From walk-on to all-league, Boise State offensive lineman is now chasing NFL dreams
Jake Stetz didn’t know whether he would even get a shot to make the football team when he showed up at Boise State as a student, but for as long as he can remember, his dream was to play college football.
After helping the Broncos win two Mountain West championships, earning two all-conference selections as an offensive lineman and starting 21 games during a five-year playing career, he can check that item off his bucket list.
Now Stetz has turned his attention to another dream: playing in the NFL. He is one of six seniors at Boise State who have declared for the draft, and he said he’s ready to put the same effort and dedication into taking the field on Sundays as he did into molding himself into a Division I player.
“(The NFL) is every kid’s dream as soon as they put on a jersey and helmet,” Stetz told the Idaho Statesman on Wednesday. “I’m going to control what I can control, work hard and hope for the best.”
After going home to spend time with his family in San Marcos, California, Stetz plans to return to Boise and train for the school’s Pro Day, which is usually in late March or early April. He can only do so much right now, though, because he’s recovering from a knee injury suffered in Boise State’s win over New Mexico in November.
Stetz suffered a torn meniscus and fractured tibial plateau in his right knee and missed the regular-season finale at San Diego State. He had surgery on Nov. 31 and won’t be able to run until the end of this month, he said, but Stetz expects to work out for scouts at Pro Day. The 2022 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 28-30.
“I’m excited for the opportunity, and I’m ready to get to work,” said Stetz, who plans to finish his rehab at Boise State and spend the next couple of months training with the Broncos’ strength staff.
Stetz has hired an agent — Jordan Byrd of Exclusive Sports Group — and said he’s been seeking the advice of former Boise State players in the NFL. He has spoken with Minnesota Vikings guard Ezra Cleveland and stays in contact with Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard John Molchon, who Stetz said helped him cope after the knee injury.
“They just said to not let what has happened in the past slow me down,” Stetz said. “I made my peace with how my (college) career ended. Sometimes in life you work hard for something and it doesn’t turn out the way you planned. That doesn’t mean you didn’t learn and grow in ways that will help in the future.”
Stetz said he has no idea what round NFL Draft experts predict he’ll be taken in or whether he’ll get drafted at all. He’s also not worried about it, because he has plenty of experience overcoming what many would see as insurmountable odds.
The 6-foot-2, 311-pounder didn’t have a single scholarship offer from a Division I program when he was coming out of Mission Hills High School in California. He wasn’t recruited by Boise State and never took an official visit to the campus. He visited Boise for the first time during a trip with the family of a high school friend, fell in love with the area and decided it was where he wanted to go to college.
After he spent the 2016 season on campus as a student, Stetz convinced then-Boise State coach Bryan Harsin to give him a tryout. He made the team and spent his first two seasons as a walk-on before Harsin announced after a team run in the summer of 2019 that Stetz had earned a full scholarship.
“Every walk-on’s dream is to be put on scholarship,” said Stetz, who graduated last December with a degree in business. “Starting from the bottom and coming from humble beginnings from a football standpoint, and getting an opportunity to be on the team and work my way up is what I’ll remember most.”
Stetz earned his second straight second-team All-Mountain West honor this season after starting games in three different positions on the Broncos’ offensive line. He opened the season at right guard, moved to left guard after teammate Garrett Curran was injured and took over at center following Will Farrar’s injury during the bye week.
Center was unfamiliar territory for Stetz. He got a couple of snaps at the position in mop-up duty during a win over Colorado State in 2019, but before this season, he was a sophomore in high school the last time he played a full game at center.
“The communication is the biggest difference because center is the starting point of everything,” Stetz said. “You have to know what the guys to your left and right are doing, and everything happens faster at center.”
Stetz actually played four different positions this season after he and left tackle John Ojukwu switched spots while the Broncos were in victory formation in the closing minutes of their 26-17 upset win at then-No. 10 BYU. Stetz said he feels as if guard is his natural position, but he’ll do whatever it takes to get to the next level.
“No matter what, you just have to keep working your butt off,” Stetz said. “That’s all it takes. Don’t get complacent and just keep working.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 2:09 PM.
