Lord Botetourt Soph OL following in big footsteps
- Thread starter mike salem
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At 6'4" and 280 as a Sophomore, he will acquire significant attention. With an OLineman, it's all about the frame. Next level Coachs think they can build the rest, no matter how bad they are. Not to say this kid is bad. Never seen him play a down. But this is how recruiting works.
Robert Anderson
Daleville- Lord Botetourt’s football program is in the middle of a growth spurt.
The same might be true for the Cavaliers’ sophomore offensive lineman Jesse Hanson.
Hanson already stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 280 pounds, but signs indicate he is not finished growing.
“When he finally fills out as a high school player, I fully expect him to be 6-6, 310 or 320,” Botetourt head coach Jamie Harless said. “His arms are a mile long. His reach and wingspan are phenomenal.”
The 15-year-old doesn’t drive, doesn’t shave and has size-16 feet.
“You could go kayak the James River in his shoes,” Harless said.
Early during his tenure, Harless spotted Hanson in a county recreation league game.
“I’m going, ‘Who in the heck is that big joker beating the crap out of everybody?’ ” Harless said. “This kid was a monster.”
Harless had a rare find, borne out when Hanson earned the starting job at left tackle on the 2015 Botetourt team, which set a school record with 13 wins and became the first Cavaliers squad to reach a state championship game, losing 47-21 in the Group 3A final to Magna Vista.
A freshman starting on the offensive line for a team in a state final is as uncommon as a Roanoke Valley summer day with low humidity.
“Kids that age, normally they’re not quite as aggressive,” Harless said. “When you look at Jesse, he’s still got the face of a middle-school kid. I hope he doesn’t beat me up for saying that. He still looks like a baby, but he fills the door frame up pretty well.”
Botetourt’s power running game, which paved the way to 36 victories and four playoff berths in Harless’ four seasons, is tailor-made for Hanson’s skill set.
The Cavaliers rushed for 5,472 yards in 2015.
“He runs his team to be super-physical, which goes perfectly with the way I like to play,” Hanson said. “I like to be aggressive, maybe a little bit mean.”
Hanson is following his older brother, Mitch, in a scarlet and silver Botetourt jersey.
Mitch Hanson, at 6-foot-6, developed into a first-team All-Big South Conference offensive guard at Liberty University, where he now attends law school.
“My parents have always said my brother had the feet and the speed, but he didn’t have the overwhelming strength,” Jesse said. “I have a little more strength than he had at this age.”
While Mitch Hanson was largely unrecruited as a high school senior, Harless believes Jesse is a can’t-miss FBS prospect in the class of 2019.
“Just based off his freshman film, he’s attracted a ton of attention from the big ones,” Harless said. “If you didn’t know that Jesse was a freshman last year, you would have assumed off his highlight film that he was a senior lineman.”
Jesse Hanson earned the full-time starting job midway through the 2015 season and kept it. In 2016, he expects improvement.
“I’ve definitely gotten faster,” he said. “On the field, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve had a year of it, but I feel like I’m moving faster through the plays.”
Hanson said playing college football has been a goal since he was 6 years old, but with three seasons left in high school, his top priority is a Lord Botetourt state championship.
“We were definitely searching for the ring, but we made history for the school,” Hanson said. “Whatever we are willing to work for, I think we can get.
“I’m not sure what my limits are, but I’m not going to limit myself.”
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“You could go kayak the James River in his shoes,” Harless said.
I love it!
I love it!
