Jacob Jimenez shares the journey that got him to BYU

BYU really was looking to add some depth on the offensive line in the 2015 recruiting class and with two weeks before National Signing Day all they had committed was 3 star Kieffer Longson who is a good one, but they needed more.

One of the ones they were looking to get was Jacob Jimenez from Plugerville, TX, just north of Austin. So needless to say BYU's two big wins over Texas the last two years did have an impact. In fact Jacob told CougarNation.com that when neighbors found out that he was being recruited by BYU, they started sharing all the reasons he should not go there and that it was not a good place for someone who is not Mormon.

Jimenez knew that was not the case and shared that he grew up next door neighbors to a Mormon family and they were great. BYU had an eye on Jimenez for quite a while and then once he committed to Oregon State, Coach Tujague backed off.

Well when Mike Riley left and there were new coaches at Oregon State, Coach Tujague jumped on the phone and started working with Jimenez wanting him to come to BYU. One thing the coaches really like about Jimenez is his versatility, this is what Jimenez said the coaches shared with him. "I have a legitimate chance to start because of my versatility, my sophomore year in HS I played LT and RT, my JR year I played G and RT and then my senior year I would just play wherever, it could change from week to week. The coach would call me the week before and say this week you will be at G, and then the next week you will be at C, and I was okay, let's go. I felt like BYU was giving me a shot and that I wasn't getting that at Oregon State. Coach Tujague sees me as someone who can come fight for a spot to start."

With the new coaches at Oregon State things didn't gel with Jimenez as well as he liked, where on the other hand, things with BYU were heating. Below is a tweet Jimenez tweeted out about an in-home visit with Coach Mendenhall and Coach Tujague, that tweet had an effect on his recruitment.

Jacob Jimenez just tweeted this pic of his in-home visit with Coach Mendenhall and Tujague pic.twitter.com/wlwcDNkhrf- CougarNation.com (@kaceyrobbins) January 24, 2015

"I posted a photo of me and Coach Tujague and Coach Mendenhall and then a week later I was at H-E-B (grocery store) and I get tapped on the shoulder and three or four people are there decked out in BYU gear and say, 'are you going to BYU? Are you Jacob?'. And I was like yeah I am Jacob. Then they were just saying how good I would look in the royal blue and black jerseys. I was astonished at how great the fan base is and after that and knowing how much the coaches wanted me, I knew it was the best fit," said Jimenez.

It was not too long after that Jimenez had let us know at CougarNation.com that BYU was in for a surprise on his official visit when asked if he felt he would flip his commitment from Oregon State to BYU. A day into his official visit Jimenez shared with us that he was the newest member of the BYU football team and that he was excited to be a Cougar! Being a mature and honest man, Jimenez wanted to wait until the next to talk to the coaches at Oregon State and let them know of his decision before it got posted on social media.

No doubt BYU got an offensive lineman that they needed and wanted. And here is how they celebrated.

This @JacobJimenez321 rap is 🔥🔥🔥 #BYUNSD15 #RappingForRecruits #BYUFootball http://t.co/oKbhIqtLgC- BYU Football (@BYUfootball) February 4, 2015