In a Seahawks town, the Super Bowl is usually simple. You pick Seattle. This year, it’s not that simple in the Snoqualmie Valley.
Jack Westover, a Mount Si High School graduate, is headed to the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots after a football path that barely began in high school. At the time, basketball was a very important part of his life, and he had not played football since eighth grade before trying it again as a senior at Mount Si. Westover played in just three varsity games before breaking his collarbone, an injury that ended his season almost as soon as it started.
Despite that limited experience, Westover went on to walk on at the University of Washington, where he later earned a scholarship and appeared in 52 games, starting 16 times.[1] His route to the NFL followed a similar pattern. Westover signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2024, was released during training camp after an injury, and later joined New England, where the Patriots added him to the roster during the season.
Westover arrived at Mount Si late in his high school career, transferring in at the end of his junior year, but according to then-head coach Charlie Kinnune, he quickly immersed himself in the program.
“Jack moved to us at the end of his Junior school year,” Kinnune said. “He trained with us all summer long. He bonded really well with teammates and coaches. He was all in.” Kinnune noted that “Basketball was a very Important part of his life,” even as he committed himself to football during that summer.
On the field, Westover’s varsity football career at Mount Si was brief, but it left an impression on the coaching staff. He appeared in three games before a collarbone injury ended his season, but what he saw stood out. “Jack showed many flashes of athletic brilliance during our practices and the 3 games he played with us until his injury,” he said.
One moment against Skyline still stands out to Kinnune when he thinks about Westover’s short time on the field. He said a single play shifted how everyone in the stadium saw him and confirmed what the coaches had been noticing in practice. “One play in particular where he caught a ball on a bootleg crossing the field and running up the sideline, trucking a defender to enter the endzone,” Kinnune said. “Our crowd went crazy. I can remember saying ‘wow’ this kid is for real.”
That play, Kinnune said, carried weight beyond the game itself. He said it was the moment that caught the attention of college coaches and directly influenced what came next. “That play right there is what sold UW Tight End coach Jordan Paopao to offer Jack a preferred walk-on position,” he said.
The collarbone injury cut short Westover’s time on the field, but it did not change how the Mount Si coaching staff viewed his future. Kinnune said the focus immediately shifted away from the injury itself and toward what came next. “Focus was shifted on getting him healthy for the basketball season,” he said, noting that the setback did not erase what the staff believed they had seen.
For Kinnune, the injury was never something meant to define Westover. “Jack had dreams,” he said. “He was not going to let an injury define him,” Kinnune said that belief, combined with Westover’s mindset and support system, made it clear the story was not finished, even if the season was.
After the injury, Westover’s approach reflected a level of maturity that made the next step clear, Kinnune said. Mount Si staff talked with him about college and understood that a traditional recruiting path was unlikely, but that did not concern Westover. “We talked about college for sure,” Kinnune said. “We knew that there would be opportunities as the walk on.”
Westover’s path has followed the same pattern at every level, Kinnune said. Nothing, he said, was handed to him along the way. “Jack has never been given anything except his natural talent,” Kinnune said. “He earned his way with us. He earned his way with the Huskies and as a free agent in the pros as well. He persevered and always believed in himself.”
That same approach carried into the NFL. Westover signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2024 but was released during training camp after an injury[2], and again had to work his way forward. His agent helped land him with the New England Patriots, where he moved from the practice squad to the active roster during the season[3]. The situation felt familiar to Kinnune. “Basically, a preferred walk-on like at the UW,” he said. “Again, He had to make his own way. Nothing given. He had to EARN IT.”
That long-earned route now leads to the Super Bowl, where the Patriots will face the Seahawks. The matchup is a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, played February 1, 2015, when New England defeated Seattle 28–24.
Back home, it brings mixed emotions for Kinnune. “I am a Seattle boy who loves all Seattle teams,” he said. “I am rooting for Jack to stay healthy and to have a productive game. I would like Seattle to win. But if Jack wins the ring, he must come back home and show us! Go Jack and Go Hawks!”
[2] Jack Westover – New England Patriots Tight End – ESPN
[Featured Image photo credit Seahawks Facebook Page]
