The Green Bay Packers have added a ton of talent during the 2025 NFL offseason. Green Bay spent big in free agency on guard Aaron Banks. The Packers also did the unimaginable and added a first-round receiver in Matthew Golden during the 2025 NFL Draft. Green Bay is set up to challenge for the NFC North title in 2025.

Green Bay would be a completely different offense without running back Josh Jacobs. Jacobs shared an eye-opening story from his college days during a recent interview on The Pivot podcast.

Jacobs explained how standing up to Nick Saban at Alabama helped make him a more featured part of the offense.

“That Ole Miss game I scored a touchdown and I got a taunting penalty. Basically me and dude were going back and forth and I got a taunting penalty,” Jacobs said. “So typical Saban fashion, especially with something that’s controllable, he cursed me out. So I’m like oh s—t, and I eat it. He cursed me out and I got to eat that, but then a couple of drives went by and he tried to curse me out again and I’m like hold on. So I’m like hold on, and I get up and Saban is short, so I’m like bro what are we on? I’m mad, so I’m on that for real with him. So it’s right before halftime. So we go into halftime I take my pads off and I’m like I’m good, I’m done with this s—t. I’m gonna figure it out, transfer or whatever.”

Jacobs then made an important play that seemed to catch Saban's attention.

“Long story short I come back out, they kick the ball, I was kick returner, I take it like 70 – 80 yards,” Jacobs continued. “Didn’t even celebrate, I just stared him down the whole time. Ran down the sidelines just staring him down the whole time and than after that, literally the next day, me and him, we had a meeting, we sat down and we had a real conversation. After that they started making plays for me in the offense and my career just started taking off.”

Jacobs took advantage of the opportunity, racking up 1,315 all-purpose yards during his final season in Tuscaloosa. Just a few months later, he made it into the NFL.

The Raiders drafted Jacobs in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.