Submitted photo – Del Norte’s Jacob Dane will play football at College of Idaho after graduation.
By Ray Hamill — An aggressive recruiting campaign has paid off for Del Norte senior Jacob Dane, who is taking his talents to the college football fields.
An all-league first-team selection for the Big 4 champs this past fall, Dane has committed to continue playing at College of Idaho after graduation.
Dane says he reached out to “100s of colleges” after the season and felt the Yotes were a perfect fit after talking with their offensive line coach Braden Bale, who offered him a scholarship.
The Del Norte senior played a key role in the Warriors’ recent run of success, including last year’s 9-2 campaign, which resulted in a third consecutive Big 4 title.
He will switch from right tackle to the interior offensive line at the collegiate level, where he is expected to compete for a starting spot at guard and might also see some time at center.
And he’s going from one winning program to another.
Dane is joining an NAIA team that has enjoyed plenty of success in the Frontier Conference and a team that went 8-2 in 2022 and tied for the best record in conference.
Idaho is a small liberal arts college with a little over 1,000 students, and it’s a school that prioritizes sports and accommodates 22 different intercollegiate teams, all of which was a selling point for the H-DN star.
“It’s a nice campus, and I really liked it,” Dane said. “They have every sport you can think of there.”
Dane played multiple sports during his time at Del Norte, including two years of basketball and two years of track and field.
But he admits football has long been his favorite ever since he began playing with the Del Norte youth program several years ago.
“Honestly, it’s the brotherhood,” he said. “Everybody is family. I made a lot of friendships (at Del Norte) that are going to last a long time.”
Dane says he will also remember the success his teams enjoyed during his time playing with the Warriors, as well as the influence of his coaches.
“I’ll remember both the success and the brotherhood,” the senior standout said. “The brotherhood played a huge part in that. I’ve played with a lot of these guys since I was eight, and playing with the same guys throughout was great.”
And so too was playing the game for the Del Norte community.
“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “I definitely learned a lot from my coaches, and the community support was great. The stands were always packed when we played, at home and away games.”
Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Jacob Dane (74) says he made a lot of friendships while playing for Del Norte that are going to last a long time.
For now, Dane is focusing on closing out his high school sports career with a strong showing in track and field, where he is competing for the Warriors in the shot put and discus.
Dane will major in Exercise Science.
Former St. Bernard’s standout Jack Rice also played at College of Idaho recently.
