How does Unity Christian grad Isaac TeSlaa have 14 D1 football offers?
Isaac TeSlaa was named GMAC Offensive Player of the Year this season at Hillsdale. He entered the transfer portal after the season. (Photo courtesy of Hillsdale College).
Isaac TeSlaa was in the airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, waiting to board a plane to Denver on Friday afternoon.
“I’m here after visiting Arkansas,” he said. “I’ve gone on four official visits. Colorado will be my last one and I’ll make my decision after that.”
Who is Isaac TeSlaa and how does he have 14 offers from Division I football programs?
If you’ve never heard of him, you aren’t alone. But that might change very soon.
TeSlaa graduated from Hudsonville Unity Christian High School in West Michigan. He won the Division 5 state championship in 2018 as a quarterback. The only college to give him a shot was Hillsdale College, a Division II program.
“I just knew I wanted to be a receiver and so I started going to summer camps,” TeSlaa recalled. “I knew my skillset was better suited as a receiver. But it was tough to get looks because I was playing QB at Unity and we ran the Wing T (offense).”
Isaac TeSlaa plays quarterback for Unity Christian against Zeeland West on Oct. 14, 2019. Unity had won the state title the season before. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
The 6-foot-4, 210 pounder became a wide receiver at Hillsdale. This past season, he caught 68 passes for 1,325 yards and 13 touchdowns and was named GMAC Offensive Player of the Year. After three years at Hillsdale, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.
So what made a Division II receiver, with two years of eligibility, think he could make the jump to Division I?
“Just because I showcased enough skill where it was clear I could make the jump,” he said. “I’m confident in myself. I thought I had the skills to do it. So why not?”
It has paid off big time.
He has offers from Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Houston, Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Miami, Mississippi, Nebraska, Purdue, Texas A&M, Wisconsin.
Is TeSlaa - pronounced T’Slaw - surprised by the attention?
“Yeah I am,” he said. “I know my skills. But it’s pretty crazy to see the amount of attention I’ve gotten since I hit the portal.”
The day TeSlaa entered the transfer portal, he was contacted by Iowa State.
“They followed me on Twitter so there was some interest. When I hit the portal, they started talking to me.”
So he made an official visit to Ames, Iowa, in early December and has been on the road seeing schools ever since.
Unity Christian players, from left, Zac Velthouse, Grant Balcer, Cameron Chandler, Luke Snoeyink and Isaac TeSlaa during a game at Holland Christian on Jan. 10, 2020. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
TeSlaa started to show glimpses of his athleticism when he was playing basketball.
He was not a good basketball player, by his own admission. But holy cow, could the kid could jump.
“I was just a typical football player who played basketball,” he said. “I’m physical but I wasn’t afraid to guard the big man. Rebounding was my specialty.”
But he could dunk with little effort just standing under the rim.
“I can still two-hand cock it back from a standing position,” he said.
TeSlaa has an almost unheard of vertical leap of 41 inches. The average vertical for an NBA basketball player at the combine is 30 inches with a few players reaching 40.
His junior year in 2019 at Unity Christian, he was on the team that won the Division 2 state basketball championship when they upset River Rouge 58-55.
“I was probably the 11th man on the bench,” he said with a laugh. “It was pretty cool though. I had my role. We were just gritty and holding River Rouge to 55 points was cool. Getting that championship trophy felt pretty good.”
But football clearly was his calling. Now he’s getting recruited by Deion Sanders, the new football coach at the University of Colorado.
TeSlaa had to the cut the phone interview short. It was time to board the plane to visit Colorado.
“He’s a cool guy,” TeSlaa said of Sanders, an NFL Hall of Famer. “I’m heading to Colorado right now. So I’m sure I will sit down and talk to him for awhile when I get there.”
Note: Recently former Mlive and Grand Rapids Press sports writer Steve Kaminski died. On Dec. 12, I e-mailed Steve about Isaac TeSlaa. I told him “You might want to keep an eye on where Unity Christian grad Isaac TeSlaa signs.” I never got a reply. Steve died a few hours later. This may be a basketball website, but I am writing this story because Steve Kaminski wasn’t able to do it.
