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What to Know About Former Football Star Dr. Jacob Nash on Brilliant Minds
Dr. Jacob Nash may have had to leave behind his former football glory on Brilliant Minds, but he'll still find a way to use his past to connect with patients.
As a one-time college football star, Brilliant Minds’ Dr. Jacob Nash is used to a stadium of adoring fans, but his new career as a doctor may require him to lower those expectations.
Jacob, played by Spence Moore II, still has some of that star swagger and is used to being the center of attention, but as one of four interns tasked with helping the eccentric but brilliant Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto) on NBC’s new medical drama Brilliant Minds, he’ll have to find a way to work with a team.
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Who is Dr. Jacob Nash on Brilliant Minds?
It's explained in the season premiere that Jacob was forced to give up his football dreams after an injury sidelined his career.
“Jacob…played football at Notre Dame until he got injured and settled for becoming a doctor,” fellow intern Dr. Ericka Kinney (Ashleigh LaThrop) explained to Wolf while trying to give him the lowdown on the team he's inherited by agreeing to take on a new role at Bronx General Hospital. “He thinks of himself as the quarterback of the interns.”
While Ericka — who claims she’s the “real quarterback” — prefers to look on the bright side, Jacob often has a more negative take.
When the team learned they’d be getting a new attending physician, Ericka saw it as an opportunity.
“Apparently, he’s a genius, we might actually learn something for a change,” she said.
“Really? Cause I heard he’s a huge dick,” Jacob shot back.
And he’s already made it clear he believes some tasks are beneath him. When Wolf tasked the team with finding out about a patient’s past by doing their own research on the phone and computer, Jacob was the first to complain.
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“I didn’t spend four years in med school to do clerical work for a lost cause,” he lamented to the other interns.
While he may not always have the most positive attitude, Jacob is clearly fascinated by the practice of medicine and compelled by the unconventional ways that Wolf uses to connect with their patients at Bronx General Hospital.
Jacob seemed noticeably impressed after Wolf was able to help a patient — who was struggling to recognize her own sons — identify with the boys through auditory means rather than visual cues.
“It worked,” an amazed Jacob remarked. “She’s responding.”
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As the first season progresses, Jacob will even find a way to turn his football playing past into an asset.
“Jacob is used to stadiums of fans cheering him on and has to adapt to a profession that some days can be thankless,” a character description explained. “This season, Jacob learns that his background as an athlete is not a failure, but a unique experience he can use to reach patients in ways others can’t.”
New episodes of Brilliant Minds premiere on Mondays on NBC at 10/9c and are available to stream on Peacock.
