Jack MacKinnon had a big decision to make during his senior year at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School.
A two-sport athlete playing baseball and football, MacKinnon originally chose baseball. The pitcher/outfielder accepted a scholarship at the University of South Florida during the early signing period.
After walking off the field during his final football game with the Cougars, a playoff loss to John Carroll Catholic in Fort Pierce, MacKinnon began to have second thoughts.
He did not want the 38-7 loss in the regional quarterfinals to the Rams to be his final football game.
MacKinnon continued to play baseball at Cardinal Mooney during his senior season, but decommitted from South Florida in pursuit of opportunities in football.
Virginia Tech, Indiana and Stanford showed interest in the defensive end/linebacker as a football player.
And then there was the University of Michigan.
Jack Harbaugh, father of Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, had seen MacKinnon play. Jack’s daughter Joani is the wife of former men’s college basketball coach Tom Creen, who are Lakewood Ranch residents.
It was Jack Harbaugh who recommended MacKinnon to Jim Harbaugh. Before long, it led to Michigan offering MacKinnon the opportunity as a preferred walk-on.
MacKinnon has only seen the field from the sidelines this season, but that has been an experience in itself, as the Wolverines are in Monday night’s National Championship Game against the University of Washington in Houston.
Another area player and MacKinnon's teammate, quarterback J.J. McCarthy — who attended IMG Academy — will be on the field for the Wolverines on Monday.
McCarthy transferred to IMG Academy in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of Nazareth Academy's football season in Illinois.
In 2020 for the Ascenders, McCarthy completed 91-of-157 passes for 1,440 yards and 16 touchdowns without an interception. He also ran 13 times for 104 yards and a score.
Graduating Cardinal Mooney weighing 215, MacKinnon is up to 245 pounds after a year of concentrating on just football at Michigan, where he has been traveling with the team.
“He’s just doing football now, and I think he has a bright future,” Cardinal Mooney football coach Jared Clark said.
After MacKinnon’s brother, Will — a starter on the offensive line on the Cougars’ team — won a state championship in December, the MacKinnons have a chance to have two champions in the family a month apart.
It certainly is an exciting time for his father Steve MacKinnon, a former hockey player who was drafted in the 10th round by Ottawa, and his mother Kelly.
“I sent him (Jack) and his dad and everyone in the family a text,” Clark said after Michigan’s victory over Alabama in the National Semifinals. “Pretty exciting. Will wins a state championship and Jack has a chance to win a national championship.”
Fully committed to the sport now, when MacKinnon trained for football for Cardinal Mooney it was not on a permanent basis.
“We got him part-time in the summer,” Cougars coach Jared Clark said.
But when Clark had MacKinnon, he saw something special.
“A totally dominant defensive end,” Clark said. “He was a good enough athlete where we put him at Mike linebacker some, and stood him up some. At defensive end he was just an absolute problem for people to try to block.”
During his senior season, MacKinnon had 58 tackles, 36 solo, 26 tackles for a loss and 13 sacks. He also had a pass breakup, fumble recovery and blocked a field goal.
“He was doing that all on his own, because he was playing baseball year round,” Clark said.
During a mid-season game his senior season against Calvary Christian in Clearwater, MacKinnon was going against right tackle Preston Cushman, now at Ole Miss.
Clark said MacKinnon jumped and Cushman pushed him. When MacKinnon hit the ground his knee buckled.
“I thought that was going to be the end of the season for him,” Clark said. “He played the rest of the game with a noticeable limp.”
His Cougar teammates noticed.
MacKinnon was not a vocal leader for the Cougars. But the example he set on the field, whether it was in practice or a game, spoke volumes.
“For the rest of the team to see that, he’s that type of kid,” Clark said. “He doesn’t say much. He’s a tough kid and he’s that type of leader. He let his play speak for him.”
MacKinnon was just as solid off the field.
“He was over a 4.0 GPA. There was never an issue with him off the field,” Clark said. “He’s a dream as far as off-the-field and athletic ability, being a gentleman. The guy’s pretty incredible.”
