Josh Jacobs changed his jersey number from 28 to 8 starting in the 2023 NFL season. The main reasons for the change are personal and sentimental: Jacobs wore the number 8 during his college years at Alabama and has a lifelong connection to that number since childhood. He feels that the number 8 brings something special out of him and hoped the change would help improve his performance. He mentioned the number makes him feel "like a superhero" and symbolizes a return to his roots, growth, perseverance, and a fresh start in his career. The change was also made possible by a recent NFL rules change allowing running backs to wear single-digit numbers. Jacobs had wanted to make this switch earlier but would have had to pay a large fee for unsold jerseys with his old number, so he waited until 2023 to make it official.