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Iowa State University Athletics
Jahlas Latest Special Teams Star For The Cyclones
10.09.2015 | Football
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads has always stressed the importance of special teams and the Cyclones have yet again succeeded in that category.
The latest NCAA statistical rankings prove this.
Cyclone opponents have returned 18 kickoffs this year with a mere 16.0 average per return. That total leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks sixth nationally.
One of the primary reasons for ISU's outstanding return defense is the play of walk-on Josh Jahlas, a junior linebacker from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
You probably noticed him in ISU's 38-13 win over Kansas on Saturday. Jahlas was the guy breaking free to be first on the scene in stopping the kickoff or punt returner in his tracks. He racked up four tackles on special teams vs. Kansas to improve his season total to seven, including five solo stops.
Jahlas knows his role and he takes pride in it.
“Special teams is a desire thing,” Jahlas said. “You just need a desire to want to do it. You watch film and you try to learn what the return scheme will look like. Find your keys, and if you see a key you got to hit it as fast as you can. I try not to think when I am out there. I just try to react.”
Jahlas is merely picking up where he left off last season when he was named the Jim Doran Outstanding Special Teams Player of the Year. He tallied nine tackles a year ago and recovered a fumble.
He added another fumble recovery in the season-opener vs. UNI to give him two in his career, which ties for the team lead among active Cyclones.
Jahlas watched from the sideline in his first two seasons picking the brain of Levi Peters, a former walk-on who was ISU's star on special teams in 2013.
“I watched guys like Levi and a lot of the other walk-ons like Gage Shaeffer and Wes Boyer when I was sitting out,” Jahlas said. “All of those guys played hard on special teams and found their role, and that's what I wanted to be like.”
Jahlas was a four-sport star at Kennedy High School, earning letters in football, baseball, basketball and track & field. He was an all-state linebacker, recording 133 tackles as a senior, and also earned all-state honors in baseball.
Jahlas always dreamed of playing big-time college football, but most of his offers were from Division III schools. He wanted to pursue an education in civil engineering and Iowa State was naturally on top of the list of schools he was looking at.
“I tried to get offers from other places, but I really didn't get many,” Jahlas said. “I wanted to play at the highest level I could and I was going to school for engineering, so Iowa State made sense.”
His decision to walk-on at Iowa State has been a blessing for Cyclone special teams coach Shane Burnham.
“He's a four-unit starter for us and he is our special teams demon right now,” Burnham said. “He's been dominant and he's playing lights out.”
Jahlas' tremendous play has been so noticeable, Kansas decided to set up a double-team scheme to keep him at bay.
“Coach Beaty (Kansas head coach) came up to him after the game and told him they made it a point to double-team him,” Burnham said. “He's been so good that teams are actually setting up game-plans to stop him. He plays so hard and so physical, and is he is making plays.”
Burnham's special teams units have been sound in the Rhoads era. Early in his tenure at Iowa State, Burnham wanted to initiate a reward system and mantra to help encourage his special teamers to play with heart and physicality. He came up with JUICE, which stands for Jacked Up Intensity Contagious Energy. He hands out the JUICE player of the game after each week.
Before each time the Cyclone special teams take the field, they huddle up and yell “JUICE” in unison. Jahlas has definitely bought in, earning the JUICE player of the game twice already this season.
“Josh is one of those guys that gets the importance of special teams,” Burnham added. “He knows that's his role right now. Some guys when they are running down the field they play with big eyes. Josh does not play with big eyes. He doesn't run timid and he's very courageous.”
What sets Jahlas apart from the rest is his ability to make a difficult task look simple.
“When you break it down it sounds easy,” Jahlas said. “I see the ball and I try to get to the ball. And I try to do it as fast as I can.”
The latest NCAA statistical rankings prove this.
Cyclone opponents have returned 18 kickoffs this year with a mere 16.0 average per return. That total leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks sixth nationally.
One of the primary reasons for ISU's outstanding return defense is the play of walk-on Josh Jahlas, a junior linebacker from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
You probably noticed him in ISU's 38-13 win over Kansas on Saturday. Jahlas was the guy breaking free to be first on the scene in stopping the kickoff or punt returner in his tracks. He racked up four tackles on special teams vs. Kansas to improve his season total to seven, including five solo stops.
Jahlas knows his role and he takes pride in it.
“Special teams is a desire thing,” Jahlas said. “You just need a desire to want to do it. You watch film and you try to learn what the return scheme will look like. Find your keys, and if you see a key you got to hit it as fast as you can. I try not to think when I am out there. I just try to react.”
Jahlas is merely picking up where he left off last season when he was named the Jim Doran Outstanding Special Teams Player of the Year. He tallied nine tackles a year ago and recovered a fumble.
He added another fumble recovery in the season-opener vs. UNI to give him two in his career, which ties for the team lead among active Cyclones.
Jahlas watched from the sideline in his first two seasons picking the brain of Levi Peters, a former walk-on who was ISU's star on special teams in 2013.
“I watched guys like Levi and a lot of the other walk-ons like Gage Shaeffer and Wes Boyer when I was sitting out,” Jahlas said. “All of those guys played hard on special teams and found their role, and that's what I wanted to be like.”
Jahlas was a four-sport star at Kennedy High School, earning letters in football, baseball, basketball and track & field. He was an all-state linebacker, recording 133 tackles as a senior, and also earned all-state honors in baseball.
Jahlas always dreamed of playing big-time college football, but most of his offers were from Division III schools. He wanted to pursue an education in civil engineering and Iowa State was naturally on top of the list of schools he was looking at.
“I tried to get offers from other places, but I really didn't get many,” Jahlas said. “I wanted to play at the highest level I could and I was going to school for engineering, so Iowa State made sense.”
His decision to walk-on at Iowa State has been a blessing for Cyclone special teams coach Shane Burnham.
“He's a four-unit starter for us and he is our special teams demon right now,” Burnham said. “He's been dominant and he's playing lights out.”
Jahlas' tremendous play has been so noticeable, Kansas decided to set up a double-team scheme to keep him at bay.
“Coach Beaty (Kansas head coach) came up to him after the game and told him they made it a point to double-team him,” Burnham said. “He's been so good that teams are actually setting up game-plans to stop him. He plays so hard and so physical, and is he is making plays.”
Burnham's special teams units have been sound in the Rhoads era. Early in his tenure at Iowa State, Burnham wanted to initiate a reward system and mantra to help encourage his special teamers to play with heart and physicality. He came up with JUICE, which stands for Jacked Up Intensity Contagious Energy. He hands out the JUICE player of the game after each week.
Before each time the Cyclone special teams take the field, they huddle up and yell “JUICE” in unison. Jahlas has definitely bought in, earning the JUICE player of the game twice already this season.
“Josh is one of those guys that gets the importance of special teams,” Burnham added. “He knows that's his role right now. Some guys when they are running down the field they play with big eyes. Josh does not play with big eyes. He doesn't run timid and he's very courageous.”
What sets Jahlas apart from the rest is his ability to make a difficult task look simple.
“When you break it down it sounds easy,” Jahlas said. “I see the ball and I try to get to the ball. And I try to do it as fast as I can.”
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