How Jackson Ness Came To Embody FTT

Choosing to play offensive line at Boston College carries considerable pressure. The tradition surrounding the big dogs - the players who live for game day in the trenches - foisted the nickname "O-Line U" on a program known for producing smash-mouth starters on championship-caliber rosters. More than a few NFL franchises won Super Bowl championships thanks to BC's ability to groom offensive linemen, and the most famous of those names litter the hands who lifted a coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Jackson Ness was well aware of that reputation when he arrived in Chestnut Hill as a defensive end. The six-foot, five-inch strongman from Ohio saw the names lining the south end zone at Fish Field House as first round picks, and he practiced against players who later saw their names called during the NFL Draft. So after three years and no more than a dozen snaps combined on the defensive side of the ball, he approached Jeff Hafley with a proposition to change sides to offense.

Hafley allowed it, and less than a year later, the redshirt junior who was once a three-star defensive prospect is now in line to earn competitive snaps and starts with BC's rebuilt offensive line. By embracing the culture and the pressure, he's leapfrogged up the depth chart and stands as one pivotal example of a player grabbing the brass ring in a program built around doing whatever it takes to help the team.

"I see this as a great opportunity," Ness said. "Obviously with a lot of starters leaving last year and maybe not getting as much time as I would have liked [on the defensive line], I went to Coach Hafley and thought the switch might be worthwhile for me. I switched in the spring and really had to learn quickly on the move, especially playing center. So I think just continuing to develop each and every day has been super helpful to me."

Ness' resume had virtually nothing on the offensive side before this past spring. He played one season at guard during his senior year at Upper Arlington High School but exited the Golden Bears as the No. 31-rated prospect in his home state. He was an all-state second team and all-district first team defensive end, and he earned Ohio Capital Conference Player of the Year largely because he disrupted opposing offenses with rugged, physical play.

He appeared in one game during a freshman season that earned a redshirt, but Ness' career subsequently stalled after he played maybe a dozen-plus snaps over the next two years. He failed to appear in a game during the 2020 season, and his only tackle came during BC's season-opening blowout win over Colgate. Between returning production and a fresh recruiting class, the writing was on the wall for him on the defensive line that playing time would be, at best, limited.

The offensive side, meanwhile, was a different story since every single starting lineman from the 2021 season was gone. Christian Mahogany expected to return, but the rest of the starting lineup - including center - was up for grabs, which in turn produced the creative approach Ness needed to find his way onto the field.

"Jackson is a guy that was a little bit buried if he wanted to play," Hafley said, "so he came to us and said, 'Coach, I'll play O-line.' He saw that we were losing a ton of guys, so you have to respect that, [and] I have a ton of respect for him coming in. [He is] a guy that's been here forever and steps in and did a great job. He has this mindset that's what he's all about. He's a good athlete."

It led to a formal switch during spring practice, but Ness quickly closed the gap between himself and other natural offensive linemen. His presence created depth behind redshirt freshman Drew Kendall, who, like Ness, played guard in high school, but as training camp progressed, the upperclassman's acumen created an impression on a new position coach and an offensive coordinator beginning the installation of a new scheme.

"Defensive line was more about getting off the ball," Ness said, "and I think the offensive line has more power and fast feet. You're engaging with a guy and getting close, so I think a lot of those skills translated. I still had to work on my feet in the spring, specifically, to settle down and wait for [defensive linemen] to come to me…[but] it's been awesome. I love [offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo] and working with [the offensive line].

"I think what's kind of unique is that I switched at a time when there was this whole new offense," he explained. "Everybody else was learning the same kind of plays with me, and we were learning it together and bonding that way."

Ness now stands poised to see snaps in earnest on an offensive line primed for the mantle at "O-Line U." He is practicing right with Kendall, the four-star legacy recruit whose father's jersey hangs with the rest of those first round picks in the Fish Field House, and he's building camaraderie with a hungry room teeming with youthful exuberance. They all understand the complaint and question surrounding a unit with five new starters, but embracing the challenge falls exactly in line with a player who was attacking that unit less than a year ago.

"He had a really good camp," Hafley said, "and he's going to play this year. He knows that, and he should be proud of [himself]. I'm really excited about what he's accomplished in a short period of time. He's a good football player, and he will help us win games. I'm very confident in that."

"I just wanted to get on the field at Boston College," Ness said. "I mean, look around. It's an awesome place with great, special people that are here. I wanted to play here, and I wasn't necessarily given that [on the defensive line]. So I switched to offensive line and continue to work every day.

"It's anything to help the team," he said. "Coach Hafley talks about 'FTT' (For The Team) all the time. It's anything for the team."

Players Mentioned

Drew Kendall

Christian Mahogany

Jackson Ness

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