There was a stretch during Saturday’s third round of the NFL draft that former UL running game Jacob Kibodi thought he was going to be a teammate of former Ragin’ Cajuns offensive lineman Max Mitchell.
But then the New York Jets selected a pair of running backs in the fourth and fifth rounds, and the plans changed.
The new plan had Kibodi signing an undrafted free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints.
“Honestly, the Saints is where I wanted to be,” Kibodi said. “Growing up in Baton Rouge and watching them, I wanted to stay and play for the hometown team. It happened this way for a reason, so I’m glad it worked out.
“I definitely grew up being a huge fan of the Saints. I had jerseys from Reggie Bush, Drew Brees, Marques Colston.”
Kibodi joined two UL teammates as undrafted free agents to sign, joining wide receiver Peter LeBlanc (Chicago Bears) and tight end Neal Johnson (Los Angeles Rams). That came after offensive tackle Nathan Thomas was picked in the seventh round by the Dallas Cowboys.
“It was amazing,” Kibodi said of the weekend. “It was a dream come true.”
Kibodi finally put it all together last fall after transferring twice and changing positions from running back to receiver and back to running back again.
“Hard work pays off — just sticking with it and not quitting,” Kibodi said. “I’ve had a lot of people that told me they use my story as motivation. We all go through stuff in life. Anybody can use my story to motivate them to keep going. It’s bigger than football.”
No UL player opened more eyes during the fall season than Kibodi, who emerged as UL’s leading rusher with 729 yards and seven touchdowns.
A wide receiver earlier in his career, Kibodi also caught nine balls for 79 yards and a score and clearly showed his route-running and receiving skills during pro day activities.
The Baton Rouge native is hoping his skill set will fit perfectly with the new system brought in by Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
“That is definitely exciting,” Kibodi said. “The running back coach is new, the OC is new and the OC coached at the 49ers, so he’ll be bringing that offense to the Saints.
“You know how they used Christian McCaffery over there, so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to go in and show my versatility and work hard on special teams and do whatever I’ve got to do to make the team.”
Kibodi will his quest during the rookie mini-camp May 10-12.
“The first thing is to learn this playbook,” he said. "Lock in on special teams, continue to evolve my game as a running back, work on my pass protection and my reads. Just honestly just be in the best shape possible to do whatever this team needs me to do.”