Princeton's Jacobs, Williamson commit to Division III schools

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on March 20, 2010 11:06 PM

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PRINCETON -- Two long-time friends realized a dream together on Friday morning.

Matt Williamson and Patrick Jacobs both declared their intentions to play college football during a ceremony at the high school that included both players' families and several proud administrators.

Jacobs will continue his playing career in the fall at Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville. Williamson has plans to showcase his skills at Division III Randolph Macon College in Lynchburg, Va.

"Both of these guys put in a lot of hard work and today is a tribute to their effort," said Bulldawgs head coach Russell Williamson. "I think it says a lot about this program and how far we have come to have two guys going to the next level."

A complete overhaul of the Princeton offense in the offseason helped Jacobs emerge as a collegiate prospect.

Jacobs led the state in receiving last season with 1,707 yards on 97 catches. The big numbers opened several doors for the sure-handed target. Both Davidson and Methodist came calling, and Jacobs did his due diligence before choosing the Monarchs.

"The coaches at Methodist made me feel like I was really wanted and they are extremely enthusiastic about the game," said Jacobs. "They built a new football facility recently and they won a conference championship in 2005, so the school is committed to football."

Jacobs knows that the transition from the pass-first style that the Dawgs employed to the more-balanced offense that the Monarchs play will take some time to learn, but he is confident that his game will translate to the college gridiron.

"I think the key is to go in as a freshman and do everything that you can to help the team," said Jacobs. "Hopefully I can get on the team's workout plan over the summer and be as prepared as I can heading into the fall."

For Williamson the transition from the run-and-shoot offense of high school to the run-first style that Randolph-Macon employs will be a welcome change.

As a more traditional blocking tight end, Williamson was forced to take on more of a receiver's role during his senior year.

"Blocking is my favorite part of the game so it will be nice to get more opportunities to run block in college," said Williamson. "Obviously, we did what was best for the team this year and it worked. It just didn't necessarily suit my game."

Williamson got off to a slow start under the watchful eye of his coach and father. But by the end of the season the tall target had found his niche as the Dawgs' deep threat over the middle.

Williamson averaged over 20 yards per catch during the playoffs.

"We started looking at schools after Matt's junior season," said coach Williamson. "So we had some idea of where he may fit best. Then with the offensive changes that we made, it probably hurt Matt's statistics but he was still able to have a good year and garner a lot of attention."