Recruiting Report: Jacob Wynia (2021)

Brian Jerzak April 16, 2020 @ 10:45 PM

The Mahtomedi Zephyrs had one of the most unusual football seasons in 2019. After a disappointing regular season, the Zephyrs made some changes and made a run to the state tournament. Right in the middle of the transformation was <strong>Jacob Wynia</strong>. The team was able to adjust on the fly. One of the reasons, the coaching staff was able to take advantage of Wynia's position flexibility. "We were 2-6 in the regular season," Wynia said. "We didn't do as well as we wanted, but our coach says with the playoffs, the season starts over. Our team put in a lot of work leading up to the state tournament, and it paid off." The team flipped that switch and turned it on because of their belief and a change in philosophy. "The work ethic was always there," Wynia said. "In the playoffs, nobody wanted the season to end. We all thought we had something to prove." "We tried a new offense," Wynia continued. "It wasn't working well, so we went back to the I formation and pounding the ball. Everyone was familiar with it. That worked well. We had good running backs and a good offensive line." The other side of the ball was steady all season. "We leaned on our defense a lot. That kept us in most games. We stopped the run well." A two-way player, Wynia was rarely on the sidelines. "I thought my season went really good. I started at tight end and rotated at defensive end with two other players." Wynia's position flexibility is probably his biggest strength. "For my size, I am pretty fast and flexible. I can do whatever needs to be done. I took pride in my blocking this year and am going to focus on that this summer. I can line up in the slot and give defensive backs trouble because of my size." He even played some quarterback. On defense, throughout the season, Wynia would play both right and left defensive end positions. "I mainly focused on keeping contain and rushing the quarterback. Every series, we would switch. Every third series, I would be out. My speed and ability to make a move to get passed a guy." Wynia's offseason has focused on the offensive side of the ball. "I am working on my blocking and my route running," Wynia – who enjoys golfing and fishing for bass and walleye – said. "I realized to be a better tight end and defensive end; I needed to put on some weight and get stronger. This offseason, I have been lifting and trying to get as big as possible for next season." In the winter, the junior usually worked out six days a week. "Three days a week, I would lift heavy with the big muscle groups," the 6'5" 215-pound junior explained. "Tuesday and Thursday, I would focus on smaller muscles and my core; I would also do some running. Saturday, I would do sprints and run hills." This spring, Wynia has been able to modify his workouts. "I work out in my garage. I run on the treadmill and have a weight set in my garage." Being recruited as a tight end, despite the challenges, Wynia has collected two offers. "I got a lot of junior day invites, but obviously those have all been canceled. It has been a lot of phone calls with coaches. I have offers from Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State. Bethel, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Bemidji State, Dordt, St. Olaf, and Sioux Falls have also been interested." "They like how versatile I am," Wynia concluded. "They like my height, size, my blocking, and how I can line up outside and give defensive backs a hard time." Next season, Mahtomedi's football program hopes Wynia continues to give opponents and hard time and, at the same time, contribute to another long playoff run.