The chip on Jack O’Connell’s shoulder has never been larger.
That same edge that took him from middle school backup, to varsity defensive back as a junior at North Andover High, to Eagle-Tribune All-Star quarterback and finally Division 1 college football recruit remains as razor-sharp as ever.
“I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder, to prove people wrong,” said O’Connell. “I think you have to be doing something right to have doubters. People said my arm wasn’t strong enough and I couldn’t read defenses. When I got to college and was a backup, people thought my luck had run out and I would never have a shot. I don’t think a lot people thought I could make it as far as I have, and I take a lot of pride in that.”
With weeks to go until he reports for his fourth season of football for Division 1 Stonehill College, the signal-caller is ready to silence the doubters once again.
After leading Stonehill in passing yards and touchdowns last fall, the redshirt junior has his eyes set on the big prize — a full-time gig as starting quarterback for the Skyhawks this season.
“I always feel like I have a great shot to be the starter every season,” he said. “You can’t play the quarterback position if you don’t have that confidence in yourself. I also know how much I’ve prepared to win that job. I know I’ve done everything I can to get it.”
O’Connell appeared in five games last fall, finishing with team highs in passing yards (675) and passing touchdowns (8), while running for 118 yards and another score. His biggest day was a 231-yard, four TD game against Duquesne.
“Getting onto the field last year meant everything to me, especially for my confidence,” said the QB, who completed one pass as a redshirt freshman. “There were definitely times where some doubt crept in about whether or not I was good enough to be out on that field. I just put my head down and continued to prepare as if I was the starter, and was lucky enough to see some action. Nothing felt better than being back out there playing the game and making things happen with my teammates.”
O’Connell — who threw for 1,875 yards and 20 touchdowns and was an Eagle-Tribune All-Star in his lone season as starting quarterback for North Andover High in 2021 — delivered his long-awaited first college touchdown pass in his first start, against Long Island University on Oct. 12, a 66-yard strike to Chase Miller.
“That was surreal,” he said. “Watching my receiver make that unbelievable catch and break some tackles for an explosive touchdown was amazing. I remember taking in the moment before running down the field to celebrate with my guys because I felt like I had accomplished something I’d always dreamed about, throwing touchdowns at the college level. Both my parents were in attendance for that game which meant the world as well.”
O’Connell said learned a great deal about his role as a leader last fall.
“Going into practice every week with a losing record (1-10) was very difficult,” he said. “Trying to rally the offense to keep pushing while also battling some injuries was a battle. I learned that it’s important to keep a positive attitude because all eyes are on you as the quarterback. I need to be the guy this team has faith in to win games, or else we won’t be successful. The biggest thing I’ve learned playing this position is to never get too high or too low.”
Now he hopes to take all of that, and deliver a memorable 2025.
“I go into every season trying to make it my best,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of effort into getting stronger, sharpening my mechanics, and being more vocal as a quarterback and as an upperclassman. I’m sure a lot of teams are going to underestimate Stonehill football since we underperformed last year. I can’t wait to shock a lot of teams because we have a talented squad who’s hungry to change the narrative that we can’t hang.”
TWITTER: DWillisET