Player Spotlight: Jacob Sturgis, OL | Written By St. John Fisher Athletics Communications Student Assistant Nic Bakker
Senior offensive lineman Jacob Sturgis was a decision away from ending his football career before it had started. As a three-sport athlete graduating from Rush Henrietta High School, Sturgis was unsure as to whether or not her wanted to keep his athletic profile prominent into college.
The 2025 All-Empire 8 honoree was initially planning on being a full-time commit to studying engineering, troubled by the potential of being overwhelmed with juggling school and athletics.
“I had left lacrosse my senior year of high school, so I was really missing staying active”, he said.
Sturgis had plenty of reasons for choosing Fisher; his father is an alumnus, campus is close to home, and he had stayed in contact through text with offensive coordinator Brees Segala.
But Sturgis and his knack for competition and staying active were ultimately what pushed him to come to a final answer.
“When it finally came down to decision time… I gotta go back to football,” he said.
Football has been part of his life for as long as he can remember. His father coached him at a young age in flag football, and Sturgis played “just about every position on the field.”
He then started his journey as an offensive lineman at the junior varsity level in high school.
“My coach was a lineman, and he wasn’t too happy with the lineman we had at the time, so he decided to take them out and throw me in, and I haven’t left the line since,” Sturgis said.
Sturgis, a senior finance major, has been the Cardinals’ starter at left tackle for the last two seasons. Last season, on his way to a third-team All-Empire 8 selection, he helped pave the way for a Fisher offense that averaged 172.7 rushing yards per game and allowed only 20 sacks in 11 games.
With the progress that Sturgis has made in his four years, he credits the growth to physicality, hard work and the mindset that he carries onto the field. “I refuse to lose,” he said.
He expanded on his growth to how his game-day performance has evolved. “The best reps are the live reps. Those are the reps that you’re getting better at,” Sturgis said.
But as a senior, performance isn’t the whole piece of the pie. Leadership has been a large area of focus. He touched on a moment earlier this season against Alfred.
Due to injuries, freshman Mason McGloin had to step in at right tackle against one of the top defensive linemen in the conference. “He was coming off onto the sideline, like, man, ‘He’s pretty good.’ And I was like trying to give him advice that I was given early in my career,” Sturgis recalled.
That advice paid off. “Then on the next drive, you watch him go out, first play, he puts a kid on his face by swiping his arms down,” Sturgis said.
“And that was just great to see watching a young guy learn a little bit about just a different level of football, being able to play at that different speed.”
That kind of support reflects how Sturgis sees his position. He acknowledged that offensive linemen may not get much individual attention. But that’s what separates his mindset.
“I don’t mind that we don’t get the same level of recognition,” he said. “You’re playing a spot where you’re pretty much just there to protect your brothers, and that's where the mindset needs to be.”
Strugis’ Fisher career has also brought a sense of momentum. The improvement of last season was meaningful because the team grew closer and improved together. Through an early training camp knee injury, he kept returning to the same motivation: “I'm playing for the people around me.”
After graduation, Sturgis hopes to pursue a career in financial advising. When his time at Fisher ends, he hopes his hard work and attitude are recognized above any other metric or attribute.
“I'm not the most talkative guy, but I’m still a friendly guy,” he said. “I’ll just put my head down, go on about the next play, whether that is football or finance. I want to be remembered as a guy who played for his family.”
Spoken like a true offensive lineman.
