Benjamin Koyack (born April 9, 1993) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the seventh round of the
2015 NFL Draft. He played
college football at
Notre Dame.
Early years
Koyack attended Oil City High School in
Oil City, Pennsylvania. He played
football and
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
. In football, he played numerous positions, including tight end,
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
,
wide receiver,
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
, and
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
. He finished his career with a
PIAA District 10
District 10 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) is an interscholastic athletic association in Northwest Pennsylvania. District 10 is one of the PIAA's 12 athletic conferences and comprises high schools in Erie, Pennsylv ...
record 152 receptions for 2,591 yards. He was selected to play in the 2011
Under Armour All-America Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on Januar ...
in
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
.
Koyack was also a standout
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
athlete. He captured the state championship in the
javelin with a throw of 61.92 meters (203 ft, 1 in). He also qualified for the district meet competing as a sprinter, posting bests of 11.49 seconds in the
100 meters
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contes ...
and 24.05 seconds in the
200 meters.
Koyack was ranked by ''
Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
'' as a five-star recruit and the top tight end in his class. He committed to the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
in April 2010 to play
college football.
College career
Koyack attended and played college football at Notre Dame from 2011–2014. As a freshman in 2011, he played in 12 games with one start. He had one reception for five yards, which came against the Pitt Panthers, during the season. As a sophomore in 2012, he again played in 12 games with one start. He finished the year with three receptions for 39 yards. Koyack played in 13 games with five starts as a junior in 2013, finishing with 10 receptions for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Koyack entered his senior season in 2014 as the starter. During the game against
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
, he caught a game-winning 22-yard touchdown from quarterback
Everett Golson
Everett Demone Golson (born January 2, 1993) is a former American football quarterback. He previously played quarterback for Notre Dame from 2011 to the spring of 2015. Golson chose to transfer to Florida State after graduating from Notre Dame. ...
on fourth down. He finished his senior season with 30 receptions for 317 yards and two touchdowns.
Professional career
On December 22, 2014, it was announced that Koyack had accepted his invitation to play in the
2015 Senior Bowl. Koyack impressed team representatives and scouts in practice while working with
Tennessee Titans' tight ends coach
Mike Mularkey
Michael Rene Mularkey (born November 19, 1961) is a former American football coach and tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, and was drafted in the ninth round of the 1983 NF ...
. On January 24, 2015, Koyack played in the
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...
for Tennessee Titan's head coach
Ken Whisenhunt's North team and caught two passes for 19-yards and a touchdown. He caught a 10-yard touchdown reception on pass from
Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
quarterback
Sean Mannion in the second quarter of the North's 34–13 victory over the South. He was one of 19 collegiate tight ends to attend the
NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...
in
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
. Koyack opted to not perform at the combine and only meet with representatives from NFL teams. On March 31, 2015, Koyack attended
Notre Dame's pro day along with 10 other teammates. Team representatives and scouts attended the pro day as he ran all of the combine drills. His time of 4.79s in the 40-yard dash would've tied for fourth among all tight ends at the combine. His overall performance in combine drills was mediocre as his vertical ranked last of his position group and his bench press would've ranked ninth. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Koyack was projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick by NFL experts and scouts. He was ranked as the seventh best tight end prospect by NFLDraftScout.com.
The
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
selected Koyack in the seventh round (229th overall) of the
2015 NFL Draft. He was the 14th tight end selected and the only player drafted from Notre Dame in 2015.
2015
On May 14, 2015, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Koyack to a four-year $2.34 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $69,300.
Throughout
training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...
, he competed against
Clay Harbor
Clayton Lee Harbor (born July 2, 1987) is a former American football tight end and current television personality. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Missouri State ...
,
Nic Jacobs, and
Connor Hamlett for a roster spot. On September 4, 2015, he was waived as a part of the Jaguars final roster cuts. The Jacksonville Jaguars opted to have only four tight ends on their active roster, including
Marcedes Lewis,
Julius Thomas
Julius Dewayne Thomas (born June 27, 1988) is a former American football tight end. He played college football and basketball at Portland State, and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He also played for ...
, Nic Jacobs, and Clay Harbor. After clearing waivers, Koyack was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad on September 6, 2015. He spent his entire rookie season developing on the Jaguars' practice squad.
2016
On January 4, 2016, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Koyack to a reserve/futures contract.
He competed with Nic Jacobs,
Braedon Bowman, and
Neal Sterling
Neal J. Sterling (born January 14, 1992) is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played college football at Monmouth and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh ...
throughout training camp for a roster spot. He made the active roster and was named the backup tight end behind Marcedes Lewis and Julius Thomas to start the regular season.
He made his professional regular season debut in the
Jacksonville Jaguars' season-opening 27–23 loss to the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. On September 24, 2016, Koyack underwent successful surgery to repair a slight tear in his
meniscus
Meniscus may refer to:
*Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity
*Meniscus (liquid)
The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...
. He suffered the tear four days earlier during practice and was inactive for the next two games (Weeks 3–4). On October 26, 2016, Koyack caught five passes for 41 yards during a 36–22 loss at the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
. His first career reception came in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard pass by quarterback
Blake Bortles
Robby Blake Bortles (born April 28, 1992) is a former American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on ...
before being tackled by Titans' defensive backs
Daimion Stafford and
Antwon Blake
Valentino Antwon Blake (born August 9, 1990) is a former American football cornerback and special teamer. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans ...
. Koyack saw an increased snap count after offensive coordinator
Greg Olson was fired on October 29, 2016. On November 13, 2016, he earned his first career start and caught three passes for 35-yards in a 24–21 loss to the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
. Head coach
Gus Bradley
Paul Casey "Gus" Bradley (born July 5, 1966) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seah ...
was fired after before Week 15 after the Jaguars posted a 2–12 record. He was replaced by assistant head coach/offensive line coach
Doug Marrone
Douglas Charles Marrone (born July 25, 1964) is an American football coach and former offensive lineman who is the offensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the head coach at ...
. On January 1, 2017, Koyack had three receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown during a 24–20 loss at the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. He scored his first career touchdown during the game on a 14-yard pass by Blake Bortles. Koyack finished the season with 19 receptions for 161 receiving yards and a touchdown in 14 games and seven starts.
2017
Although the Jacksonville Jaguars traded
Julius Thomas
Julius Dewayne Thomas (born June 27, 1988) is a former American football tight end. He played college football and basketball at Portland State, and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He also played for ...
to the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
, Koyack still faced competition for the second tight end position from newly acquired free agent
Mychal Rivera. Head coach Doug Marrone named him the Jaguars' second tight end behind longtime veteran Marcedes Lewis to start the season after Rivera was placed on injured reserve due to a lingering hand injury.
On October 15, 2017, Koyack caught a 21-yard pass during a 27–17 loss to the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
. In Week 9, he made his first start of the season during the Jaguars' 23–7 win against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. Overall, in the 2017 season, he finished with five receptions for 38 yards in 16 games.
The Jaguars won the
AFC South
The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season, 2002 s ...
and made the playoffs. On January 7, 2018, Koyack caught his first career postseason touchdown catch in a 10–3 victory over the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. In the Divisional Round, a 45–42 victory over the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
, he had a 21-yard reception. He appeared in the AFC Championship against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, but the Jaguars season ended with a 24–20 loss.
2018
On September 1, 2018, Koyack was waived/injured by the Jaguars and was placed on injured reserve. He was released on September 8, 2018. He was re-signed by the Jaguars on November 12, 2018.
2019
On September 1, 2019, Koyack was released by the Jaguars. He was re-signed on October 9, 2019 after starting tight end, James O'Shaughnessy, suffered a season-ending torn ACL in a Week 5 loss to the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
.
After becoming a free agent in March 2020, Koyack had a tryout with the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
on August 15, 2020, the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
on August 18, 2020, and the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
on September 15, 2020.
References
External links
Jacksonville Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koyack, Ben
1993 births
Living people
People from Oil City, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from Pennsylvania
American football tight ends
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
Jacksonville Jaguars players