Jaxon Dailey continues to grow

With a father who played Division I football at Iowa, Southeast Polk quarterback Jaxon Dailey knows what it takes to play the sport at an extremely high level. We caught up with his high school coach, Brad Zelenovich, and talked to him about the 2022 recruit.

Q: How would you describe him overall as a football player?

ZELENOVICH: He is a great leader for us. He has played a lot of football and started last year as a sophomore. I thought the improvement he made from not just sophomore to junior year but also during his junior year from week one to eleven was incredible. He is extremely intelligent and understands football. He has a physical skill set that sets him apart from a lot of quarterbacks. He can make all the throws. He is a big, strong athletic kid. For us and what we do, he has been a great leader. He loves football and you know you will get his all every day.

Q: What do you feel are his main strengths at this point?

ZELENOVICH: I think with that position, it is the intangibles with how he practices and leads. The physical skills are there with him being a strong kid with a strong arm that is accurate. He really understands what we are trying to do and understands football at an above average level for a kid his age. When you have a guy like that, you are able to do more than you normally can. He is a great leader who works extremely hard. He loves football.

Q: What areas is he going to continue working on heading into the off-season?

ZELENOVICH: I think I feel like a broken record, but with him, it is the same day to day process. He is continuing to take the next step in his physical development with the opportunities we have getting back into the weight room. He will also work in track on his athleticism and explosiveness. He has really improved that. A year ago, if you had asked me about that I would consider it just okay. But he has really attacked that and made himself an explosive athlete. That will really benefit him well at the next level.

Q: What type of season did he have overall?

ZELENOVICH: He had a tremendous season for us. He was very efficient. I think a lot of people get caught up in statistics, especially at that position. The value for him to our football team was the way he leads and commands the offense to score points and win games. At that position, we are looking for a guy to make plays and understand his role. We have a good group of skill kids around him and he is able to handle that and get them involved to create an explosive offense. We were 10-0 for the first time in our school history. We had a chance to play for the state championship. We didn’t play well that night and got beat by a better team, but he still had a tremendous junior season.

Q: How much has it helped him having a father who played Division I football?

ZELENOVICH: I think he understands the game so well for a kid his age. That obviously comes from somewhere. He is a coach’s kid. His mom is a coach and his dad is a coach. He is a gym rat who spends a lot of time in the weight room, locker room, and gyms. He is comfortable and confident with his knowledge and continues to work on that. It is an advantage.

Q: What schools have offered him?

ZELENOVICH: Princeton, Buffalo, Rice, Michigan, and Iowa State have offered. There may be one or two more that I am missing. Those are the ones that have been in contact, along with Iowa. Recruiting quarterbacks is unique as you know. I think he will have other opportunities.

Q: Have the Iowa coaches talked to you about him as a player?

ZELENOVICH: I haven’t really heard specifics yet. I don’t want to speak on their behalf. They have been in contact, but other than that, I’m not sure.

Q: How has it been working with the Iowa coaches?

ZELENOVICH: They are great. They do a really good job being thorough. It is a relationship business and they do a good job developing relationships with our guys. They have respect for the time of the coaches and players that they are recruiting. They have done a nice job of developing relationships with our players and giving them a peak to what Iowa is all about.