The Return of Jake Stebbins '23

November 19th, 2022. After a chilly afternoon in New York City. Big Red football players moved around the Columbia locker room with mixed emotions.

A tough Lions team had just handed the Big Red a loss in the final game of the season. A sense of pride was still felt after achieving five wins, including three on the road. Some sadness in the air with seniors having completed their final game in the Carnelian and White.

Through the waves of emotion, Jake Stebbins `23 saw only one thought. This can't be it. There has to be more. And so he made it so.

The senior made his decision in the locker room then and there. He was going to return for a fifth-year.

The decision to come back involves much consideration. Taking time off of school, adjusting academic plans, committing to another year of pushing your body to its physical limits. It took Stebbins only a second to make the choice in that Columbia locker room

“These guys, this program, what I have known as home for the past four years, I can't make the conscious decision to leave," Stebbins said. “If I have to leave, I have to leave. But if I have the chance to come back, I have to come back.”

No. 30 got his wish. After taking the spring semester off, he has returned to the gridiron, and the classroom. As this season approaches, the two-time captain is experiencing his senior season for real this.

“Going into my senior year and knowing that it's my last year, I have a totally different feeling than I did last year, when it was my “last year”,” said Stebbins.

As for why he came back, Stebbins claimed it was a true book-end experience.

“I think what sparked the decision to come back is the same thing that sparked the decision to come here in the first place,” said Stebbins. “I didn't know everyone up here when I was in high school, but when I was up here I felt very welcomed…. to come back its the same thing.”

"The relationships I have made on this team are more than just service level “these are good guys”," Stebbins said. “These are my best friends.”

The three-time All-Ivy honoree and his teammates kick off the 2023 season this weekend when the Big Red take on Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa.

Five seasons of an Ivy sport is a rare opportunity for any athlete. Stebbins gets his chance to make it count starting this Saturday.