Iowa State’s Josh Jahlas living out his college football dream

AMES — Life as a walk-on isn't easy. Hours are spent in the film room, weight room and in practice for sometimes only seconds of action on game day. The moments of glory are few and far between.

When those moments of recognition and success do come, it makes those hours out of the spotlight not seem as dark.

Such is the case for Josh Jahlas.

Special teams can pave the way for overlooked players to make a difference, but being good in that phase of the game is often said to have little to do with ability. Jahlas falls in line with that notion.

'You've got to want to beat the guy across from you,' Jahlas said. 'Nine times out of 10 the guy across from you is going to be bigger and faster than you anyway. That's how I felt. I just knew if I wanted it more, I could go get it.'

Work behind the scenes is how Jahlas, a fifth-year senior, has molded into a key contributor on the Iowa State special teams. You may have seen his No. 31 jersey flying around — something he'll surely be doing in Iowa State's annual spring game on Saturday at 1 p.m. — but you may not know how his years as a walk on have shaped him.

Jahlas always had a dream of playing Division I football. Despite being a first-team all-state honoree at Cedar Rapids Kennedy as a senior, he had no D-I offers. Playing at a lower division in college was an option, but never really something Jahlas saw for himself.

'I knew I wanted to go Division I and see if I could play at the highest level,' Jahlas said. 'I didn't want to regret thinking 'what if.''

Living out his dream of playing Division I football, like it does for most walk ons, started by just finding a place to fit in. Iowa State's WOPA — a player-made organization with the full name of Walk On Players Association — gave Jahlas a built-in support system, but he also saw the toll it took on his teammates.

Jahlas red-shirted his first year and was a squad member his second. During that time he watched several teammates walk away from the game. The pressure of practice, class and paying for school left no room for the love of the game. Some of the doubt even crept into Jahlas' mind.

Would he ever get his chance?

'I think some people probably told him that he might not ever see the field and that he might just be a scout player,' John Jahlas, Josh's father, said. '(He just) kept working and knew good things will happen if you keep working at it. I think that's the attitude he's basically had through his whole life.'

Jahlas got the chance he'd waited so long for in the second game of his junior season on special teams against Kansas State.

In 23 career games, Jahlas has 21 tackles and two fumble recoveries with four tackles alone last season against Kansas. He made himself an indispensible part of the Cyclones' special teams and hasn't lost a step this spring and through the coaching change.

'Josh is a guy when you turn the video on from last season, he just plays at such a high rate,' said Iowa State coach Matt Campbell. 'Football is really important to him and Iowa State football is really important to him. To me, that hasn't shortchanged at all through this spring.'

When wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator Bryan Gasser fires up clips of practice for film study, he usually has a pretty good idea of what he'll see.

'When we show clips in practice of some of the drills we had done, (Jahlas is) a guy when I'm picking those clips, it's him (in them),' Gasser said. 'He's a guy that's doing it right. He's listening to all the coaching points and then the other thing is that he's always the first guy in line.'

'For Josh it wouldn't matter if he broke his leg on a play for the team,' said senior walk-on Anthony Lazard. 'He'd love to do what they want him to do.'

Iowa State has seen walk-ons like Jeff Woody and Levi Peters go from blips on the radar to something so significant it ripples through the entire locker room and fan base. Maybe Josh Jahlas will be the next.

'I'm just going to go out and try to make a difference every play and every chance I get out there,' Jahlas said. 'I want to make everybody around me better.'

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