2025 Football Roster

Al Sermeno/KLC fotos
Al Sermeno/KLC fotos

21 Jacob De Jesus

  • Position Wide Receiver
  • Height 5-7
  • Weight 170
  • Class Senior
  • Experience 4th#
  • Hometown Manteca, CA
  • Prev School UNLV
  • High School Manteca HS

Biography

Accolades

  • First-team All-ACC all-purpose and specialist selection, while he was a second-team pick as a wide receiver as a 2025 senior at Cal.
  • Named First Team All-Mountain West as a punt returner as a 2024 junior.
  • The first Rebel return man to earn First Team all-league more than once, taking it this time as a punt returner.
  • Named Second Team All-Mountain West as a kickoff returner as a 2024 junior.
  • Preseason Second Team All-America (kick returner) - ESPN.
  • Preseason Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year (first from UNLV since 2006).
  • Paul Hornung Award Watch List (second ever from UNLV).
  • Jet Award Preseason Watch List.
  • Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award.
  • Named to East West Shrine Game Preseason Watch List.
  • Perhaps one of college football’s most versatile offensive player.

Senior (2025) - Cal

  • First-team All-ACC all-purpose and specialist selection, while he was a second-team pick as a wide receiver.
  • Leads the ACC and ranks third nationally with career highs of 99 receptions and 8.25 receptions per game.
  • Ranks second on Cal’s all-time single-season reception list with 99, trailing school-record holder Dameane Douglas (100, 1998) by only a single reception.
  • Has 42 receptions over his last three games, including a school-record-tying and career-high 16 receptions for a career-high 158 yards receiving and the game-winning touchdown on the final play to earn ACC Receiver of the Week honors on Nov. 8 in a 29-26 overtime win at No. 15 Louisville, 14 receptions for 96 yards on Nov. 22 at Stanford, and 12 receptions for 97 yards and one touchdown Nov. 29 vs. SMU.
  • Sixth in the ACC and 29th nationally with a career-high 892 yards receiving.
  • Leads the ACC and ranks 12th in the country with his 1,436 total all-purpose yards, while his 119.67 all-purpose yards per game also lead the ACC and rank 13th nationally.
  • Leads the team with five touchdown receptions.
  • Has 555 combined kick return yards (330 kickoff, 225 punt) to rank second in the ACC and 11th nationally.
  • Leads the ACC in kickoff return average (14-298, 21.3 ypr), while he is third in the ACC in punt return average (20-225, 11.3).
  • Has played in all 12 games with nine starts.

Senior (2024) - UNLV

  • Appeared in 13 games.
  • Caught 43 passes for 512 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Had nine kick returns for a total of 190 yards.
  • Tallied 25 punt returns for 252 yards.

Junior (2023) - UNLV 

  • Named Second Team by both USA TODAY and Action Network and Third Team by Phil Steele.
  • The first Rebel since QB/P Randall Cunningham in 1984 to earn all-conference at two positions (PR & KOR) in the same season.
  • Also Honorable Mention All-MW at receiver by College Football Network.
  • One of three finalists for the Jet Award, which is given to the nation’s top return specialist.
  • The only FBS player to rank in the top 15 in both punt (3rd at 16.0) and kickoff return (13th at 25.7) average.
  • His 96-yard kickoff return in the season opener vs. Bryant was the fourth-longest in UNLV history while his 59-yard punt return at New Mexico was the longest by a Rebel since 2003.
  • Ranked 20th in the country with 123.6 all-purpose yards per game.
  • Logged 208 all-purpose yards in Rebel debut vs. Bryant highlighted by 158 kickoff return yards on three attempts.
  • Had a season-high 263 all-purpose yards in a win over CSU.
  • Remarkably, his 112 yards on just two punt returns at New Mexico were the most an entire UNLV team had in one game since 2014 ...  Also finished second on the team with 606 yards on 60 receptions.
  • Caught at least two passes in all but one game.
  • Best outing came in a win over CSU when he grabbed nine passes for 120 yards en route to making the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll.
  • Caught a 48-yard touchdown in a win over Vanderbilt and a seven-yard score in a victory over Hawai’i.
  • Had five catches for 46 yards and two punt returns for 24 yards at eventual national champion Michigan on September 9.
  • Also rushed 11 times for 46 net yards on the season, including filling in for a depleted RB corps in the Guaranteed Rate bowl vs. Kansas with six attempts for  40 yards, including a touchdown run to go with his eight catches for 95 vs. the Jayhawks.

Sophomore (2022) - Modesto Junior College

  • A First Team JC Athletic Bureau CCCFCA All-American, First Team All-Region honoree and the Valley Conference Most Valuable Offensive Player as a sophomore.
  • Played a key role in MJC winning a share of the league championship and a berth to the Northern California Football Conference playoffs.
  • Grabbed 64 passes for 914 yards and five touchdowns while rushing 26 times for 117 yards and another score. 
Freshman (2021) - Modesto Junior College
  • Named all-conference and All-Purpose Player of the Year as a freshman after posting 1,243 all-purpose yards.

Prep

  • A 2021 graduate of Manteca HS.
  • Lettered three times and led the Buffaloes to two Sac-Joaquin Section Championships during his sophomore and senior years.
  • The 2020 Valley Oak League MVP was named First Team Sac-Joaquin Section and First Team All-State as a WR.
  • Named 2019 Conference Offensive Player of the Year and a First Team Sac-Joaquin Section honoree.
  • Also named first team all-league in 2018.
  • Finished his high school career with 5,095 all-purpose yards and scored 53 touchdowns.
  • Set single-season and career receiving records in his three years at Manteca.
  • As a senior, he finished with 1,139 yards and 16 touchdowns on 64 receptions to go with 631 rushing yards and seven scores.

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.