Fresno State defensive lineman looks to prove himself after lack of D-1 offers
Jack Metzler couldn’t figure out why no Division I school sent him an offer this past season.
Despite his 16 tackles and two sacks, Metzler had a 6-foot-4 and 250 pound frame that would pose a problem for opposing quarterbacks.
He finished his freshman season at Fresno City College after arriving from Horizon, Ariz.
Still, when the season ended, no offers came into Fresno City’s football office for Metzler.
Only Fresno State came knocking and offered Metzler.
“It was always a plan for me to go to Juco ball and get out in six months,” he said. “With that being said, when they reached out I was excited but I was disappointed that I didn’t hear from other big time programs.”
Metzler shouldn’t feel bad.
Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen had the same thing happen to him when he was playing at Reedley College.
No D-I offered him but Wyoming and he made the best of it en route to being a first-round NFL draft pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
Metzler hopes history repeats itself, but he said he’s looking forward to playing for the Bulldogs.
“Now that I feel like I’m finally being seen and recognized it makes me want to work even harder to show what my talent is like on the field and prove the schools who didn’t recruit me wrong,” he said.
It didn’t take long for Metzler to take a liking to Fresno State coach Matt Entz and defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto.
He said he enjoyed the official visit and cannot wait to put on the uniform and get going.
“I sent film out to multiple Mountain West and (other) schools but Fresno State is the one that took a chance on me,” he said.
“When I went over the defensive scheme with my coordinator I felt like I could fit into the program and help contribute to the team. The new staff seemed determined to better the program and wanted to be able to give us the highest chance of success for our team.”
