Report: Northfielder Anthony Jacobs Signs with Minnesota Vikings

Well, how about this for some cool news?

FSNorth via Scout.com is reporting that former football standout Anthony Jacobs has signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings.

The defensive lineman—standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing 291 pounds—was in Vikings mini-camp last week with several of his Minnesota Gophers teammates and impressed the team, according to the report.

"I have a great opportunity to play ball," Jacobs said, FSN reports. "I've been playing ball for as long as I can remember, so it's a great opportunity to keep playing." 

Northfield's Bubba Sullivan coached Jacobs for four years during his high school years and said Jacobs was an outstanding player.

"He certainly has had the physical tools to compete at the highest level of football," Sullivan wrote in an email to Northfield Patch. "I am just as proud of the kind of young man he is. He has been a solid student, a kind, thoughtful and caring young man in an arena of life where being "nice" isn't always the expected norm, and he has been a very good role model for his younger brothers and sisters and his teammates."

Sullivan said Jacobs spent more time as a running back than on defense for the Raiders. In fact, Sullivan said Jacobs is the sixth-leading rusher for the Raiders since they started keeping stats in the early 1970s. Jacobs rushed for 1,736 yards on 314 carries.

Northfield athletic director Tom Graupmann said he was proud of Jacobs and wishes him well.

"He represents all that is good in the world of sports," Graupmann wrote in an email to Patch. "He is a terrific athlete, but more importantly he is a wonderful person!"