Jordan Wernet’s journey to a college football scholarship isn’t the normal one.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive lineman was a Division-I guy following an impressive junior season at Decatur. Wernet had the size, feet and strength that some of the better football programs look for.

He was living the dream of every Pop Warner player. Wernet was on the recruiting lists of schools like the University of Washington, Washington State and Baylor. He even had a full-ride scholarship offer from the University of Wyoming in his back pocket.

Like anybody, Wernet was looking forward to his final year of high school and his last hurrah playing for the Decatur Gators. He was looking forward to all the benefits that come along with being a Division I football recruit.

But he would never get that chance. Everything changed on June 14, 2011. Wernet and the rest of his Decatur football teammates were taking part in the annual Federal Way school district’s spring football jamboree, along with Beamer, Federal Way and Thomas Jefferson.

“I pulled out on a sweep and planted and twisted my knee and it went,” Wernet said.

In his left knee, he suffered a tear in his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The ACL primarily serves to stabilize the knee in an extended position. After consulting with doctors, Wernet went under the knife the next month, knowing full well he would miss his entire senior football season.

“I pretty much found out in the beginning of July,” Wernet said.

That’s also when the Division I football programs who were after Wernet’s talents started falling by the wayside.

“They backed off,” he said.

But Wernet didn’t sulk and play the “woe is me” card. He did what he’s always done — worked hard. After the surgery, Wernet went through the long and arduous process of rehabilitating the ACL in his left knee.

“When it starts, it goes extremely slow and frustrating,” Wernet said. “Sometimes it was tough to find the motivation in the beginning. But motivation got easier to come by later on.”

Wernet even served as a team captain for the Gators during their season, despite not ever stepping on the field.

“I was still around the team,” Wernet said. “I was still a captain this year and at practice and all the games. I just couldn’t play.”

The dedication has paid off and the offensive lineman will still get a chance to play college football. Wernet inked with the Division II Azusa Pacific Cougars earlier this month.

Azusa Pacific came into the recruiting process for Wernet late in the game, along with several other Division II schools like Central Washington, Humboldt State and New Mexico Highlands.

Wernet went on a recruiting visit to the Azusa, Calif., campus the weekend before signing his national letter of intent on Feb. 1, and fell in love with the university. It also didn’t hurt that it was 80 degrees in Southern California during the trip.

“It was just the guys on the team, the campus and the atmosphere there,” he said. “The coaching staff was also a big deal.”

As a matter of fact, the offensive line coach is Hall of Fame tackle Jackie Slater, who played 20 seasons in the NFL with the Rams.

Azusa Pacific will join the Greater Northwest Athletic Conference in the fall. The conference includes Central, Dixie State, Humboldt State, Simon Fraser and Western Oregon.

“At first, I was pretty frustrated,” Wernet said about not getting continued interest from Division I programs. “But since everything has happened, I have talked to a lot of guys and they said that after the first year, the size of the school isn’t a factor. I’m going to be there for four to five years and Azusa Pacific is a great program with a great campus and somewhere I can grow.”