West Des Moines, Iowa isn't exactly known for being a quarterback haven and though it's in the backyard of two Power 5 programs in Iowa and Iowa State, Jaxon Smolik had been mostly overlooked by the P5 programs with Smolik committing to Tulane just a few weeks ago.
Then Smolik got a last minute invite to the Elite 11 Finals days after his commitment to Tulane on June 23rd
Tulane QB commit @JaxonSmolik was invited to the Elite 11 Finals at the last second as a fill-in and finished second place in the rail shot competition. pic.twitter.com/OJIIlhsTsK
— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) June 29, 2022
#Tulane commit Jaxon Smolik has had a very solid week pic.twitter.com/M90K8Vcc6A
— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) June 30, 2022
The story of @JaxonSmolik getting a call to come to California to compete in the @Elite11 the night before the competition, coming in 2nd day 1 in the rail shot challenge, then performing so well that he climbs from 20th all the way up to the final #Elite11 is absolutely amazing! pic.twitter.com/mxVjBP6nIO
— Devin GARDNER (@devingardnerXCI) July 3, 2022
Since then, Jaxon Smolik has received a surge of interest receiving an offer from California while also hearing from several major Power 5 programs in Virginia Tech, LSU, Penn State, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Baylor.
Smolik first heard from Virginia Tech on Thursday before speaking with QBs coach Brad Glenn on Friday morning and offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen later on Friday. He had this to say about how those conversations went.
"He (Brad Glenn) was very informative and told me about the program and then I faced timed with Coach Bowen and I really connected with him, he is a very honest coach," Smolik said.
Smolik had this to say about what Virginia Tech's message was for him.
"They are considering taking two quarterbacks for 2023 and they just wanted to see if I would fit in well with the program," Smolik said.
He also added that he "really likes" offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen so it's clear that Tech has made a very positive, first impression on the Elite 11 breakout QB.
All of this shouldn't come as a surprise as even when Tech landed Dylan Wittke, Virginia Tech taking 2 quarterbacks this cycle always seemed very much in play especially with only 4 scholarship QBs on the current roster with only 3 having eligibility next year.
Tech needs more scholarship QB depth and taking 2 this cycle would make a lot of sense whether that's purely from the high school route or throwing in a transfer or JUCO. The Hokies had shown interest in Utah transfer Peter Costelli this offseason even after landing Grant Wells and Jason Brown, and though that didn't go anywhere in terms of an offer (Costelli transferred to Troy), it's clear that Tech wants more scholarship QB depth.
At the moment, Smolik is "not sure" how close Virginia Tech may be to offering him though he did tell us that he'll be talking with head coach Brent Pry "next week" in a clear indication of the Hokies' serious interest as they consider taking a second high school QB this cycle.
Keep an eye on Elite 11 breakout QB Jaxon Smolik who may be committed to Tulane for now, but has loads of Power 5 interest after turning a last minute Elite 11 invite into a statement on how underrated he is.
