Jacob Park‘s winding collegiate football journey has taken yet another twist.
The quarterback confirmed to the Des Moines Register that he has decided to transfer from Iowa State and continue his playing career elsewhere. The football program has granted Park, who will be leaving as a graduate, a release from his scholarship, although there’s no word on what if any restrictions were attached.
The development comes a little over two months after Park took a sudden leave of absence due to what were described as “unspecified medical concerns.” Park confirmed to the Register that he was facing a one-game suspension after testing positive for marijuana prior to his sabbatical.
From the newspaper’s report:He said the challenge of balancing school, football, fatherhood and living with the mother of his child became overwhelming. Park also said he failed a drug test because of marijuana usage and was facing a one-game suspension that was supposed to have been served against Oklahoma on Oct. 7.
Park said he talked to Iowa State’s staff about his marijuana usage. The night before the suspension was supposed to be served, Iowa State announced Park had taken an indefinite leave from the team to “work through some personal health issues.”
“It was not something that was very easy to deal with when you have so much high-pressure situations that you’re being put into as I do,” Park said Monday. “And it’s a coping mechanism that I understand now is not acceptable and that I’m still working on this to this day.
Park had started the first four games of the 2017 season for the Cyclones in his second year in Ames. In his first season at ISU, he became the full-time starter in the latter portion of the 2016 season. During his time with the Cyclones, he completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 2,971 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for a pair of touchdowns in that span.
If the move on comes to fruition, Park will be working on his fourth collegiate program in less than four years.
A four-star member of Georgia’s 2014 recruiting class, Park was rated as the No. 12 pro-style quarterback in the country; the No. 4 player at any position in the state of South Carolina; and the No. 229 player overall according to Rivals.com. Park worked mainly with the scout team during his only season with the Bulldogs.
In mid-June of 2015, it was confirmed that Park would be transferring from Georgia. After spending the 2015 season at the junior college level, Park transferred to ISU in February of 2016.
