Fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs has been selected as one of three winners for the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Award, presented by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization. 

Since 2018, the award has recognized college football student-athletes from all divisions of college football for overcoming injury, illness or other circumstances. At the conclusion of each season, in a vote by a panel of college football writers, editors and sports information directors, three college football student-athletes are honored as Comeback Player of the Year Award winners at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

Dobbs is joined by Michigan running back Blake Corum and Virginia running back Mike Hollins as this year's winners. 

Dobbs suffered a dislocated elbow, a torn UCL, torn forearm and torn tricep tendon during Week 4 of the 2022 season, ending his senior campaign early – after an impressive 2021 season in which Dobbs was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award and earned All-America honors from Stats Perform, AFCA, HERO Sports and the Associated Press.

He returned for a fifth year in 2023 and re-emerged as one of the most elite defensive players in all of FCS. He was named the 2023 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to earn the honor twice. He additionally was named a Buck Buchanan Award finalist, the 2023 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. He has earned 2023 All-America honors from the Associated Press and FCS Football Central. He concluded the 2023 season with 123 tackles (63 solo), 12 tackles for loss, six quarterback sacks, three forced fumbles and 14 quarterback hurries. He recorded double-digit tackles in every contest; his 13.7 tackles per game and 7.0 solo tackles per game both ranked as the second-best marks in the nation. 

He is now a four-time All-Patriot League selection and three-time first team honoree, and has earned All-New England honors twice in his career. He set a program record with 46.5 career tackles for loss and a Patriot League record with a total of 432 career tackles. 

Dobbs served as a four-time captain for the Crusaders – just the second player in program history to hold that honor – and helped lead Holy Cross to an unprecedented five consecutive Patriot League titles, including a share of the 2023 crown, making the Crusaders the first team in Patriot League history to win five straight championships. 

Previous winners of the Comeback Player of the Year Award include: 2022 - Mohamed Ibrahim (Minnesota); Laiatu Latu (UCLA); Michael Penix Jr. (Washington); 2021 – Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan); McKenzie Milton (Florida State); J.J. Weaver (Kentucky); 2020 – Jarek Broussard (Colorado); Kenneth Horsey (Kentucky); Silas Kelly (Coastal Carolina); 2019 – Jake Luton (Oregon State); Drew Wilson (Georgia Southern); Octavion Wilson (Salisbury); 2018 - Antwan Dixon (Kent State), Seth Simmer (Dartmouth); Antonio Wimbush (Carson-Newman). For a complete list of past honorees, visit www.Comeback-Player.com.

ABOUT COLLEGE SPORTS COMMUNICATORS
College Sports Communicators is the premier membership association for all strategic, creative and digital professionals working in intercollegiate athletics across all levels for colleges, universities and conferences across the United States and Canada. CSC provides year-round leadership, community, professional development/education, recognition and advocacy for its more than 4,100 members. Founded in 1957 as the College Sports Information Directors of America, the organization rebranded in 2022 to position itself as a more inclusive organization for communicators in all types of roles and to lead an industry change where strategic and creative professionals are more aligned. CSC's signature work includes the annual CSC Unite convention each June and the administration of the prestigious Academic All-America® program and Hall of Fame. Since 1952, more than 40,000 of the world's most elite student-athletes have been recognized with Academic All-America status in all sports.