Jack Bailey having fun playing fast-paced football for Golden Flashes

Everything about playing the offensive line position has changed for Jack Bailey since he made the transition from Kirtland High School to Kent State back in 2019.

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His Hornets teams physically dominated opponents while going 29-1 in his final two high school seasons and capturing the 2018 Division VI state title. Bailey still recalls his homecoming game as a senior, when the opponent literally walked off the field at halftime.

“They got on the bus and left,” said Bailey. “We couldn’t believe what was happening.”

Bailey estimates that his Kirtland squads threw the football “about twice a game, if that.” Now he’s the starting left guard as a redshirt junior for the Golden Flashes, who feature an up-tempo offense that averaged 29 pass attempts – and 33 points – per game last season.

“I had no idea how to pass protect when I got here,” said Bailey. “I mean, we never threw the ball.”

The one thing that hasn’t changed since Bailey’s high school days is all that truly matters.

He’s still having a ton of fun in the trenches.

Kirtland graduate Jack Bailey is learning to enjoy pass protection

Fun used to mean bulldozing defenders while he played offensive line at small school powerhouse Kirtland. Now it means using that strength along with the athleticism that made Bailey a solid basketball player for the Hornets to play fast and free football for the Flashes.

“This is one of the places you can finally get out and run, and not just be big on big all the time,” said Bailey. “We’re out there pulling, running, playing fast. It's fun. Especially on stretch [runs]. A lot of places don’t let you pull, but our coaches love when we get out and pull. It can be tiring at times with the tempo, but you definitely realize that wears down a defense."

While both physical and finesse run blocking seemed to come naturally for the 6-foot-3, 285-pound Bailey, blocking in pass protection did not since he was barely ever asked to do it before arriving at Kent State.

“It was tough. I had never been taught how to pass set and really use my hands,” said Bailey. “That was probably the hardest thing - getting out, getting in a pass setting, then using my hands. [KSU offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle] did a great job of getting me familiar with it quickly.”

Bailey redshirted as a true freshman in 2019 while learning the intricacies of pass protection under veteran mentor O’Boyle.

“He’s one of the greatest coaches I've ever had, if not the greatest,” said Bailey of O’Boyle. “I’ve never had someone who cared this much and put this much time and effort into developing a player. Fun guy to play for. He'll get you riled up.”

Kent State offensive lineman Jack Bailey is a fast learner

Bailey’s hard work was quickly rewarded with extended playing time during the 2020 season, which was limited to four games due to COVID-19.

"He didn’t know how to pass protect when he got here, but he has really developed into a strong pass pro kid,” said O’Boyle. “He has worked hard and has really emerged as a leader - not only by being vocal but just his physical presence, what he does in the offseason in the weight room, what he does on the practice field. He’s a guy I don’t have to worry about. He’s everything coaches want in a player.”

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After playing mostly center at Kent State early in his career, Bailey started at left guard in game eight against Ohio University last season and seems to have settled into that role. He's one of only two starters on the offensive line returning for the Flashes, along with grad student center Sam Allan.

“We've got a lot of new guys, which is good. We’re trying to train them, get them right,” said Bailey. “We've got some big guys stepping up – [juniors] Marcellus [Marshall], [Elijah] Lamptey. We’re trying to get the young guys right so when we’re gone they can follow up.”

Bailey sees the offensive linemen coming together as a group, and looks forward to some fun times this fall as the Flashes look to defend their 2021 MAC East Division title.

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“We’re very close, even closer than in the past I think, just out here having a lot of fun together,” said Bailey. “We're moving forward every day, taking good strides in the right direction. We definitely have a lot of stuff to clean up, but that comes with time. We’ll be ready for the opener.”

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Offensive lineman Bailey enjoys playing different style of football