GREENWOOD, Ind. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison linebacker Jacob Dobbs has been selected as a 2024 College Sports Communicators Second Team Academic All-American®, the CSC announced Tuesday.

This is the second Academic All-America® nod for Dobbs, who was a First Team honoree in his final season at Holy Cross in 2023.

He also becomes just the fifth JMU football student-athlete all-time to earn the distinction and the first to do so in 35 years for the program. With one repeat honoree in the early years of the program, the football program now has six total Academic All-America® awards.

A native of Macomb, Mich., Dobbs was JMU’s leading tackler in 2024 and earned Second Team All-Sun Belt laurels. In nine starts this season, he produced 74 total tackles (31 solo) to go with 3.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and a team-leading three fumble recoveries. He had three games with 10+ total stops and was named to the Butkus Award Watch List during the season.

Dobbs finished the year ranking fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision and tops in the Sun Belt in fumble recoveries.

Additionally, Dobbs becomes the 23rd JMU student-athlete to earn a combined 31 Academic All-America® honors. Dobbs was also the only Sun Belt athlete to earn the honor in football for the 2024 season.

JMU Football All-Time Academic All-Americans®
1977 – Warren Coleman – Second Team
1978 – Warren Coleman – First Team
1978 – Joe Showker – Second Team
1979 – Ricky Leonard – Second Team
1989 – Mark Kiefer – Second Team
2024 – Jacob Dobbs – Second Team

— JMU Athletics —