Jake and his story was already known nationally before he arrived at USC as a student in 2015. A huge USC Trojans fan growing up, Jake developed a relationship with former Trojans coach Pete Carroll just prior to having surgery that would take away his eyesight in 2009 at the age of 12. Jake was diagnosed with retinoblastoma when he was born and had lost sight in one of his eyes when he was just 10 months old.
Jake never let being blind define him.
He continued to flourish growing up despite his loss of sight, and he worked tirelessly to become a long snapper for his high school football team. And he longed to fulfill his dream of playing for his beloved Trojans. Jake was granted walk-on status and continued to re-shape his body to get ready in case his number was called. In the 2017 season opener against Western Michigan, Jake became a USC football letterman by snapping for an extra point against the Broncos.
Jake graduated from USC in 2018 and continues to be a leader in the fight against retinoblastoma by raising funds to support cutting edge research as well as becoming a business entrepreneur.
