Iowa Football Offer Exciting for Missouri DL DJ Wesolak

Boonville, Missouri is a small town sitting on the Missouri River west of Columbia. There’s a major truck stop on Highway 70 heading towards Kansas City. The Rivers, Rails and Trails Museum serves as a main attraction.

College football coaches are becoming familiar with it these days. Boonesville High defensive end DJ Wesolak is making sure of it.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound junior reports scholarship offers from Boston College, Arkansas, Duke, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia and others. The Hawkeyes are new to the party, having extended their opportunity last Friday.

“It was exciting to me because Iowa is a great program with a great coaching staff that loves to win,” he told HN. “I know that Iowa has always had great success with defensive linemen in the NFL and college, and they are successful on each level.”

Defensive line coach Kelvin Bell and Tyler Barnes, the director of recruiting, are leading the Hawkeyes’ pursuit of Wesolak.

“They are great people with great advice,” he said.

Wesolak doesn’t know anybody attending Iowa. So, he’s researching the school and football program on his own.

“I want to learn how and why their defensive players are always successful, and how they perform so greatly,” he said.

Wesolak plans on majoring in Sports Management when he gets to college.

“Hopefully I can get a job as an athletic director after my career,” he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted prospects across the country. They haven’t been able to meet in person with college coaches or enjoy guided visits of campuses and facilities.

For Wesolak, that means a more deliberate process and difficulty in separating options right now.

“They’re really all standing out the same. They all bring the same energy and love,” he said.

Wesolak has time. He won’t be signing a national letter of intent until December of 2021, at the earliest. He can wait for the recruiting dead period to end and visit campuses.

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“I want to make my decision at the end of my senior season, and, honestly, things that’ll go into play in my decision will be the relationship I have with the coaching staff and knowing I will succeed in whatever program I decide to choose,” he said.

247Sports ranks Wesolak as a three-star prospect, the No. 13 player overall in Missouri for ’22 and the No. 26 weak-side defensive end nationally for the cycle. He does not yet have a Rivals’ rating.

Here’s a look at highlights from Wesolak’s first five games this fall: