On Tuesday, The Stride Report noted that Tennessee distance star Dylan Jacobs was expected to turn pro. Sure enough, on Wednesday, the former Fighting Irish and Volunteer ace announced via Instagram that he has signed with Swiss running brand, On.
According to one source, Jacobs is expected to stay in Knoxville, Tennessee for the first year of his pro contract. It is unclear what his next steps will be, professionally, following that first year.
As mentioned in an article from yesterday, Jacobs' collegiate resume is lengthy. The former high school national champion in cross country has emerged as one of the best long distance talents in the NCAA over the past few years. In fact, he was arguably the best aerobic-based runner, collegiately, this past winter.
The NCAA veteran is ending his academic career with personal bests of 3:57 (mile), 7:36 (3k), 13:11 (5k) and 28:01 (10k). After spending time at Notre Dame and later following Coach Sean Carlson to Tennessee, Jacobs was able to collect a grand total of seven individual All-American honors, eight including the DMR.
Among those All-American honors, Jacobs secured national titles over 10,000 meters, the indoor 5000 meters and the DMR.
According to one source, Jacobs is not the only collegiate distance standout expected to join On later this year. Additional signings are rumored to still be in the works, although it is unclear to The Stride Report who those athletes are/may be.
Jacobs now joins Charles Hicks as recent men's NCAA distance stars who have turned pro this summer. Both men were expected to be in contention to win the 2023 individual cross country national title this fall if they had chosen to use their final year of eligibility.