Three years after leaving eastern Idaho to play college football, Jake Belnap is back.
The 2010 Hillcrest graduate cleared eligibility hurdles Wednesday and will walk on to the Idaho State football team beginning with the start of spring practice April 2.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive linemen returns to eastern Idaho after walking on at Montana for the 2010 season, then spending the past two years playing at Saddleback College, a junior college in southern California.
Belnap said he had several offers from Division II schools and offers from FCS schools University of Charleston, University at Albany and Eastern Illinois University. But he said while weighing his options, the offers at the FCS schools went to other players and Idaho State provided his best option.
“Out of the offers that were left, this was the best fit for me,” Belnap said. “It’s close to my family and I get to play on a team with my brother. My teammate from Saddleback (linebacker Erik Nelson) is also on the team, so I’ll know a bunch of people on the team.”
Belnap’s younger brother, Tyler Belnap, walked on to Idaho State last fall as a wide receiver and took a redshirt year.
The addition of Belnap adds much-needed size to Idaho State’s defense. The Bengals finished the 2012 season with only two defensive linemen weighing more than 260 pounds, and one of them sat out the year with a redshirt.
ISU finished the year last in scoring defense (53.82 points per game), total defense (570.82 yards per game) and rushing defense (362.73 yards per game) among the 636 football-playing members of the NCAA, ranging from the FBS level to Division III.
“Being from here, I’ve always heard about the Bengals and how they have a bad reputation,” Belnap said. “But I’ve been a part of turning programs around. I know what it takes and what it feels like. Hopefully we have a good home crowd, win a couple games and make it to the playoffs.
“And, if I’m to be honest, I’m not here just to win a couple games.”
Belnap started three years as a linebacker at Hillcrest and was a junior on the 2008 team that snapped a 23-game losing streak and then won the 4A state championship. He led the Knights in tackles all three years and was a two-time, first-team member of the Post Register’s All-Area team.
Belnap finished his sophomore year at Saddleback leading the team in sacks with six in 10 games. He also ranked second in tackles for loss and sixth in tackles and was named a second-team all-National Division Southern Conference member.
“I’m definitely going for a starting position,” Belnap said. “I told (assistant coach Matt) Troxel, I’m competing. I got two more years. I want to learn the system fast and get playing.”
