Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1492675
4 4 M A R C H 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 3 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Q uarterback Jaxon Smolik's rise was one of the more intriguing stories of the 2023 recruiting cycle for Penn State. After breaking his collarbone during the first game of his junior season, the Van Meter, Iowa, native was able to re- turn for a few playoff games. Missing the majority of one's junior season is a serious setback as far as recruiting goes. Smolik wasn't about to give up on his dream, but while most of the nation's top quarterbacks were already beginning to commit to their favorite schools, he was just getting his recruitment started. Then came a visit to a camp last June at Lindenwood University in Missouri. Smolik's coach at Dowling Catholic, Tom Wilson, called it "a turning point." "A lot of people saw him there, and there was a buzz around him after that camp," Wilson said. "He picked up some FCS offers then, and other people started calling me about Jaxon." The Lindenwood camp, which took place June 3, led to an offer from Tulane just five days later. Smolik committed to the Green Wave on June 23, but then he received the opportunity of a lifetime. Just two days before the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles, the nation's top-ranked quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, backed out of the competition. Smolik was invited to step in and jumped at the opportunity despite the short notice. It proved to be a great decision; he earned top-performer honors, and suddenly major programs across the country were paying atten- tion to him. Penn State wasn't one of those schools initially, but when verbally committed quarterback Marcus Stokes backed out of his pledge, the Lions wasted no time reaching out to Smolik. Within hours of Stokes' exit, offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was on the phone with the Iowa signal-caller. Because of the July dead period, Smo- lik wasn't able to get on campus until the end of the month. He was one of a handful of quarterbacks to earn offers after working out with Yurcich. Of the prospects PSU evaluated, he was easily the top performer. While Notre Dame and Wisconsin were showing interest at the time, Smo- lik decided not to wait. After missing much of his junior season, he wanted to get recruiting over with so that he could focus on his team during preseason camp. He committed to the Nittany Li- ons on Aug. 12. "I've always liked Penn State. I've al- ways watched them since Trace McSor- ley was there. He was one of my favorite college quarterbacks," Smolik said at the time. "It was a great place when I went up there and toured. Everyone was super nice, and I loved everything about it. … It's a great fit for me." ■ Smolik's recruitment took off last year after he excelled at the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Jaxon Smolik Iowa quarterback parlays impressive summer into PSU scholarship RYA N S N Y D E R | R YA N. S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M QB | 6-1 | 205 Dowling Catholic High Van Meter, Iowa Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Consensus HHH 682 36 7 On3 HHH — 35 11 ESPN HHH — 30 8 Rivals HHH — 18 8 247Sports HHH — 34 8 Statistics • Completed 64 percent of his passes as a senior, throwing for 1,967 yards and 19 touch- downs • Returned from a collarbone injury late in his junior season to complete 65 percent of his passes for 959 yards and 9 touchdowns Notable • Was a team captain as a senior • Earned Iowa 5A all-state honors in 2022 • Earned Academic All-State recognition Recruitment • Officially visited Dec. 9, 2022 • Committed to Penn State on Aug. 12, 2022 • Recruited by offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich • Picked Penn State after decommitting from Tulane • Enrolled in January 2023 2023 Projection With sophomore Drew Allar and redshirt freshman Beau Pribula both ahead of him, Smolik will likely redshirt in 2023. They Said It Dowling Catholic head coach Tom Wil- son: "Jaxon can make every throw and moves around better than some give him credit for. He has a great feel in the pocket and buys time with his feet. He will come to Penn State eager to learn from those around him and will do whatever he can to contribute to the success of the program." BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "Smolik is a good quarterback with varying aspects of arm talent, but raw power to quickly push the ball into the flats is not one of those talents. Still, he has good rotational velocity and a compact, efficient throwing motion that al- lows him to fit the ball into tight windows downfield. He also throws a great deep ball and hasn't missed too many passes because of a lack of strength." T H E S M O L I K F I L E