BOZEMAN – One of the most talented Montana State football players has been on the sideline for two years, but now he is getting his shot to play.
Jacob Hadley redshirted his freshman year at MSU. And then last spring at the Sonny Holland game, he torn his ACL ending his season before it even started. Hadley was a highly-touted linebacker prospect out of Billings Central, so much so that the coaches were going to move star linebacker Mac Bignell from the strong side to the weak side just to make room for him.
And those two years of inactivity have stoked a new fire for Hadley.
“It makes me appreciate (football) a lot more,” said Hadley. “I know what it feels like to sit out and watch everyone really play, and watch your teammates really work hard, and you not really getting to join in on all that fun like playing on Saturdays. So it’s really making me appreciate the time I have here and being able to play football.”
The six-foot-five 220 pound Hadley played wide receiver and corner in high school. Now he is settling into his role as a buck linebacker.
“Right now it’s kind of a learning experience for me, I’ve never really played on the front line before,” Hadley said. “I’m really starting to learn some of those techniques and fundamentals that it’s going to take to play on the D-line. I’m excited to see how it keeps progressing.”
The sophomore still wears a brace on his knee and is currently a non-contact participant in practice. He should be ready to go come fall, and knows this time that he will make it through the spring.
