Solon alum Adam Bock comes home for South Dakota State's opener against Iowa

While it seems that Division I/FBS college football recruiters always have a knack for finding talent, there are times when standout players fall through the cracks and become steals for smaller programs.

That was the case for former Solon linebacker Adam Bock, who after carving out a stellar high school career in which he was selected to the all-state team twice, including a first-team nod in 2018, still was not heavily recruited.

His lack of recruitment was frustrating for Bock and those who saw his potential, like his former high school head coach, Kevin Miller.

Bock played varsity football for Miller and his staff at Solon from 2015-19 and was described by Miller as the team's "Field General."

“I felt like he was severely underrecruited when he was in high school,” Miller said. “We all knew that he was an exceptional athlete who was explosive, quick, and was a guy who was able to use his ability to move sideline-to-sideline.”

South Dakota State was in on him early and often, which Bock said made the Jackrabbits an easy choice when it came time to pick a school.

"South Dakota State was one of the first schools to reach out to me," Bock said. "They had everything that I was looking for: a stellar football program and I could go to school for mechanical engineering. Everything just seemed like a good fit.”

It did not take Bock long to show that the Jackrabbits' interest was justified after earning the starting middle linebacker job in his redshirt freshman year. He led all defenders with 74 tackles.

In 2021, he became a well-known name in FCS circles after a campaign in which he led the team with 125 tackles along with 9.5 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, and two interceptions.

His relentless play earned him several national honors, including being named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the best defensive player in FCS.

Bock said his biggest accomplishment came this off-season, when he was voted by his peers as a team captain.

“Being voted a team captain is honestly the highest honor I have earned so far,” Bock said. “It is awesome to know that the guys really believe in you and see you as a leader.”

What has been the recipe for his success?

Bock said it is a combination of many things, including the valuable experience he gathered from playing high school ball for the Spartans.

“Coming from Solon, the coaches there prepared me to come in and compete for a spot,” Bock said. “One of the biggest things I learned at Solon was that nothing was given, it had to be earned. That really helped me throughout my time at South Dakota State to become the player that I am today.”

Bock has a chance to make his resume even more impressive Saturday when he makes his return to eastern Iowa. His Jackrabbits come to Iowa City to face Iowa in both teams' season opener.

“This game has been circled on my calendar for a while now,” Bock said. “I grew up a Hawkeyes fan, so I have really been looking forward to this opportunity. I am looking forward to playing in front of friends, family, members of the Solon community, and even people who have not seen me play since high school.”

One of those people who will be rooting him on is Miller, who said that he expects the star linebacker to play well on the big stage.

“I know that he is excited to come back to what is essentially his hometown,” Miller said. “I am sure it is going to be a lot of Solon people who will be attending that game. I think he will play well because he will relish getting the chance to play in front of thousands of fans.”

Bock said that goals are to win and to make a statement in front of members of the Solon community.

“The main thing that I really want to do is have a team win,” Bock said. "I want to show everyone back home the growth that I have made over my past couple of years in college. The biggest thing for me is to show everyone who hasn't seen me since high school how I play football and all the growth I have had.”

Raven Moore covers high school sports for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. You can reach her at RSMoore@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Raven_XReport.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: South Dakota State's Adam Bock returns to Iowa as a star linebacker