RB Palmarin’s goal is to play pro ball

Jacob Palmarin

Positions: Running Back

Height/Weight: 5’10, 205 lbs

Teams: Peewee Rams, Bantam Rams, Catholic Central Cougars (high school), Kamloops Broncos

Commitment: None

Official Visits: None

Consideration: McGill, Manitoba, Open

Class: 2012

Jacob Palmarin has played for many teams during his career, such as the Peewee Rams, Bantam Rams, Catholic Central Cougars and Kamloops Broncos, who he currently competes for. He has raked in plenty of awards during his football journey as well. Here’s a list of all the hardware he’s won: high school – Offensive All-Star (Grade 12 year), Kamloops Broncos – Offensive Rookie (first year), Outstanding Offensive Player (second year), Outstanding Offensive Player (third year), BCFC All-Star, Team Most Valuable Player (fourth year), BCFC All-Star, CJFL All-Canadian and Top Back Award. He is also ranked #2 overall in the country and is the #1 ranked running back.

The highlight of last season was in a game against the Okanagan Sun.

“I run my first-ever deep route in a game,” Jacob says. “Make a jumping, full speed, spectacular catch and destroy the DB that tried to kill shot me. Bouncing off other defenders in the way, I make my way to get tripped up inside the five-yard line. It was a great moment because that was my first deep ball catch and it was epic.”

Jacob Palmarin, seen rumbling for some yards against the Valley Huskers, is ready for the Kamloops Broncos’ Saturday meeting with the visiting Okanagan Sun. Photograph By Hugo Yuen 

As for the recruitment process, no commitments have been made.

“I went to the Regina Rams camp after high school,” he says. “Didn’t get a real good chance to show them what I could do, so it didn’t work out there. Duncan Olthius, the head coach at the time for the Kamloops Broncos, gave me a call a few weeks after that, and now Kamloops has been my home for my junior career.

Currently, he’s considering a couple CIS schools.

“I’m considering McGill University and University of Manitoba,” Jacob says. “Possibly some others. We’ll see after this current season.”

There is an elite NFL running back that has been influential in his life.

“Football-wise, I look up to the one and only, Adrian Peterson,” he says. “I personally connect well with him, not on the same level that he plays at, but his journey, because he blew out his knee back in 2012, as did I at the end of last season. He is still ripping it up. Just shows you that it is a bump in the road, you can either take it as a negative and ask yourself, ‘Why did this happen to me? What could I have done different?’ Or you can use it as your fuel and ask yourself, ‘How bad to you want to make your dream a reality?’”

There are a couple people other people who have also influenced him.

“Another influential person would be the philosopher, Allan Watts,” Jacob says. “His teaching and perspectives on life have really helped me to understand what this thing called life is were doing. Joe Rogan, as well. His accumulation of knowledge from deep conversations with some of the most interesting people on the planet. You can really learn how people think, understanding the perspectives of many individuals.”

When it comes to training, flexibility is key.

“Being flexible can help make you less injury prone,” he says. “Just gives you more overall mobility. Training balance is a great way to keep yourself from falling down when you didn’t want to. Being able to control your body is key. Body weight is great to build that internal strength. Powerlifting is a great way to train for more football oriented aspects. I do a lot of agility training. A lot of ladder work, being able to move quickly in different directions gives you a better chance to make plays. Training all aspects is a great way to become a well-rounded player, minimizing your weak points.”

Jacob aims to improve several aspects of his game for next season.

“This season I am improving myself in every way I can,” Jacob says. “When you go through a full ACL reconstruction, you lose a good amount of muscle in the leg. You have to relearn pretty much everything. So this year I’ve been pretty much getting back to my playing level and keeping the body balanced.”

His plans for the future will probably be in a career field related to the body.

“Possibly kinesiology or something like that,” he says. “My mind is on making it to professional football. All my energy is going towards my dream. I live in the here and now, and football is now. I’ll figure out the rest along the way.”