Clay’s Jacob Saurbeck signs NLI to play football in college

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

It’s not bad for someone who only played football for two years in high school.
Clay senior Jacob Saurbeck signed his national letter of intent to continue his football career at Central Michigan University, a sign of just how far he has come in two seasons of battling it out on the gridiron.
Saurbeck’s focus, work ethic and his physical gifts are the primary reasons he has come this far, and he’ll take them with him when he gets to Mount Pleasant in the summer.
Saurbeck credits his friend, Aiden Cantu, who played guard and has committed to continue his career at center for Ashland University, with encouraging him to play football.
“Aiden and I were buddies before football. He asked me to come out and try it, I went to a lift (session) with him before one of the practices,” said Saurbeck. “The offensive line coach, Tyler Sibbersen, came out and talked to me. I originally tried out to be a tight end, but he wanted me to play on the offensive line, so I started playing on the line.” At 6-7 and 320 pounds, he’s got the potential to put on even more weight and become a force at the collegiate level. (Last season, he played at 290 pounds.)
Sibbersen, a 2011 Clay graduate who is Saurbeck’s position coach, talked about his progression.
“There are two parts. The first aspect is kind of the obvious piece –– hard work and dedication. I didn’t get ahold of him until July going into his junior year. We didn’t have the changes made yet,” said Sibbersen. “He was completely new to the game, other than what he watched on college football and the NFL. He had size, but he had a lot of frustration dealing with the speed of the game. He had a lot of intangibles. I think in his junior year, he was 250-260 pounds, and he was a big, athletic kid that was able to get in front of people. He’s incredibly flexible; his bench is probably 315 pounds, and his squat is about 500 pounds. He is flexible — he does great work stretching his legs and hamstrings. He has to continue to put the work in, and he had the size. I don’t think he missed a day of (weight) lifting, and when he was there, he worked. He didn’t come to be there for social hour –– he came in to put in the work and effort.”
Saurbeck played right tackle as a junior and protected QB Mason Heintschel’s blind side at left tackle as a senior, helping the Eagles get into the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
“We told him, ‘You’ve got to know how to play both sides of the ball.’ His hands give him more leverage,” said Sibbersen. “He wrestled, too, so that helped.”
Big schools like Ohio State and Penn State also scouted Saurbeck, who wants to major in athletic training.
“CMU was the first place that offered me,” he said. “That meant something.”
His new coach at CMU is Jim McElwain, who was previously the head coach at Florida and Colorado State. “He’s a really good guy,” Saurbeck said. “I really like cars and trucks, and he’s got a lot of cool trucks. Other than that, he’s a cool guy.”
Clay coach John Galyas talked about Saurbeck getting the chance to play for McElwain.
“He’s been in the SEC and the Big Ten, has seen some really good football and coached some really good teams and really good players. The fact that CMU wanted Jacob is pretty awesome,” Galyas said. “McElwain has sent plenty of guys to the NFL. There were only two offensive tackles that they recruited in the 2024 class, so that’s pretty cool. “The MAC plays great football. Toledo is on quite a run here, BG is a much-improved program, Miami (OH) is always pretty good and Ohio University is one of the quality programs in the MAC. He’s going to play against some really good competition. I think his best football is ahead of him. At CMU, they have a good strength and conditioning program. He’s a high-ceiling kid.”
Saurbeck has gotten tremendous support from his coaches and his parents Amber and Charlie.
“My parents have been a big help with everything like camps and stuff. They’ve always helped. My mom has been a real big help at the high school for the Moms of Football club and hosted team dinners,” Saurbeck said. “Dad would usually take me out to these camps and get me out in front of these coaches to show I deserved to be (out there). My position coach (Sibbersen) was a big help. He’s a dear friend of mine. My buddy, Aiden (Cantu), pushed me all the way for everything so I could become the better player that I am today.”
According to Sibbersen, there hasn’t been an Eagle that got a scholarship to play collegiately at a Division I school for over 30 years. There were three players that were walk-ons, though — Jordan Kovacs (Michigan), Thomas Cluckey (Toledo) and Kyle Row (Miami [OH)]).
“We’re so proud of Jacob. The fact that he’s only played two years and came so far as a player and as a person, it’s been great to see him grow as a person, and that’s been wonderful. It goes to show you the opportunities athletics have for people, and can open a lot of doors for kids,” said Galyas. “Two years ago, I don’t know if he was going to college, but now he’s going for free. As a coaching staff and as a community, we can’t wait to see this next chapter in his life and see him grow.
“We’re excited to see what’s going to happen to him,” he said.