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As size becomes a big deal for Purdue again, Daniel Jacobsen looms large

On3 imageby:Brian Neubert•06/11/25•

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Purdue's Daniel Jacobsen
Purdue's Daniel Jacobsen (GoldandBlack.com)

After Daniel Jacobsen‘s freshman season ended after just 26 minutes of regular season playing time, all he could do during games was watch, watch as the void he left revealed itself in the long run to be a much bigger deal than ever could have been known for certain the moment he broke his leg.

Purdue had a “good season, but not a great season” last year, as Coach Matt Painter says; central to the divide between the two outcomes was the Boilermakers’ prohibitive lack of capable size once the 7-foot-4 freshman was injured a minute into Game 2.

There would have been ups and downs for Jacobsen had he remained on the floor as a rookie . Such is life for freshmen, particularly for big men, particularly for big men whose bodies aren’t near ready, as was Jacobsen’s reality. Ready or not, though, Jacobsen was missed, as Purdue was held back considerably by an absolute void of rim protection on defense and an urgent need to sell out on the defensive glass just to get by.

PURDUE CENTER DANIEL JACOBSEN

To the rim protection end, Jacobsen blocked three shots in the first game. For the entire season, Purdue only blocked 56 others, finishing the season 358th nationally in block percentage (per KenPom) out of 364 teams.

Jacobsen’s loss last year — he’s officially a sophomore, but ostensibly a redshirt freshman — was clearly part of the problem for a team that was very good anyway; now, though, his return is almost certain to be part of the solution.

Instead of playing last season and sweating off pounds he couldn’t afford to lose, Jacobsen rehabbed his leg, but also augmented his body.

“It’s kind of the silver lining of the whole thing,”Jacobsen said, “not burning all those calories and being able to spend more time in the weight room and eating a lot, really buying into that.”

He was a well-distributed 215-220 pounds a year ago; at last check this summer, he was 255, noticeably transformed.

His return to the floor starts this week as Purdue opens summer practice; it goes 0 to 60 next week when Jacobsen tries out in Colorado Springs to reclaim his spot on USA Basketball’s 19U FIBA World Championships team that’ll play in Switzerland starting later this month. Jacobsen was a key member of the 18s team that played in Argentina last summer.

His path to another Team USA jersey will have to run through a crop of bigs that’ll also include Michigan’s Morez Johnson, Kentucky freshman Malachi Moreno and others. Given Jacobsen’s incumbency on the roster and his productivity last year — blocking 19 shots in six games — he should be a solid bet to make the team.

But the bigger picture for Jacobsen and Purdue alike is the season ahead, for which he could be easily overlooked on the list of potential impact newcomers since he’s not new, per se, but maybe the most impactful of them all.

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