CINCINNATI — When Jake Hausmann enrolled at Archbishop Moeller High School in the fall of 2012, he had aspirations of playing a college sport. It just wasn’t the same sport for which he signed a national letter of intent just four years later.
“I came [to Moeller] for the basketball program because it was so good and still is so good,” Hausmann recalls.
Shortly after arriving at Moeller — an Ohio high school football powerhouse — Hausmann realized his calling would be on the football field rather than the basketball court. The first time that thought hit the now 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end was early in his freshman year when he became the first-ever freshman to dress for a varsity game under head coach John Rodenberg, who has been at Moeller since 2008.
“He came in here sort of as a basketball player, but we saw that he could be pretty dominant so he was the first guy that I ever dressed varsity as a freshman,” Rodenberg told Eleven Warriors. “He didn’t play any and we let him go down and play some freshman games, but just the fact that I thought he could do it speaks volumes.”
“I kind of wanted to go to college for basketball and then once Coach Rodenberg pulled me up — and I was like the first freshman he ever pulled up on varsity — it kind of clicked that maybe I could do both or just do [football],” Hausmann added. “I never really thought going into high school that I’d be going to play college football, but when he brought me up it started to click.”
It certainly did, as Hausmann started at tight end for Moeller as a sophomore and finished his career as a three-year starter at the position for one of the best teams in the state of Ohio. He signed with Ohio State in February as part of a loaded 2016 recruiting class and will report to Columbus in early June to being the next chapter in his football journey with the Buckeyes.
“That’s what’s been fueling me through this whole offseason. It’s been on my mind every single workout, every single time I’m at home watching film. I just know that I need to be ready to go.”– Jake Hausmann
Hausmann contributed early to his high school program and there’s a strong possibility he does the same at Ohio State. With Nick Vannett out of the fold, the Buckeyes only have one tight end on the roster with any sort of playing experience in redshirt junior Marcus Baugh. The No. 2 spot was occupied by redshirt freshman A.J. Alexander in the spring, but it appears that position could be there for the taking.
If you were wondering if early playing time has been on Hausmann’s mind since he signed to play for Ohio State, it has.
“That’s what’s been fueling me through this whole offseason,” he said. “It’s been on my mind every single workout, every single time I’m at home watching film. I just know that I need to be ready to go.”
Rodenberg says Hausmann was asked to do a lot of the same things at Moeller that he will be asked to do at Ohio State. That should help him pick things up faster and gives him a better opportunity to see the field early. Hausmann agreed, and said he went to quite a few of the Buckeyes' spring practices just to try and get a head start on learning the offense.
Hausmann may also be further ahead than most incoming freshmen coming from a program like Moeller. The Crusaders play against top competition each week and that only helps in preparing players for the next level.
“I think the schedule that we play, when guys come in to recruit us they sometimes look at our guys as being able to come in and help out right away,” Rodenberg said. “A guy like Jake Hausmann is going up against Division I defensive ends on a weekly basis. He’s going up against Division I players in practice and it makes a huge difference.”
In Jeff Heuerman and Vannett, Ohio State has produced an NFL tight end each of the last two seasons. Baugh has the potential to be next in line should he finish off his career the right way. After that, it could be Hausmann’s turn.
Rodenberg said he thinks Hausmann has the potential to be an NFL player and that his ability to both block and catch passes makes him unique. He’s as well-rounded as they come at the tight end position.
“I see him as an NFL player. He’s strong enough, he’s big enough, he’s pretty serious, pretty focused and he knows how to take care of his body. He’ll get things done,” Rodenberg said. “Jake is the complete package. He’s a very good detached tight end in space, he knows how to move and he knows how to run routes. But he’s also a really good attached tight end with his zone blocking and gap-scheme blocking. He blocks really well. He’s going to be able to transition to the college level on both levels.”
Four years ago, Hausmann saw himself going off to college to play basketball. Four years from now, he hopes to hear his name called at the NFL Draft.
And that’s what he has been working toward since signing with Ohio State in February.
“I’m really excited,” Hausmann said. “They said the first few weeks are going to be a really hard adjustment, but I’ve been up there so much I’m pretty comfortable so I don’t think it’ll be that bad of a transition.”
