Highland Legends: Jackson Hawes Edition

Yale is not a gateway to the NFL.
Wall Street, medical school, the Supreme Court? Sure.
But not the NFL.
Going to an Ivy League school is a massive accomplishment. Yale University has a stunning 4.59% acceptance rate, which means out of the more than 50,000 students who apply to Yale each year, fewer than 2,500 get in.
In other words, it’s very impressive to be a part of the student body. What’s less impressive is Yale’s football program. Although it is technically a D1 program, Yale football hasn’t really had a national presence since the early 1900s. It’s been a while since the Bulldogs have had real recognition.
That didn’t stop 2019 Highland graduate Jackson Hawes.
Hawes is among the few that got accepted to Yale. He was recruited to go play football for the Bulldogs, while also graduating with a degree in economics. In his time at Yale, Hawes made a name for himself as a tight end who had more to show than an Ivy League football program could display. That’s why, when Hawes graduated Yale with a year left of NCAA eligibility, he hit the transfer portal and landed at another school full of geniuses, but with a more prominent football program – Georgia Tech.
“At Yale, my freshman year at least, I didn’t expect it at all,” Hawes said. “But I kind of shifted my priority sophomore year.”
Expect what exactly?
Expect what would happen after his last year of college football. On April 26, 2025, with the 173rd pick in the NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills selected Jackson Hawes.
Suddenly, Yale to the NFL was not as crazy as it seems.
In Hawes’ sophomore year at Yale, a Baltimore Ravens scout came to a practice, although Hawes didn’t think much of it because typically NFL scouts had only looked for graduating players. When the scout expressed some interest in Hawes, he explained that he was only a sophomore, but with his remaining college time would continue to master his craft and prepare for pro-level ball.
“I was like, ‘I’m a sophomore and have a ton of time,’” Hawes said. “I was like, ‘shoot, if I really put my mind to this and just handle business as best I can, then I think this is a real opportunity for me.’”
And handle business he did.
“I was playing a good bit. I was splitting time at tight end with the starter pretty evenly,” Hawes said.
Hawes showed out in his last two years at Yale, making Second-Team All-Ivy League honors both years. Eventually, that opened the door for him at Georgia Tech where he was in a bigger spotlight. It worked out well for him as after a productive senior season, Hawes received an invite to the NFL draft combine. Scouts were impressed with his ability to develop his talent (evident in his smooth transition from Ivy League to ACC football); particularly they were impressed with his grit and fire, calling him a “salty” player. Scouts claim that his abilities make him an extension of the O-line, while also allowing him to get out into space as a pass catcher.
His talents must’ve caught the eye of coaches in western New York, as the Bills took him in the fifth round. Getting drafted by a team is no guarantee that a player will get to run out of the tunnel come game one, so Hawes knew he had more work to do.
After the draft, incoming rookies compete in mini-camps until the real practices happen. A rookie starts in a field of around 90 other players. That number must get cut down to a 53-man roster before the season. They have to compete with returning players, seasoned free agents, and all the other rookies in order to earn one of those spots. If they don’t make it, they get put on the practice squad or waived completely.
That was the shocker for Hawes as he moved to the NFL.
“In college, you’re on a team with a bunch of guys and you’re pretty confident that everyone’s going to be there because you know everyone’s there to get their degree and obviously play football,” Hawes said. “But coming into training camp, there were 90-something guys and that gets cut down to 53. The roster moves around a lot.”
In other words, nobody who steps into an NFL facilities job is completely safe.
“It’s kind of crazy just how expendable guys are,” Hawes said. “It’s been the biggest difference for me and just seeing its really more of a business now.”
After the long offseason process of figuring out who’s in and who’s out on every NFL roster, the time had come to find out whether or not Hawes had made the team.
“Guys were getting cut left and right, and it just makes me feel really grateful to have a spot for right now,” Hawes said.
Even though Hawes didn’t have to deal with the stress of trying to make the team anymore, the workload didn’t get any easier as the Bills prepared to begin the 2025-26 season. A day in the life of an NFL player is nothing short of exhausting. It’s typical for NFL fans working 9-5 jobs to wish they could switch places with the athletes and live the “good life” of making millions for tossing a pigskin around on TV once a week. To all those fans, rest assured that there are hard days of preparation and grueling work that goes into preparing for three hours under the lights each week.
“It’s a solid 12 or 11-hour day… on the heavier days at least,” Hawes said.
Most of the time spent in a day is in meetings — position meetings, team meetings, and walkthrough meetings. Other than that, they spend a couple of hours on their bodies getting treatment, eating, or lifting. The main event is the two-hour practice they have everyday.
“It’s a lot less hitting. And it’s kind of a lot more mental preparation,” Hawes said.
Growing up, Hawes was always a Baltimore Ravens fan. That was in part to another Highland Alumni who played for the Ravens – Haloti Ngata.
“They were always my team, I took a visit out there and I was like ‘This place is sick,’” Hawes said.
But being in Orchard Park (home of the Bills) has changed his opinion a little bit.
“I couldn’t see myself in any other jersey. I am really grateful,” Hawes said.
The ironic part about that is the Bills week one matchup of the 2025 season was at home against the Ravens. In a game of crazy ups and downs and a miraculous comeback, Hawes was a massive contributor as a blocker and teammate, but most would say his vital contribution was a game-saving 29-yard reception – the first of his career – and one that he will surely never forget. The Bills eventually completed a 15-point comeback in the final minutes of the game.
“It was so sweet bro. Just really cool,” Hawes said.
Flash forward to week three, Hawes proved further why he is a valuable member of the Bills.
The ball was snapped on the five-yard line. Star quarterback Josh Allen rolled left after a key block on an incoming defender from rookie Hawes. Seeing that Allen was out of the pocket, Hawes rolled out with him and found space in the defense. Allen scanned the defense for a second longer before a quick shovel pass across the goalline.
This is how “Thursday Night Football’s” Al Michael called the play on TV: “Allen with the fake, rolling, he can run if he has to, instead he flips it for the touchdown! He hit Jackson Hawes!”
Hawes is already making Buffalo pat themselves on the back for picking him, but it’s where Hawes started his career out that should also be mentioned when talking about Hawes’ football endeavor.
Highland definitely aided to Hawes’ journey into becoming the man he is today. A person that Hawes specifically mentioned was his former Highland head coach Brody Benson.
“Coach Benson, man, he was really hard on us,” Hawes said. “He definitely helped instill a good, hard-working attitude toward things. He gave me confidence. My work ethic really improved in my time at Highland.”
Hawes’ advice to current Highland students is similar to the takeaways he took when he left Highland.
“Acknowledge that it’s not always going to be easy and you’re not going to be comfortable,” Hawes said. “Ignore the part of your mind that wants to sit back and relax because people are capable of cool things. I didn’t think I was capable of this, but here I am.”