Prospect Spotlight: Jacob Eggert – Mankato East (2022)

Brian Jerzak April 24, 2021 @ 02:50 PM

Named Mankato East’s starting quarterback before the 2019 season began, [player_tooltip player_id="22947" first="Jacob" last="Eggert"] had all the physical tools to be a successful starting quarterback. An early injury robbed him of playing time and something more important than that – time with his teammates. "I was declared the starter a week before the season started my sophomore year, but I got hurt in a scrimmage right before the season started," Eggert said. "I missed the first four games. The quarterback who replaced me was a junior and did really well in those first four games. Coming back, I didn’t get the playing time I wanted. I had to earn that back. I think I started once the playoffs started. We were splitting half and half before that." Eggert’s biggest issue had nothing to do with his physical skills. "When I came back, I didn’t have the team won over," Eggert admitted. "The other guy was playing well. I wasn’t close to any of the older kids when I was a sophomore. They hadn’t seen my play. This year, I was close with all the seniors, and they knew what I could do." They found out what he could do and won over his teammates. All he did was set school passing records. "My season started pretty well," Eggert humbly explained. "I broke the school record for passing yards and tied the school record for touchdown passes in a season. I think I am second in career touchdowns." Pretty well indeed. "I feel like I am good at reading the defense and knowing where to throw the ball," the junior said. "I pride myself on making the right decision and never forcing it. I think I am an accurate passer, so I try to make the read and throw it to the open guy." The Cougars finished with a 4-4 record. "It was pretty up and down season, Eggert said. "When we were playing together as a team, that is when we were winning and having fun. We run the triple option, and then some spread off that. On defense, we focused on stopping the run." Bulking up would cheapen what Eggert has accomplished this winter. "I lift three days a week and then have speed sessions two days a week. Every two weeks, things switch up. Sometimes it is low-weight, high-rep kind of stuff, and now that I have been in the program for a while, it is a lot of high weight, low rep stuff. I have put on 25 pounds in three months. I am working with my receivers every weekend we can. I am also working on footwork and throwing on the run." This spring, Eggert – who likes to deer hunt - is throwing a different type of ball. "I play baseball and am still doing my full workouts. In baseball, I am a pitcher and outfielder." Back on the grid-iron, Eggert’s recruiting is starting to get rolling. "Recruiting is going well. I visited Augustana and Minnesota State-Mankato. I have done virtual visits at South Dakota State and St. Thomas. I am going to Minnesota-Duluth next month, and I just got a camp invite to South Dakota. I have been invited to junior days at the University of Sioux Falls, Northern State, Southwest Minnesota State, and Bemidji State." College coaches like what they see. "They say they like my film and how I can make a play out of nothing. They like my arm and my accuracy." Now that he has the trust of his high school team, it is on Eggert to have a big senior season to gain the trust of at least one college to trust him with – eventually – handing their offense over to him.