Grandview's Dane Jentsch puts up All-American season for Navarro

Jan. 6—GRANDVIEW — When Dane Jentsch's high school football career as a Grandview Zebra came to an end in 2020, he walked off the field as one of the most accomplished players in Texas high school football history.

The list of accolades was long — all-district, All-Johnson County, all-state, All-American, two-time state champion. Not only that, a big part of Jentsch's legacy was that he became the first — and still only — player in Texas high school football history to win state championship game offensive and defensive MVP twice.

But for all of his individual awards and team success, Jentsch didn't have a ton of options to continue his playing career at the collegiate level. The offers didn't match the production whatsoever.

In December 2020, Jentsch signed with Lamar University, one of the few programs interested in him. However, Jentsch's career at Lamar didn't work out. Jentsch not only played just two games on defense for Lamar in 2021, but he only played two snaps on defense.

After a discussion with Lamar's head coach, Jentsch decided it would be best to move on.

"I decided to transfer from [Lamar] when I asked for more reps from my head coach and his response was, 'You don't have enough potential to play here at a Division I school,'" Jentsch said. "So that kind of did it for me. I was like, 'Yeah, it's time to go.' Also, I'm not big on losing and they went 2-9 when I was there and 1-10 this past season."

For a player who didn't have a ton of options coming out of high school, the pickings were slim once again for Jentsch after transferring from Lamar.

"I just prayed and my dad said, 'Have you tried the JUCO route?' and I said, 'That's for dogs; I could try,'" Jentsch said. "My dad mentioned Navarro, so I decided to give them a call. Their head coach was real cool. He said I have spot with them and he likes how I play."

Jentsch wound up at Navarro College, and what a move it was. As a starter, Jentsch helped lead Navarro to a 6-3 record in 2022 and he earned first-team all-conference honors and honorable mention on the 2022 NJCAA Division I Football All-American Team.

Navarro Head Coach Ryan Taylor said he already knew a lot about Jentsch before he arrived on campus.

"I went and saw him both times [Grandview played for state championships] at AT&T Stadium," Taylor said. "I thought he was a hell of a high school player. We recruited him when I was head coach at Cisco and he went to Lamar instead. Then I got the head coach job [at Navarro] in January and he hit me up in the summer and asked if there was a spot. I said, 'Heck yeah.'

"We knew exactly who he was. He's a great player. Very accomplished kid. He's had a great career. He was a well-known kid. Everybody I talked to after we signed him knew about him. It was a pretty big deal getting him here."

Going into the 2022 season, Navarro had competition for the starting quarterback job, but it didn't take long for Jentsch to do what he does — that being, when he gets an opportunity, he runs with it.

"I had to compete for the starting spot," Jentsch said. "They had somebody returning from last year and they called in a 6-3, 6-4 quarterback from Florida. So all three of us competed. After the first drive, the starter threw a pick. When I got my chance, the job was mine."

Taylor said the coaching staff knew early on that Jentsch was the man for the job.

"First game wasn't good for us and we played three or four different quarterbacks that day," Taylor said. "Dane did get the significant amount of reps that game and we clearly knew he was that guy going forward. He just got to us in July so it was a quick turnaround to learn the offense. ... Once he got that down, he really took off and got better every week."

After a 42-0 loss to Hutchinson Community College in the Bulldogs' season opener, Jentsch opened some eyes nationwide with his week 2 performance in a hard-fought 40-35 loss to New Mexico Military Institute. Jentsch completed 27-of-37 passes for 397 yards, two touchdowns and one interception with 31 rushing yards.

Jentsch said his running ability opened up the passing game, and he took advantage of the defense New Mexico Military Institute played.

"The first two drives, I was running all over them so they had to respect that, and that opened the pass game a lot," Jentsch said. "We have some really good backs so they were already playing box heavy. They played a true cover 3 the whole time and I faced that my whole high school career so I knew the ins and outs of how to beat that."

Grandview Head Coach Ryan Ebner said he knew Jentsch would do special things, all it took was someone to give him a chance.

"I think all he needed was an opportunity," Ebner said. "Lamar wasn't willing to give him that and Navarro did. Once he got the opportunity, he took the reins and ran with it, as he did as a freshman here at Grandview.

"There was no doubt in my mind he would do that. People would come and ask about him, and I'd say, 'All you have to do is give that kid an opportunity and he'll do the rest.'"

Jentsch ended his freshman season with Navarro by completing 71.7% of his passes for 2,003 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions for a pass efficiency of 170.5 — among the top 28 in college football regardless of level.

Jentsch led the NJCAA in quarterback efficiency rating (170.5). He finished second in the nation in completion percentage (71.7), seventh in passing yards (2,003), ninth in completions (147) and 11th in touchdown passes (14). Jentsch threw touchdown passes in eight consecutive games in the process of racking up five games with 200-plus passing yards.

The former three-time All-Johnson County MVP said he's grateful to be recognized as a first-team all-conference and All-American selection, but he's hopeful to get another opportunity from a Division I program moving forward.

"Like it was in high school, it's a blessing," Jentsch said. "It's something I hope will open some eyes. But with all the accolades in the world, I still can't get the eyes of these coaches. But it still means a lot to be recognized. And I had a really, really good team around me to help me get that recognition."

Taylor said there were standout quarterbacks throughout the Southwestern Junior College Football Conference in 2022, so for Jentsch to be chosen by coaches as the first-team selection at the position says a lot.

"I think to play the quarterback position, you must have some certain variables to be able to be successful and he definitely has all of that," Taylor said. "He's a competitor. Smart. His IQ is off the charts. He's got some great athletic ability, too. Everybody looks at him and he's not the prototypical kid — but he just gets it done. When you steadily see him getting it done consistently, that's what I'm most impressed with and that's why he's our starter. He's our guy going forward.

"That's why he was voted first-team all-conference by the rest of the coaches in our conference. It was clear. Every one of the other quarterbacks were damn good, too, but he was voted first team. He's getting noticed by quite a few guys and he'll be recognized as one of the top guys going into this next season. I think he'll get some Division I opportunities. He's that kind of guy."

Jentsch's accomplishments in 2022 are even more impressive when taking into account the caliber of talent he faced on a weekly basis.

"JUCO is just a grind," Jentsch said. "We played Hutch that first game and their middle linebacker was a bounceback from Alabama, their wide receiver was committed to Alabama, they had a safety committed to Iowa. It was a DI team we were playing against. Everybody on that team had big-time offers. Everybody else we played, they'd have three or four big-time standouts each team. But that Hutch game, everybody was a standout."

"I've been coaching for 10 years in this conference — and it's a Division I conference," Taylor said. "Every single week he's facing multiple Division I prospects on the opposing defense. And he really played well this year as a freshman. I'm excited to see his growth. He's still got tremendous upside and will get bigger, faster and stronger."

Despite all of Jentsch's accomplishments in a record-breaking high school career for the Zebras plus his first season at Navarro, the offers are still slow to come in. And there's only one thing that stands in the way for Jentsch already being a quarterback at a big-time Division I program.

"It's not even a feeling I get from coaches, they tell me straight up — they say, 'If you were three inches taller, you'd have a free ride right now,'" Jentsch said. "I've had multiple coaches tell me that. They say, 'I can't bring a 5-foot-10 quarterback to my head coach and it not work out or I'm fired.'"

One area Jentsch said he really focused on this past season was throwing more in the middle of the field, finding windows between linemen to hit open receivers on crossing routes and such — things that smaller quarterbacks sometimes struggle with compared to bigger passers.

"I think I really improved in throwing over the line of scrimmage because that's a big emphasis for college coaches," Jentsch said. "I threw a few balls over the middle in high school but not like I did this year, being able to see through gaps and throw through the line of scrimmage instead of out routes and outside stuff."

Even though Jentsch has won at an elite level and made winning plays since he first stepped foot on a football field, his size has been the only thing holding Division I programs from offering him.

Jentsch said he believes his track record should matter more than his size.

"I'd tell them just look at my record," Jentsch said. "Go as far back as high school. I went 45-4 as a starter and I went 6-3 my first year at Navarro. If they want a winner, I do what it takes. I don't care if it's getting one yard or throwing a Hail Mary at the end of the game, I'm going to get it done."

Ebner said while college coaches put so much emphasis on players' height, what Jentsch brings to a football team can't be measured.

"I feel like with Dane, it's always been how people have mentioned his height as opposed to what he does on a football field," Ebner said. "That was always a drawback, which I thought was ridiculous when you should be looking at what he does, wins and losses. And as his coach, I know what he does in the locker room.

"Even if it doesn't come this year, he has another year at Navarro. If he goes out and does the same thing again in 2023, there's nothing else to talk about. And it's not that he did a decent job running the show, he was at the top of the country as far as playing the quarterback position. ... You can't keep saying, 'I'm worried about this one thing,' when all the other things are pointing towards success for your team if he's on it. To me it's just a matter of when a team gives him the opportunity."

One example of Jentsch's passion for the game and his work ethic came during his senior season, a moment not many witnessed or are aware of. One of Grandview's games was canceled barely two hours before kickoff because their opponent had a COVID outbreak, but instead of going home or going to watch another game, Jentsch went straight to the weight room and vigorously worked out for two-plus hours.

For Ebner, watching Jentsch have to wait for his big break has been frustrating just because he knows how much Jentsch has worked for it.

"It's frustrating because of the relationship you have with him so you've seen the hard work, dedication and perseverance of all the obstacles he's had to jump over and you know how bad he wants it," Ebner said. "When you have a strong bond with a kid like that, you want it so bad for him because you know how bad he wants it. Like I always tell him, one day you'll look back on it as part of the journey. You have to use it at this point to drive you and I feel like that's exactly what he's doing."

For now, Jentsch is focused on offseason workouts and his studies — he said he has a 4.0 GPA — as he awaits an offer while planning to prepare for his second season with Navarro.

"I'm a big believer in God's timing," Jentsch said. "I let Him take the reins and I do what I do every day to the fullest. That's what my dad has preached to me my whole life. You can only do what's in your hands. It's just whatever God's timing is, that's what I want."

Even with Jentsch putting together an All-American caliber season with Navarro in year 1, Taylor said he expects Jentsch to take great strides going into 2023.

"I expect tremendous growth," Taylor said. "I feel like every week we put in a lot of new things towards his strengths and towards all of our other players' strengths. With another spring and summer, that's a heck of a lot more time to be able to do some things and keep polishing the offense and the reps and the leadership he brings to it.

"During that whole time, he'll get recruited by other schools. He's got a lot to work for. He's got a big semester coming up and he's ready for it. I'm excited to get him back and go to work. There's a lot of things we have as a team with goals we were close to this year and I know guys are excited to come back and chase them."

Jentsch, a four-year starter for Grandview, finished his high school career with 8,895 passing yards, 127 touchdowns and only 18 interceptions with 3,517 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns while he led Grandview to a 17-2 record in the playoffs across four seasons, including back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019.