Jacobs’ Grant Stec received his first scholarship offer last month from Illinois, just days before his 16th birthday.
Since celebrating that milestone, Stec has had several other offers. Don’t think the sophomore tight end, however, is taking this whirlwind for granted.
“It is still surprising,” Stec said. “Every time that I know we’re having a phone call, I always sit down with my parents. They’re my No. 1.
“Whenever I get the call and they say you just received an offer, my mom and dad burst into tears — every single time. It doesn’t feel real to me.”
The attention is most certainly real.
Since Illinois came calling, Iowa State, Iowa and Penn State have extended offers to Stec, who has made game-day visits to Illinois and Iowa.
“It’s been crazy,” Stec said. “Ever since the first one, everything has been skyrocketing for me. It’s crazy to see all of the schools coming in.
“I had no idea I would end up getting my first offer at 15 years old. Never thought that would happen, but that was my goal. I have to keep working, though. I need to prove to all of them I should be going to those schools.”
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Stec has that one thing you can’t teach — size. He’s also super athletic, playing basketball and running track.
“We knew coming in with his size that he would be a pretty special player,” Jacobs coach Brian Zimmerman said. “Once you get that first one, you kind of see where it’s taken off to.”
Stec saw time on the varsity in the spring as a freshman. Heading into Friday’s Class 7A playoff game at Hersey, Stec has 18 catches for 307 yards and six touchdowns.
Considering the Golden Eagles have two running backs at or near 1,000 yards for the season, Stec’s modest numbers make sense.
“All of those catches are big-time catches,” Zimmerman said. “They’re catches that most kids don’t make. Grant understands the offense. Offenses change every year. Next year, we may pass more.”
The main things Stec wants to improve by next season are his strength and blocking.
When sports finally resumed last winter, Stec went straight from basketball to football to track. Then he dove into summer football camps. That delayed the usual weight training.
“Due to football season and not lifting as much, I have lost a little bit of weight,” Stec said. “What I’m going to try to do this offseason is bulk up. That is my main focus.
“By the start of next season, I want to have 15 pounds of muscle put on me so people are going to know I’m going to be a powerhouse, not some 220-pound kid with a few offers.”
Stec said he’s trying to live in the moment and enjoy being a teenager — a high school football player amid all the added attention.
That means focusing this week on the preparation for Hersey instead of looking toward a college future that’s a couple of years down the road.
“The whole team is fired up,” Stec said. “This is going to be our biggest test of the year. I feel like we’re going to shock a lot of people Friday night.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.