Memphis football offense has experienced hand at the controls
When Jacob Likes tore his ACL in a high school football all-star game, he expected it to affect his ability to play football.
But it also affected his life off the field. Likes, who went to college planning to major in commercial aviation, suddenly had trouble physically getting into and out of planes. Coupled with the demands of playing football, he decided to change his major to finance.
He recovered from the injury, learned from older Tigers players and now enters his fifth season with Memphis as its starting center and one of its leaders.
"I've always wanted to be able to fly," he said. "But I just don't want to do it as a career anymore."
So, for now he'll stick to . . . er, piloting the Tigers' offense. His relationship with third-year starting quarterback Seth Henigan is a key reason Tigers coaches feel confident in the offensive unit, even while trying to assimilate new players across the line and at skill positions.
"Communication is just so easy with him now," Likes said. "We can look at each other and we know what each other's thinking. I'll turn around and before I can even say what I'm gonna say, he already knows. He knows how I see the field. I know how he sees it. The biggest thing is we have a lot of trust in each other."
Likes played both offensive and defensive line at Christian Brothers High School before ultimately settling at center.
"They don't come better than Jacob Likes," Christian Brothers coach Thomas McDaniel said. "I think one of the coolest things for me was having him to come speak to our boys this summer. And just to see the way he carried himself and the message that he gave to those kids. I mean, it makes us really proud."
Before the season, Likes was named preseason all-AAC and was put on the watch list for the Rimington Award, given to the nation's best center. As his role has grown throughout his time with the Tigers, so has his impact across Memphis. Likes also is a nominee for the AFCA Good Works team, for "student-athletes with exemplary community service, academic dedication and impact on and off the field."
He loves speaking to children, routinely making appearances at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Youth Villages and Madonna Learning Center. He also works with My Town Miracles.
"I remember when I was in elementary school and the high school kids would come talk to me," Likes said. "And I remember looking at these athletes and just looking up to them, how I viewed them. And I'm in that spot now. And I need to use the role that I'm in for good."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football offense has experienced hand Jacob Likes at controls
