A turn of the Tide
Before he won a national title at Alabama, Josh Jobe turned heads at Cheshire Academy
Every talented football player has that ah ha moment — the game, play or situation where those around him begin to understand what makes that player so highly rated and so sought after by the country’s most prestigious college football programs.
For Josh Jobe, a Miami native who played one season at Cheshire Academy, it came in September 2017.
Cheshire Academy played Brunswick in the second week of the regular season in a much-anticipated game between two talented teams. Brunswick junior receiver Cornelius Johnson, who now plays for Michigan, was having a field day, according to Cheshire Academy coach David Dykeman. While Cheshire Academy staked out a 21-0 lead in the first half, a Johnson touchdown late in the second quarter cut into the Cats’ lead as halftime neared.
In the second half, Dykeman turned to the kid from Miami. Primarily defended by Jobe, then a three-star defensive back recruit, Johnson was held scoreless for the remainder of the game as Cheshire won 35-14.
There, finally, was Jobe.
“To watch that battle in the second half, when we just put [Jobe] in man-to-man coverage, that’s when I saw it. You were watching two dudes battle,” Dykeman said. “To watch the two of them battling. It’s like they took each other out of the game. It just became 10-on-10 ... that was really impressive to watch.”
Jobe was committed to Miami when he arrived in Cheshire. By December, he had flipped to Alabama, a prestigious program that would win a national championship just a month later.
Jobe, three years later, went on to hoist his own championship trophy, as the Crimson Tide beat Ohio State earlier this month to win their 18th national title. Jobe, a junior, started at
cornerback for Nick Saban’s Alabama squad this year. He totaled 55 tackles and 11 pass breakups, and he made three tackles in the win over Ohio State. Against Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, he made seven tackles and forced a fumble on the opening kickoff which set the tone for the Crimson Tide’s 31-14 win.
“It’s humbling, it’s hard to put into words how amazing it is to see young people that you’ve worked with go on and achieve their dreams, and achieve these goals,” Dykeman. “To win a national championship ... there’s only so many people in the world who can say they did it.”
Jobe was a quiet kid from South Florida when he arrived in Connecticut four years ago. He needed a little help in the classroom before heading off to college. With the intention of staying close to home, Jobe had been committed to Miami since his sophomore year at Christopher Columbus High School.
Spending a year in Connecticut, Dykeman said, helped Jobe realize he could leave the friendly confines of Florida. Alabama came calling, and Jobe was on board.
“I think for him, in a very short period, to adjust from inner city Miami to Cheshire, Connecticut, was certainly a big jump,” Dykeman said. “He came in focused. He knew what he had to do to accomplish his goals and he went at it ... [Flipping to Alabama] was certainly shocking in a lot of ways ... for him, he realized, ‘I’m okay away from home.’ Other than
to play some 7-on-7 games, Josh had never left South Florida.”
You don’t have to look too far on the field to understand what makes Jobe so good, Dykeman said.
“An outstanding football player,” Dykeman said. “Just start with the measurables: 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, an absolute blaze running, and incredible physicality.”
Dykeman had an established relationship with Alabama. He visited the school with receiver Tarik Black, who later played at Michigan and Texas. When Jobe came around, Dykeman understood why the fit made sense for both sides.
“Being there, seeing it, witnessing it, and seeing Josh, I sat there like, ‘Yeah, he’s certainly a guy that can do it,’ ” Dykeman said. “And throughout the recruiting process, it was reiterated to me.”
Jobe is expected to return to Alabama for his senior season. After that, he’ll likely attempt the leap to the NFL, like so many other Crimson Tide defensive backs have before him.
Marlon Humphrey. Minkah Fitzpatrick. Dre Kirkpatrick ... Dykeman thinks Jobe has the tools to be the next Crimson Tide alum to join those ranks.
“I think he’s got the intangibles,” Dykeman said. “When you look at that, you sit there and say, okay. He’s going to run like he’s going to run, and he’s played at the highest level, certainly he’ll have the opportunity to play.”