Sobotka faces another hurdle

IOWA CITY — Jacob Sobotka showed versatility in several events for coach Brad Elliott on Mount Ayr’s state championship track and field team in 2014.

But, he didn’t have much experience in the hurdles.

However, since then the University of Iowa football player has become an expert at overcoming obstacles.

Once again, the former Raider multisport star finds himself mired in the daily grind of injury rehabilitation, likely sidelined for the entire 2017 season.

Just as he was moving up the depth chart at “Leo” (field side outside) linebacker and starting on the punt team as the protection signal caller during spring practice, Sobotka suffered a serious knee injury in a practice just two days before the April 21 spring game in Kinnick Stadium.

“It was the Wednesday before the spring game, our last padded practice,” Sobotka said. “We were doing a special teams drill at the end of practice, simulating being a blocker on kick return and gunner on kickoff team. I was the blocker. I locked on the guy, started to turn and run with him, and my left foot came down funny and I felt it in my knee. I tore my left ACL.”

Sobotka had surgery on April 27. Standard rehabilitation time is six to nine months.

November goal

“Early November is the goal, which is near the end of the season,” he said.

The Hawkeyes have four Big Ten games in November against Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Nebraska. But, Sobotka will not have any practice time leading into that month and isn’t expecting to appear in any games.

However, he would like to get a head start on practice time in preparation for his final season as a Hawkeye in 2018. Sobotka, who redshirted his freshman season (2014) as a preferred walk-on, doesn’t plan to pursue a medical redshirt for 2017.

“Probably not because I don’t plan to be here for six years,” Sobotka said. “I’m running out of classes to take!”

The son of Darwin and Michele Sobotka of Clearfield plans to graduate in December 2018 from the Tippie School of Business at Iowa, majoring in economics and finance. He’s been on the Dean’s List each semester he’s been enrolled at Iowa.

“There are a lot of directions you can go (in business) with that major,” he said. “The plan is to graduate as soon as my senior football season is done.”

Even if he’s too far behind to move back up the ranks at outside linebacker as a senior to earn significant playing time, there remains a strong possibility of contributing in special teams. The former Mount Ayr quarterback was enjoying his role on the “shield” unit of three players in front of the punter.

“I read the defense and call out the protection that puts ourselves in the best situation to get guys downfield to cover while still having adequate protection for the punter,” Sobotka said. “I’ll just do whatever I can to get back on the field and help the team next year.”

First injury

This is the second heartbreaking injury Sobotka has sustained as a Hawkeye.

As the team was preparing for the Rose Bowl in December 2015, coming off a 12-0 regular season and appearance in the Big Ten championship game, Sobotka injured his right knee.

“That time I tore my right ACL the day before we left for California,” Sobotka said. “They delayed the surgery until after the Rose Bowl so I could still go along. So I waited until January 2016 and I missed spring ball. I was out until mid-July. Then I tweaked it again and set myself back a couple of weeks. I wasn’t running yet when camp started last year. I was cleared to practice about a week or two into the season. I didn’t get in any games. Actually, I retore my meniscus during the bye week just before the Penn State game.”

A minor arthroscopic surgical procedure repaired the meniscus injury in January 2017 and, after a month of rehabilitation, he was going full speed in conditioning and lifting regimens heading into spring practice.

Sobotka was 6-2 and 215 pounds as an all-state quarterback and linebacker for the Mount Ayr Raiders, who went 19-4 his final two seasons. He holds school records for career rushing yards (3,649 yards) and single-season passing yards (1,668 yards) and career passing (3,893 yards and 42 touchdowns).

Yet, the runner of 400 meters, 200 meters and 100 meters on state meet relays for Mount Ayr’s state champion track team was projected as a defensive recruit in college and was named the Defensive MVP of the 2014 Iowa Shrine Bowl for the South squad.

Before his latest injury, Sobotka had grown to 235 pounds. His maximum bench press was 285 pounds, his squat was 500 pounds, dead lift was 585 pounds and hang clean was 370 pounds. He still had a vertical jump over 30 inches. He entered Iowa with a best 40-yard dash time of 4.55 seconds as a 215-pounder.

“Coach (Chris) Doyle really stresses the mindset and how you approach things in getting stronger,” Sobotka said. “They know what they’re doing.”

With a senior corps of linebackers, Sobotka realizes he wouldn’t have been in the starting lineup as a junior this fall, before suffering the injury. But, he likely would have been on the travel roster and a contributor on the punt team, if not other special teams.

“Punt team is really the only one we work on much in the spring, because we have so many formations and protections to learn,” Sobotka said. “I assume I would have been on one or two other ones, probably kickoff or kick return.”

No regrets

Now, Sobotka spends his summer days taking one class and following the rehabilitation regimen for his knee. He hasn’t let the setbacks deter his optimism about finishing strong as a Hawkeye, both in the classroom and on the field.

“You really have to balance the two,” he said. “You have to pay attention to both or you will get lost in one of them. I’ve done well. I’ve had great experiences here, even though I’ve had some hard luck. It’s been worth it.”