Lincoln wide receiver Isaac Jarovski accomplishes lifelong dream

On Friday, Sep. 15 Lincoln senior wide receiver Isaac Jarovski retweeted a highlight of his second touchdown against Harrisburg. Not long after, Isaac’s teammate, Dreavin Hodge, quote tweeted the highlight and wrote “Still no offers? What are y’all doing man?!! Tap in on him!!!!”

Isaac had been waiting years for his first college football offer, but he wouldn’t have to wait too much longer.

He received a call from Lucas Lueders, the offensive coordinator at the University of Sioux Falls, who was calling to offer him a scholarship, only five days later.

“It was awesome,” Isaac said of the phone call. “I've been waiting for a while to get my first offer. So it really is a great feeling.”

“I'm so happy for him,” Lincoln football coach Jared Fredenburg said. “It's just, you know,  that's where he wanted to go. It's such a cool story. I'm really happy for him.”

The offer from the Cougars felt like destiny. Isaac’s dad, James Jarovski, and Lincoln’s wide receiver coach Trey Naasz both played football at USF. Naasz has known Isaac since he was a kid because James was his high school coach so he spent a lot of time with the Jarovski family.  The night Isaac was offered, Naasz was one of his first calls.

“He was super pumped up, super excited,” Naasz said of the night Isaac was offered. “It was just kind of a cool thing to see that a hometown team is making an offer out to him, and I was just super, super happy for him.”

James’ eyes were full of pride as he described the moments after finding out his son had been offered by his alma mater.

“It means a lot to me because of where it's at, but it's also a testament to Isaac's hard work,” James said. “It was a relief for our family because I know how important it is to Isaac … but also (brought) just joy and happiness and really grateful for the University of Sioux Falls to recognize Isaac.”

“It didn't affect how he played … if anything, it made him play with even a little bit more of a chip on his shoulder.”

Those who know Isaac describe him as shy around those he doesn’t know but outgoing around his friends.

“He's a quiet kid,” James said. “It’ll be interesting to see how (his) interview goes. I'm glad I'm not going to be here,” he joked.

His dad Isaac is quiet if you don’t know him, but if you bring up football or the Packers, he’ll talk your ear off.  Naasz, who views Isaac as a younger brother, described him as sociable and someone who spends his passing periods chatting it up with fellow students in the Lincoln hallways.

But when no college football offers came for Isaac, it was baffling to him, his parents, his coach, and his teammates.

“There was a little bit of frustration on my end,” James admitted. “Just knowing how good of a player I think Isaac is, as a father, but also as a coach, and knowing what he can do on the football field. I think he's one of the best receivers in South Dakota.”

But instead of allowing the uncertainty of his future to distract him, he used it as motivation.

“It didn't affect how he played, he kind of just went out and if anything, (played) with even a little bit more of a chip on his shoulder,” Naasz said. “Obviously, especially in this day and age, with Twitter and social media and stuff like that you're seeing everything from a game day visit to an offer to an official visit.

If I was a high school kid right now, it'd be really hard for me,” Naasz continued. “So I could see how all that would be hard, but he never showed it. He still came to work every day, he got our weightlifting award for the senior class. So he just put his nose down, and that's what makes me super proud of him.”

Isaac’s college football potential was always there

When Isaac was just three years old he was already running routes with James in the Jarovski family front yard. James would explain how to run curls and posts and taught Isaac everything he knew to put him in the best position to succeed down the road.

“I feel like he really just pushed me throughout my entire life to be the best wide receiver that I can be,” Isaac said of his dad.

Because of that early training with his dad and the fact he was a coach’s son, the possibility of playing college football was always there. It was Isaac’s dream, Naasz said.

James coached Isaac on the Lincoln freshman team three years ago and Naasz has been his position coach since he came up to the varsity level in his sophomore year. Both coaches described seeing massive growth, especially in his weightlifting.

“He's always had good hands, but the thing that he's really done is Brady Bonte, he’s our strength coach, he's done a tremendous job with getting Isaac's body right,” James said of Isaac’s progression. “He's gained 30 pounds last year, well, 25 pounds last year, and it's always a lot bigger, a lot more physical and he’s really ready to step into that next level playing college football and his body has changed in his speed and that kind of stuff.”

Both James and coach Fredenburg had specific memories where Isaac wowed enough that they could see college football in Isaac’s future.

For James, it was a catch on a trick play last year. A Patriots player launched a pass that looked way too high, but Isaac went up, grabbed it and had the wherewithal to get his toe down in the endzone.

On the initial watch, James and the rest of the assistant coaches in the box thought it was out of play, but after rewatching the highlight on the news, he saw it was a legit touchdown.

“I think there's a nice connection there ... Hopefully, it works out and they can be together again and keep going with it. “

On Friday, Sep. 15 Lincoln quarterback Tate Schafer and Isaac connected for the Patriots’ two first touchdowns of the game to give them a 14-7 lead over Harrisburg. Isaac finished the game second on the team in receiving yards with 55 yards and his two touchdown receptions were tied for a team-high.

The connection between Schafer and Isaac is another that makes the USF offer sound too good to be true. Schafer and Isaac have played with each other for years and have known each other for even longer. Schafer said they see the game a lot alike. They’re able to recognize what the defense is doing, huddle up to talk about it and make adjustments based on that.

Schafer verbally committed to USF on July 23.

“Well, I think that's sweet,” Schafer said of Isaac being offered by USF. “Obviously, he has his own decision, but he knows where I would want him to go …  it's awesome to have him as receiver. When anything happens, you have faith in him to make a play.”

Naasz said that the connection and fit they share can’t be overlooked when considering Isaac’s options.

“That's something that’s super important when going to college football,” Naasz said. “Finding a group of guys and a school that really fits your mold, and as a receiver going somewhere where your quarterback for the last four years is going, if he does decide to go there, I think is a really cool thing. It doesn't happen very often.”

But Isaac isn’t committed just yet. James said they’ll be patient and analyze their options as more offers come in., But for now, after years of hard work spanning from the age of 3 until now, Isaac can finally sit back and relax knowing his future is secure.

A lifetime dream has been accomplished.

Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Lincoln's Isaac Jarovski accomplishes lifelong dream