He was born into a family that had a strong association with Gaelic games, as his father, Mick Jacob, won both Leinster and All-Ireland medals in hurling with Wexford.
Jacob later studied at the Waterford Institute of Technology, where he won two Fitzgibbon Cup medals.
Jacob joined the Wexford minor hurling panel in the late 1990s and he quickly moved up the ranks.
After blocking an attempted clearance from Peter Barry of Kilkenny, Jacob caught the ball and buried it into the net to give Wexford the win in the Leinster hurling semi-final.
In 2014 he joined the Wexford Intermediate team with whom he won a Leinster title after victory over Kilkennty in the final.