Harvard linebacker Jack McGowan is a noticeable presence at a position that is slowly vanishing from college football defenses.
The 6-foot-1, 216-pound, fifth-year senior out of Catholic Memorial plays the SAM, or strongside linebacker, position in Harvard’s base 4-3 defense.
The SAM becomes expendable when defenses insert their nickel prevent packages mandated by today’s one-back spread offenses directed by athletic dual threat quarterbacks.
Scott Larkee is Harvard’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach on the staff of head coach Tim Murphy, who has been leading the Crimson since 1994. McGowan has forged a strong working relationship with Larkee in his tenure.
“I float back and forth and strong side is where I deploy,” said McGowan. “Hopefully this year I will get to play a little bit all over (because) I get a little bit lonely sometimes on the strong side when teams run away from me.
“It gets a little lonely out there because it has become the forgotten about position in college football nowadays. A lot of teams run their 4-2-5 nickel packages on every down since we’ve seen the spread offense take over.
“I am really grateful that coach Larkee has kept that position in our base defense. I love it because I get to play in space, I get to blitz and cover guys in the slot and tight ends. I think it is the most well-rounded position on the defense and I couldn’t be happier with the system I ended up in.”
McGowan performed all of what he just described last season when Harvard went 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Ivy League. The Canton native was named First Team All-Ivy League and was the recipient of the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Bulger Lowe Award for defense.
McGowan played in all 10 games and finished with 30 solo tackles, 20 assisted tackles with seven tackles for a loss, two interceptions and a sack. He worked in tandem with departed linebacker Jordan Hill, who led Harvard with 72 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and a sack.
“He (McGowan) keeps himself on the field because we don’t need to put in an extra defensive back with Jack in the game,” said Murphy. “Whether he’s in the box, which is rare, or out on the slot receiver he’s making plays on the field.
“He’s so consistent, he can play inside or outside and he’s a good enough athlete to be a safety. He is a tremendous football player and I think he’s going to be one of our real breakout guys.”
McGowan discovered how much he appreciated playing football when it was taken away in the fall of 2020. The Ivy League was the first NCAA conference to shut down in response to the global pandemic in March 2020 and subsequently cancelled all spring and fall sports.
Harvard’s athletic fields and training facilities went dark while classes were conducted remotely on laptops away from campus. McGowan had the option to graduate with his class after the 2021 season but elected to come back to win an Ivy League title.
That required some sacrifice on McGowan’s part because, unlike most universities, Harvard doesn’t allow graduate students to play on sports teams. Harvard was the preseason pick to win the Ivy League with 108 points and eight first-place votes.
“It was a weird time in my life, but I was lucky that I lived with two roommates who have now since graduated but were players here,” said McGowan. “We trained together at a gym that kind of stayed open during COVID, which we were very fortunate to have.
“But there were definitely football withdrawals because I had been playing football pretty much my whole life, and for the first time, I didn’t have a football season in the fall.
“I give a shoutout to Jordan Hill, who was our captain last season. His leadership kept us all together through all that, he couldn’t have done a better job and he really guided us through that.”
McGowan grew up in a football household with younger brothers who followed his path to CM. Owen McGowan is battling for an open linebacker spot at Boston College while Brady McGowan plays for legendary CM head coach John DiBiaso. The Knights went undefeated last season and captured the Division 2 Super Bowl title.
