American football player
American football player

Jacobi Francis (born September 6, 1998) is an American football defensive back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Memphis and was signed by the Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

Early life and education

Francis was born on September 6, 1998, in Covington, Georgia. He played football for two years at Newton High School and recorded 50 tackles, earning honorable mention all-county honors. He committed to play college football at the University of Memphis, and redshirted as a true freshman in 2016. In 2017, Francis appeared in 12 of 13 games and recorded six tackles.

As a redshirt-sophomore in 2018, Francis appeared in all 14 matches and posted 24 tackles, an interception, and a fumble forced and recovered. He had five multi-tackle performances that season and was the only player on the team to have an interception, fumble recovery and forced fumble. Francis tallied 35 tackles as a junior and also made one interception as he started every game.

During the 2020 season, Francis started nine games and helped Memphis compile a 8–3 record, while totaling 28 tackles, seven pass breakups and two interceptions. After being given an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Francis opted to return to the team in 2021 and became their number one cornerback. He also changed his jersey number to 1, as he had previously worn 32. He ended up being one of only six players to start all of Memphis' games, and recorded 36 tackles and a team-leading two interceptions.

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Francis was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent. He was released at the final roster cuts, on August 30, but was subsequently re-signed to their practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster for their week eleven game with the Washington Commanders, and made his NFL debut in the loss, appearing on eight special teams snaps. He later received elevations for week twelve against the Miami Dolphins, and Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns, making his first career tackle in the latter. He was signed to the active roster on December 17, 2022.