Before Landman, Jacob Lofland Starred In An Underrated Sports Drama Featuring Robert Duvall

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As evidenced by his role in Jeff Nichols' 2012 drama "Mud" and multiple scenes in "Landman," Jacob Lofland is at his best in grounded, emotionally affecting dramas. But the Cooper Norris actor has proven his talents in other genres too. Lofland made the most of his small part in the beloved "Maze Runner" sci-fi trilogy and similarly did his best with a small role in "Joker: Folie à Deux." Then, there was his turn in "12 Mighty Orphans," an underrated sports movie you need to see which also features a brief appearance from the late, great Robert Duvall.

After impressing with his supporting performance in "Mud," Lofland continued to act in multiple projects despite the fact he never once considered becoming an actor prior to Nichols' American neorealist drama. Though he did venture away from the genre at times, his best performances came in more somber, gritty fare such as 2014's "Little Accidents" and, on the TV side, "Texas Rising."

Then, there's 2021's "12 Mighty Orphans," which is based on a true story and is more uplifting than most of Lofland's drama projects. In the sports drama, the actor played a member of a football team made up entirely of orphaned kids led by Luke Wilson's coach Rusty Russell. Wilson also starred in the similarly inspirational sports biopic "You Gotta Believe," which blew up on Netflix in 2024 and was from the same director as "12 Mighty Orphans." The latter, however, not only has a less saccharine title, it might be a better movie.

In the 1930s, coach and former soldier Harvey Nual "Rusty" Russell joined The Masonic Home and School of Texas, which was built for the orphans of Texas Freemasons. There, he oversaw the Fort Worth institution's football team, the Masonic Home Mighty Mites, taking them from a group of malnourished underdogs to the toughest team in the area. At a time when the Great Depression had ravaged the landscape from which these forsaken kids emerged, Russell's leadership was truly inspiring. As were the kids themselves, who overcame teams with players twice their size to compete for the Texas state championship.

That story is told in detail in Jim Dent's book "Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football," which serves as the basis for director and Texas native Ty Roberts' 2021 adaptation "12 Mighty Orphans." It might not be remembered as one of the best ever sports movies but has a lot going for it.

The film stars Luke Wilson as Russell, who moves to Fort Worth with his family to teach at The Masonic Home and School of Texas. At first, he's dismayed to find that its Warden, Frank Wynn (Wayne Knight) is exploiting the orphaned boys in his care. Alongside the school's physician, Doc Hall (Martin Sheen), Rusty sets out to become a leader to the kids, forming a football team and coaching them to success. Jacob Lofland plays Leonard "Snoggs" Roach, one of the boys on the squad who embraces this new mentor. Rusty's efforts pay off as the previously disadvantaged and disaffected boys not only start to show real promise as a football team but find hope in their camaraderie and Rusty's guidance.

For a fairly overlooked film, "12 Mighty Orphans" has one heck of a cast. Alongside Luke Wilson, Martin Sheen, Vinessa Shaw, Wayne Knight, and a pre-"Landman" Jacob Lofland, there's Robert Duvall, who passed away in February 2026 at the age of 95. The esteemed star appears briefly, in what is one of his final big screen performances before his death, as Mason Hawk, a fictional character designed to represent the various donors who contributed to The Masonic Home and School of Texas. Hawk was an orphan himself, and is moved by the team's underdog story and rise to greatness, with Duvall giving a characteristically believable performance even in the small scenes in which he appears. Interestingly enough, this was the film that reunited Duvall and Sheen for the first time since 1979's "Apocalypse Now."

"12 Mighty Orphans" was given a limited theatrical release in 2021, making $5.6 million. It also managed to impress several critics, with Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times commending Wilson and Sheen for their performances. "These two pros still react with infectious wonder as the messages they send to their students take root and then sprout," he wrote in a positive review of the film.

Peter Debruge of Variety similarly praised "12 Mighty Orphans" for subverting "the expected clichés" and highlighted the "ensemble of lesser-known young actors" who he deemed "strong." That of course included Lofland, who three years later would make his debut as Cooper Norris on "Landman," where he got a chance to showcase that strength on a much bigger stage. But "12 Mighty Orphans" — clichéd though it may be at times — remains one of the best underrated gems in the young star's filmography.