said.
So too did Emerald Ridge coach Adam Schakel, who has watched Lane play alongside his son, Jake, since the fourth grade.
“Just how long he was, he had a prototype tight end/d-end body,” Schakel said. “He could be an edge kind of guy. It was just about, ‘Is he going to commit to the weight room’ all of that.”
Knowing Lane’s coachable, humble personality, he knew it wouldn’t be an issue. As a junior, Lane was a first-team all-league defensive line selection, showing glimpses of the type of dominant force he could be. It wasn’t until the following offseason though, that his recruitment began to soar.
In 7on7 camps, team camps and various showcases on the west coast, Lane wasn’t just holding his own against some of the country’s most talented linemen — he was beating them.
“When he would go up against other really good players, he was so much more athletic and faster than them,” Schakel said. “He would win all those 1-on-1’s.”
Knowing he could play with some of the best talent in the country gave Lane confidence.
“Just realizing the work you’re putting in, how much has paid off,” Lane said. “It just adds to the confidence when I play.”
At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Lane looks the part. He’s explosive, strong and physical. Kalen DeBoer’s staff at Washington took notice, too, extending an offer last May. During a 7on7 camp at UW in June, Lane told Schakel he was going to commit to the Huskies after the team’s championship game at Husky Stadium (which came against league rival Graham-Kapowsin, interestingly enough).
Emerald Ridge won the 7on7 title and with his teammates and in front of DeBoer and the whole Husky coaching staff, Lane announced his commitment.
“That was a crazy moment,” Lane said. “ I had been thinking for a while. I was about ready to be done. I decided somewhat early I wanted to commit to UW.”
LANE HAS BEEN A ‘GAME CHANGER’ FOR EMERALD RIDGE IN PLAYOFFS
Even after earning first-team all-league honors as a junior, Schakel felt Lane still didn’t know how dominant he could be.
“He almost had to be told how good he was by Pac-12 coaches,” Schakel said. “He was almost like, ‘Is this really happening? Do they have the right guy?’ He was just shell-shocked.”
Once he tapped into that potential, there was no turning back. When he was on the field, there wasn’t a more impactful defensive player in the 4A South Puget Sound League than Lane this season. In a late September win over South Kitsap, Lane suffered a stress fracture in his foot. It kept him sidelined for most of October. He returned for two snaps in a rout against Rogers on Oct. 28.
In last week’s 41-14 playoff win against Bothell, Lane returned full time to the defense and was instantly a factor. From the beginning of the game, he commanded double teams from the Bothell offensive line.
“It feels great (to be back),” Lane said. “I feel like our team is hitting full stride in the playoffs. We’ve had a great run this season.”
OFFENSE OR DEFENSE ON MONTLAKE?
As dominant as Lane has been on the defensive line, he’s been equally dangerous as a tight end this season. Schakel wonders if UW tight ends coach Nick Sheridan might lobby to get Lane on the offensive side of the ball in college.
“I really think he’s gonna be an edge guy, but oh my gosh, the tight ends coach is gonna try to get him on the other side of the ball,” Schakel said. “He’s got great hands, he can run, go up and get it. He’s a basketball kid, too, a center. Good around the glass, has good touch.
“He’s so dominant in high school at d-end. He hasn’t played enough tight end. I really think he could play both.”
Lane is considered a three-star recruit and the No. 14 player in Washington in the 2023 class, per 247sports.com. He’s the No. 11 recruit in the state in the site’s composite rankings. Brandon Huffman, national recruiting editor for 247sports.com, also thinks Lane could play on either side of the ball.
“100 percent agree (with Schakel),” Huffman said. “He was a quarterback coming into high school, so offense is on the heart. I could see him being a Power Five tight end. He runs extremely well. He’s got the twitch, athleticism, speed, lateral movement.”
That’s not to say Huffman doesn’t like him on defense, too.
“The way the game is going, with his size and athleticism, he can drop into coverage,” Huffman said. “He really moves well laterally, he could be a three-down backer type.”
With its win over Bothell, Emerald Ridge advanced to the state tournament for the first time in school history. That’s a far cry from the winless c-team squad Lane played on as a freshman.
“To do it in my senior year is a pretty big deal,” Lane said. “It’s been a battle. Emerald Ridge came from a spot where we were just a poor, mediocre team. To be a part of the buildup in the program and to play in a state tournament for the first time means a lot.”
