FORT LAUDERDALE – Jordan Kolnick is all about getting noticed on the college recruiting process.
With the blessing of his parents, Kolnick has decided to transfer from Palm Beach Central to St. Thomas Aquinas. The linebacker made the announcement on his Twitter account yesterday (Jan. 14).
Kolnick is the fourth former Palm Beach Central player within the past 12 months who left for St. Thomas Aquinas. The other three – defensive back Blaine Anderson, linebacker Griffin Lampton, and tight end Jake Ray – made their respective moves in the previous offseason and ended their high school careers as both FHSAA 7A state champions and GEICO national champions.
When one sees how the move helped out Anderson, Lampton, and Ray in a huge way, it’s safe to understand why Kolnick made his decision.
But just in case anyone isn’t clear on Kolnick’s reasoning for the transfer move, the 5-9, 180-pound linebacker was happy to provide his honest take on the matter.
“I had to do what’s best for me, and right now St. Thomas Aquinas is going to help me reach my full potential,” Kolnick said.
In his junior season, Kolnick finished with 105 tackles (10 TFL), three sacks, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 13 pass breakups. Amazingly, Kolnick did all this in only eight games played this past season at Palm Beach Central.
Kolnick’s best game of his junior campaign arguably came against Park Vista, when he tallied 12 tackles, a forced fumble, and those two epic pick-sixes in his team’s 29-21 win. As a result of that, he was chosen by our readers and followers as our MVP of Week 5.
Kolnick offered his take on his time at Palm Beach Central.
“Palm Beach Central turned me into the player I am today,” Kolnick said. “Coach Tino [Ierulli] had faith in me at 14 years old. I was starting on varsity and that gave me the experience needed to have a natural instinct for making plays.”
Kolnick, who was most recently ranked as our No. 1 outside linebacker from the 2021 class, also provided some insight on why some Palm Beach County high school football players leave home for Broward County.
“I think many players are leaving because they see how competitive it is down here,” Kolnick said. “Being in a winning environment will produce winners. The standard of talent is at such a high level, you either sink or swim. And the ones who swim are on TV every Saturday and Sunday.”
We’re expecting Kolnick to receive a multitude of college scholarship offers at some point. With the move to St. Thomas Aquinas, college coaches may get courageous enough to not hold Kolnick’s size against him and judge him primarily by his film, grades, and overall character.
“I’m just trusting the process and grinding in silence,” Kolnick said.
PHOTO CREDITS: Gene Nardi
