Jansen discusses decision
Pella defensive lineman Garret Jansen was not planning to make an official visit to Iowa, but a scholarship offer quickly changed things. Now, the 6-foot-1, 250-pound Jansen will be calling Iowa City home for the next four years and playing college football for the Hawkeyes. We caught up with the Pella native to talk about his decision, his future at Iowa, and much more.
Q: How was your visit to Iowa?
JANSEN: The visit was great. We got to meet all the coaches and got to see of the facilities which were awesome. We got to go to Kinnick and do all that stuff. We went to the basketball game and it was a good game.
Q: When did Iowa end up offering?
JANSEN: They offered my Friday night at 10:30.
Q: When did you commit?
JANSEN: I committed on the spot.
Q: Were you going to take the visit before the offer came?
JANSEN: I wasn't planning on going to visit because I was committed to UNI. They said they'd prefer me to not go on the visit. I wasn't going to commit until Friday night. They offered me and I thought I wanted to go see everything so we drove up Saturday morning and did the visit.
Q: What did UNI say about the trip?
JANSEN: They just said that they would prefer me not to go and I didn't want to risk anything. I talked to Coach Morgan and he said it was not going to hurt my chances if I didn't come. We are not slamming the door.
Q: What did he say when they offered?
JANSEN: Coach Morgan called me and said he had a conversation with Kirk and the staff. They decided that they were going to offer me.
Q: After being committed to Cincinnati, how did things change?
JANSEN: The thing that changed was that I was being offered a grayshirt. At first, I was a candidate for it. They eventually said that you can accept it or not accept it. I decided to open up my options.
Q: What was your reaction with the news of the grayshirt?
JANSEN: It was just shock because I felt like I did my part. I cancelled camps at other schools and told them that I was committed. They didn't do their part. It was frustrating at first but when you fall off the horse you have to get back on and keep riding.
Q: What type of interest had Iowa been showing?
JANSEN: Coach Morgan had been recruiting me since camp. During the summer, he wanted to respect my commitment and didn't go after me too hard. They were always interested and it was expressed over the past two weeks.
Q: Why did you pick Iowa?
JANSEN: Iowa is a great place to be. They have what I want to study and it is a great program there. The football program is outstanding. The new facilities are great. The coaching staff is most important and they have been there for a long time. They know what they are doing. I like the kind of program they are.
As a senior, Jansen led Pella with 75 tackles, 31 TFL, and seven sacks as the team went 14-0 on their way to a state championship in Class 3A.