When the Montana Grizzlies reported for fall camp in August, Jacob McGourin was in his junior redshirt season and looked ahead in terms of NCAA athletic eligibility.
He is a sophomore who has already completed his senior year and will graduate from the UM College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in management and entrepreneurship next spring.
It was created as a result of the expanded COVID national entitlement clocks.
The rookie defensive end has made the decision to hang up his cleats and declare his hat and dress the final outfit he will wear as a Grizzly, but, after suffering a knee injury during the Spring Ball and with aspirations for a promising future, he has decided to put up his cleats.
McGourin announced his withdrawal from college on Wednesday football while starting to recover from a right knee cruciate ligament injury and beginning the application process for law school, either at UM or Gonzaga, which is close to his hometown of Cheney, Washington.
The two-time Academic All-Big Sky award recipient, who has a 3.5 GPA and will soon have a degree in hand, is prepared to continue life after college. But something has to give when faced with the prospect of spending a year in rehabilitation and then juggling the demands of law school and football.
Because I cherish every aspect of my time in Montana, making the decision wasn’t simple, according to McGourin. “I sincerely appreciate everyone who gave me permission to come here and play. It excelled. It was one of the greatest experiences I’m likely to have in my life. So I’m very grateful for everything everyone here has done for me. I’m glad I got to be a part of it.”
McGourin became a star-to-be in his true first year, 2019. Playing in the four-game limit allowed to retain his redshirt status, he picked up two big sacks, one against his hometown Eastern Washington Eagles.
