Jake Coker may not have played very long for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, but he sure as heck made his time in Tuscaloosa count. The former starting quarterback who transferred from the Florida State Seminoles suited up for head coach Nick Saban in 2014 and 2015, winning the job in his final season.
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The 6-foot-5 passer from Mobile, Alabama, then helped lead his football team to a College Football Playoff appearance against Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl before winning the national championship over the Clemson Tigers. With weapons like wide receiver Calvin Ridley and tight end OJ Howard, he threw for more than 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns and let Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry run wild for more than 2,000 rushing yards.
Years after helping 'Bama win its 16th national title, Coker is out of football.
Jake Coker Now
Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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Former Alabama quarterback Jake Coker tried his hand in the NFL after Alabama. He signed as a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals after going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft and being "pissed" he didn't earn an invite to the combine.
Knee surgeries hampered his ability to stay on the field, and in 2017 Coker announced his retirement.
Now, Coker is back in Mobile where he grew up and played high school football. He works in commercial insurance for BancorpSouth, and he says he enjoys it.
"My wife and I moved back to Mobile, I guess, about 2017-18. I'm over at BancorpSouth now. I'm on the commercial insurance side and been doing that for about two years. It's been a great way to get out and meet people and network within Mobile," Coker told 247Sports. "It's not like it's a huge city, but I definitely learned and networked and met a lot of people in this town that I hadn't met prior. So, it's been great. It's been a lot of fun, there's no doubt about it."
Coker's face is still seen around the Alabama football program. Last season, he announced a few meet-and-greets for Crimson Tide fans. He also attends games when he gets the chance, judging from his Instagram.
Jake Coker's Wife & Daughter
Coker proposed to Sarah Jeffries in the back of a pickup truck in 2017. She became Sarah Coker on February 9, 2019, when the two officially tied the knot.
"I feel so blessed to have married the love of my life and also getting to celebrate with all our amazing friends and family. Thank you for all of y'all's love and support! It was truly the best day of our entire lives," Sarah wrote on social media.
In January 2020, the two welcomed their first child and daughter, Palmer Elizabeth Coker. According to Jake's words, it appeared beating Georgia, Texas A&M and Auburn or winning a national championship game didn't nearly compare to the birth of his first child.
"The best and most unbelievable feeling that I've ever experienced. It's still hard to believe you can love something so much, but I can't wait to watch little Palmer grow up. I love my little girl and God has blessed me with the best Wife and Mother of my child that I could have ever asked for. She has me wrapped around her finger already!" he wrote on Instagram.
Jacob Coker may not be throwing touchdowns or interceptions in Tuscaloosa anymore, but the national champion probably has hands full raising his kid. Something tells me she's already shouting out "Roll Tide!"
Editor's note: This article originally stated Coker won the starting quarterback job over Blake Sims in 2015, but Sims was not on the roster that year. The post has been edited to reflect that correction.
