Jackson Strecker '26 Recruiting Profile

As a four-sport athlete I have continued to evolve and learn about myself through football, basketball, golf and taekwondo.  Each sport has granted me lessons and experiences that continue to influence my personal growth within each activity.  Those experiences interact within themselves but also play parts within the other sports. My experiences as a specialist are somewhat of a two-way mirror of the same space.  Specialists are part of the brotherhood of the team, but they tend to practice and initiate the training by themselves. This is sometimes isolating but that is the reason not every player can be a specialist.  Both ideologies are important to achieving the teams’ goals.  

However, unlike football and basketball, golf and taekwondo are individual sports that still require the same self-discipline, dedication and pursuit of excellence.  I am constantly evaluating the next “shot” or “kick”.  My dad always reminds me that “the next one is the most important.” Like football, they are all intertwined and the pieces must work in the frame of the mechanism to attain perfection.  I can always use the qualities I learned from golf and taekwondo while preparing for a kick in a game. Achieving the rank of 1^st degree (Dan) black belt has taught me a trait of mental toughness and the “never give up” mantra.   No matter what has happened or how my opponent has tried to defeat me, I am mentally stronger than him. They cannot and will not break my will. They have lost, they just don’t know it yet.  Nothing is ever easy; I can just do “HARD” better than them.

I am entering my junior year and while all these activities are privileges, I am keeping a firm grip on my academic career.  My grades have always been very important to me and will stay in the forefront of my overall vision and professional career goals.  I plan to major in an Engineering field with a focus on the mechanical discipline. Balancing my high school academic schedule and extracurricular activities is a challenge, but I believe my time management and mental fortitude will allow me to be successful in both. I am firmly convinced that my rigorous school schedule, participation in Kansas 4-H and the National Honor society have prepared me for the opportunity to participate in football as a specialist at the collegiate level while completing my degree.