After transferring from Texas to Rutgers, Jacob Young had to sit out his first season "On the Banks'. For Young, that meant waiting 604 days between official game action, spanning from a 2018 NCAA Tournament Game against Nevada as a Longhorn to the Scarlet Knights' season opener against Bryant. Once he made his long-awaited debut for RU, he became a spark-plug for the team, providing the squad with a jolt of energy whenever he entered the game. 

Over 30 games, Young averaged 8.5 points per game, fourth on the team. An intense defender, Young wore down opponents , recording 31 steals,  sharing the team lead. He also facilitated on the offensive end, dishing out 56 assists, third on the team. 

As the season entered conference play, Young upped his game. He scored in double-digits 13 times, with 11 of those coming against Big Ten foes. In Big Ten Conference games, he increased scoring average to 9.1 points per game and had 23 steals, ranking ninth in the league at 1.2 steals per game, while his steal rate of 3.4% in conference games led the league. 

An element of Young's game that made him so exciting for fans to follow was his propensity for the highlight-reel play. He twice made appearances on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays, first for a  highlight-reel basket on January 28 at The RAC, then a explosive highlight-reel dunk over Purdue's Matt Haarms in the teams' statement road win to conclude the regular season.