Welcome back to Card Essentials, where Stanford student-athletes share the stories behind the items they carry with them every day, big or small. Stanford linebacker Jacob Mangum-Farrar walks us through the items that make him him: his barber tools, on-field gear, and small mementos of home.
GoStanford.com: "We know cutting hair is a big thing for you now. When did you pick that up?"
Jacob Mangum-Farrar: "I started picking up haircutting in 2020 because I couldn't go to a barbershop and I wasn't looking great, to be honest, so I started looking up YouTube videos to cut my own hair. Eventually I was talking up my skills over quarantine to my teammates, saying, 'I'll cut you when I get back!' Then when I got back, I had a few clients even though I wasn't the best, but I eventually got better and give the guys on the team a quality cut."
GS: Tell me about your cologne.
JMF: "So I'm really into fragrances, and this one right here is kind of a darker, smokey, more nighttime kind of vibe. I like putting this on before games — you know, LOOK good, SMELL good, FEEL good, PLAY good."
GS: Love the cleats you've got there.
JMF: "Man, they've been through the ringer! I like these because I feel fastest in them — they're kind of a mix between "skill" and "big skill" cleats. Speed kills, so the faster the better."
GS: Obviously, headphones are an everyday essential.
JMF: "For sure. They offer you a sense of individual space in a day - gameday - when it's important you're zeroed in on your goals. They're simple, but they allow me to get into my mode.
GS: Is there anything special behind the stickers on your laptop?
JMF: "Yup, this one right here. This one sticker, that says "Be Someone" is a memento to Houston, where I'm from. There's a bridge in Houston that has graffiti on it that says "Be Someone," and it's a local staple that everyone respects so nobody covers it up. That's ours."
Follow Jacob on Twitter and Instagram.