Kaneland football coach Mike Thorgesen said that his team last year had boys, but this team has men.

Jake Buckley is a man among boys.

A chiseled 6-foot-4 and 265-pound senior, Buckley is the anchor of Kaneland’s offensive and defensive lines. A left tackle on offense who rotates between nose guard and defensive tackle on defense, Buckley was hard to miss during Kaneland’s joint practice with Oswego on July 10.

“He’s a big boy,” Thorgesen said.

Buckley has been a busy man since the conclusion of Kaneland’s 5-5 season in 2024. That team started seven sophomores.

Buckley played basketball in the winter and competed in the throwing events in track and field in the spring.

He does weightlifting year-round. Buckley led a group of 20 Kaneland football players in lifting weights before school four times a week to improve strength. Buckley has added 15 pounds since last season.

“Try to gain weight, get faster and stronger,” Buckley said.

“He has such a great work ethic,” Thorgesen said. “He’s naturally gifted with his size, but he works exceptionally hard. He’s strong, he’s tough as nails, a leader.

“He’s the full package.”

Buckley was a force on both lines for the Knights as a junior. He led the offensive line at tackle and had 41 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss, and two sacks on defense.

He will be busy on both sides of the line again this fall.

Kaneland will need multiple players to be physically fit to play both ways. Thorgesen reminded his group of that fact after practice with Class 8A Oswego.

“It’s not easy, but I do my best going 100% every single play,” Buckley said. “Getting tired, everybody does. What builds a champion is to go 100% when you’re tired.”

Buckley likes where this Kaneland team is at with fewer than 50 days until the Week 1 opener at Rock Island.

The Knights also bring back leading rusher Carter Grabowski, who rushed for 631 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. Linebacker Rogan O’Neil, who had 63 tackles with 10 tackles for loss at linebacker as a sophomore, is a third all-conference player returning.

“We’re in a good spot compared to last year,” Buckley said. “Last year, we had a really young team. We started seven sophomores because we lost a big senior class. This year, we really got stronger overall. We still have a lot to improve on before Week 1, but compared to last year, we’re in a good spot.”

Kaneland is busy this month hosting 7-on-7s on Tuesdays while competing in joint practices against Oswego, Belvidere North and Burlington Central. Buckley and the Knights’ linemen also participated in West Aurora’s “Battle of the Big Butts” Lineman Challenge.

“We got a lot out of this,” Thorgesen said after an Oswego practice. “This is awesome to be here and compete with another school, especially a school much bigger than ours. I think we took a big step.

“We have some seniors who really want to play and we have some experienced kids. We have to find out some answers at some positions, but that is what the summer is for. We are working through it, getting kids reps, seeing who opened our eyes.”

Buckley has opened his eyes since first walking through Kaneland’s doors. That shouldn’t be a surprise since he’s a kid with athleticism in his DNA.

His mom and dad both played basketball at Aurora University. His mom, Jennifer, also coached Aurora University’s women’s basketball team from 1999-2005. Buckley’s dad, Jason, started the boys basketball program at Oswego East, coaching there from 2005-2012. Jason Buckley has been the athletic director at West Aurora since 2012.

Jake Buckley’s older sister Maddie was the 2021 Kane County Chronicle Volleyball Player of the Year and is a senior right-side hitter for the Ball State volleyball team.

Jake Buckley, who didn’t start playing tackle football until eighth grade, has designs to play at the college level. He holds an FCS Division I offer from Drake, along with offers from McKendree, Roosevelt and Olivet Nazarene. Division III national champion North Central College has a roster spot offer.

“Jake does everything right,” Thorgesen said. “He plays hard, he does everything you ask. He’s the hardest worker on the team. We are really high on Jake Buckley. He is what you want as a coach.”