It was a reason behind him playing versus Clemson in January.
Regardless of the College Football Playoff National Championship being out of reach, the University of Alabama was excited to see freshman cornerback Josh Jobe replace Saivion Smith in the second half.
The 6-foot-1, 189-pounder had a difficult task of defending a superstar wide receiver in Justyn Ross; however, he did record a couple of pass breakups.
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Since then, the four-star and Miami (Fla.) native of the 2018 class has been soaring with confidence.
Pete Golding, the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator, told reporters at the Open Practice/Fan Day that Jobe’s knowledge of the system has grown to match his athleticism.
The growth he found against the Tigers carried over into A-Day, as Jobe frustrated quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama’s group of receivers.
He forced a team-high three breakups and made it tough on guys to create separation.
In talking with leaders such as Dylan Moses, Trevon Diggs and Patrick Surtain II, all have used one word to describe Jobe: aggressive.
When it came to deciding the hardest hitter on the team, Diggs had no choice but to say Jobe.
After collecting eight tackles last season, Diggs said the product of Cheshire Academy (Connecticut) is starting to “mature” and he hits really hard.
“I really like him,” Diggs said of Jobe. “He has an aggressive attitude. He’s doing well. He is locked in and focused. He jams well and I have not seen his style backfire yet.”
The trio of Jobe, Surtain and Jalyn Armour-Davis all came to together in 2018.
Surtain said there is not much advice he can offer Jobe.
“He has played on big stages before,” Surtain said of Jobe. “He is a great player… A competitor, so I expect for him to play well. He knew what he had to do when he stepped in.”
Diggs spoke on Alabama’s defensive secondary playing for respect.
Seeing how Jobe has earned the respect of the teammates and coaches around him, he factors into a back five that expects nothing short of dominance. Aside from being the second-team cornerback, Jobe has lined up at star for the first team and first-team corner as well.
Nick Saban will get the best five to six players in action and Jobe is one for sure.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
