Hoosiers Pick Up 'Special Athlete' In Cordova's Jacolby Hewitt
To truly know Jacolby Hewitt, one only needs to look back to Oct. 7, 2016.
That Friday night, his Cordova squad was hosting White Station - Hewitt's former school. And Cordova trailed the visitors 7-6 going into the fourth quarter.
Cordova's offense had (clearly) been held in check all night.
But when his team now needed him the most, Hewitt found a way.
The 6-2, 190-pound receiver caught two touchdown passes in the final quarter to deliver his team a dramatic 20-14 win.
You can see the action play out - as his teammates go wild - in the two clips below.
Hewitt finished the game with four catches for 100 receiving yards and the two scores.
“That was a game where we struggled offensively, and he did an unbelievable job on the offensive side of the ball," Cordova head coach Anthony Jones said. "He took a third down catch for 47 yards for a touchdown, and the other touchdown allowed us to win the ball game.
"It was a huge district game for us and he did an unbelievable job. He’s a tremendous kid and has a tremendous personality. He has a great spirit. He’s always willing to help people and he’s great with our younger guys.
"Indiana is getting a great football player.”
In Hewitt, IU is picking up an intriguing athlete with some nice measurements. Jones noted Hewitt's bench press max is roughly 285 or 290 pounds, he's clocked a 40-yard dash as fast as 4.47 seconds, and he's recorded around a 32-inch vertical leap.
“He’s very big and strong," Jones said. "He’ll be a problem for a lot of defensive backs in the Big Ten.
"He’s got great hands, he does a great job blocking and recognizing routes and details. He’s awesome when it comes to that.”
In addition to football, the new Hoosier commit is active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes and helps with volunteer projects with the football team.
"He’s a guy on the sideline, he’s very vocal," Jones said. "He did a great job for us.
"He cheers the defense on. He really wants what’s best for everyone. He’s willing to play special teams – you get a guy of his caliber who maybe doesn’t like special teams, but Jacolby is just the opposite.
"He loves playing special teams - he loves doing the small things right.”
Head coach Tom Allen, wide receivers coach Grant Heard and linebackers coach William Inge all played a part in recruiting Hewitt. Jones noted he's known Allen and Heard since both coaches were not only at Ole Miss, but also at Arkansas State.
"You couldn’t ask for a better staff to be around, a better staff to be father figures and mentors," Jones said.
Heard told Hewitt that he loves how the receiver can play both inside and out. He asked Hewitt where he wants to play, and Hewitt replied "Coach, I just want to get on the field."
"He sees me playing as a true freshman and that was music to my ears," Hewitt said, adding he plans to be an early enrollee at IU.
The Cordova standout decided to commit after his recent visit to IU.
"I truly believe it was the right fit for me," he said. "It felt like a family, and the atmosphere was great.
"The people were great. Everything about the place was incredible."
He was joined on that trip to Bloomington by teammate Jerome Carvin, a 6-4, 305-pound offensive tackle in the 2018 class. Carvin is rated as a four-star prospect, and ranked as the No. 19 player nationally and No. 10 player in Tennessee by Rivals.
"Me and Jerome are best friends," Hewitt said. "I would love to see him in a IU jersey with me.
"Of course I'll try to recruit him."
Hewitt finished with 33 receptions for 694 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a junior at Cordova, helping his squad to a 12-2 overall record.
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