Naperville Central defensive end Jake Stanish made a lot of superhuman-type plays during his senior season.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Vanderbilt recruit made the exceptional look ordinary with his consistent dominance.
“He’s got such long arms and such big hands, and he’s just so athletic for his size,” Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich said. “We just have never had a kid at his position who is one of a kind in terms of his size and speed and athleticism.
“I don’t think we’ll have a kid that plays defensive end that will move like him in a long time.”
Stanish, a Class 8A all-state pick, had 43 tackles, including nine for loss and 10 sacks, and had three fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown, to help the Redhawks (11-2) reach the Class 8A semifinals.
Despite all of his abilities, Stanish said his personal superhero and biggest blessing in life is his mother Tanya, an attorney who adopted him at birth. She has raised him and his younger sister Zemme, a Naperville Central freshman, as a single parent.
“She’s just the nicest person you’ll come across,” Stanish said. “She’s always accepting. She never would say no if I wanted to try something new — a new sport or new hobby — and she’ll always be in my corner.”
Stanish has loved sports for as long as he can remember. He also plays hockey and lacrosse for Naperville Central.
“I love to be active, and my mom has been great about getting me in whatever I want,” he said. “So even though she hates lacrosse, she’s let me play lacrosse every year.”
Ulreich said that was a wise move.
“His mom made a terrific decision when she kept him involved in sports,” Ulreich said. “He’s done everything — hockey, lacrosse, wrestling. He’s never been a kid that’s just been focused on one sport.
“He’s just scratching the surface of the things he could do, which is pretty incredible.”
Stanish’s achievements are already incredible. He will be only the fifth Naperville Central product to play football for an SEC team, joining guard Woody Gerber (Alabama), two-way lineman Josh Jelesky (Vanderbilt), receiver Sam Jackson (Auburn) and quarterback Payton Thorne (Auburn).
Gerber, a 1938 Naperville Central graduate, played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1941 and 1942.
“It means the world,” Stanish said of joining that group. “I could not believe it. I thought the SEC was completely out of reach.”
Indeed, Stanish was committed to Buffalo before Vanderbilt came calling in November.
“One of the interesting things about Jake is how, in the best possible way, how naive he is to the whole recruiting process,” Ulreich said. “A lot of young people soak up the attention and can’t wait to post every little thing that has to do with recruiting and offers.
“But when Vanderbilt offered Jake during the season, he didn’t even know they could do that. I’m sure a lot of kids in his situation were hoping their senior year somebody would come with an offer. With Jake, that was never on his radar as a possibility.”
Stanish found it difficult to tell Buffalo that he was decommitting.
“I felt terrible at first, but every single coach at Buffalo was accepting and kind when I told them,” he said. “They were all still in my corner and rooting for me and wanting the best.”
Stanish thinks he has found that at Vanderbilt (7-6, 3-5), which upset Alabama during the regular season and beat Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl.
“The biggest thing for me was the way Vanderbilt talked to me,” he said. “I thought only the smaller MAC schools would talk to me, but they really thought I had a future there, and that has meant the world to me.”
Stanish has meant a lot to the Redhawks, and not only on the field.
“His mom did a wonderful job,” Ulreich said. “He’s incredibly polite, pushes everybody’s chair in and is a kid who is incredibly likable.
“He has a lot of teachers in our building that think the world of him.”
Although Stanish hasn’t decided on a major, he knows his world revolves around sports and family.
“Every coach would probably hate to hear this, but I can’t really see myself outside of sports,” he said. “So whatever that might mean, I obviously want to try my best and make it to the NFL.
“I think I have what it takes to make it, so I will continue on that path.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
