Naperville Central’s Jason Figg had no idea how to play nose guard until recently.
He also didn’t know how much fun it would be.
“First two years, I played basically all offensive line, plus a little linebacker sophomore year,” Figg said. “Last year, I got moved to nose guard. It’s been great.”
Figg was great at his new position last season, when he recorded 40 tackles, five hurries and a fumble recovery. The 5-foot-10, 220-pound senior has only gotten stronger since then and was a major force during the Redhawks’ season-opening 24-13 win against Hinsdale Central on Friday.
Figg and senior defensive end Jake Stanish, a Buffalo commit who had two sacks, were the tip of the spear for a punishing defensive unit that allowed only 47 yards rushing to the visiting Red Devils, who had just 121 yards of total offense until the final drive of the game.
“I talked about it in our film before we came out here,” Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich said. “There are a lot of guys that are going to get credit and their name is going to be called, but there’s things Jason does during the game that are so valuable to football.
“Winning and losing often is at the line of scrimmage, and he just does so many things for us. He’s a tremendous high school football player.”
Nose guard is a position that rarely gets a lot of glory, and Figg was overshadowed last year while playing on a defense line that featured stars like Maverick Ohle and Christian Kuta. But insiders like Naperville Central defensive coordinator Tony Colletti, who played nose guard at Southern Illinois, know Figg’s value.
“You’ll never see him on the stat sheet, but that’s the guy that makes our defense run,” Colletti said. “He defines selflessness and toughness.
“It’s built into the position he plays where he just eats up double teams, does all the dirty work and lets the other playmakers make plays. He’s just one of the toughest kids we’ve had.”
Teammates like senior center Connor Sands, who goes head-to-head with Figg in practice, attest to that.
“Jason’s a baller,” Sands said. “He works so hard. He takes on double teams, and sometimes he doesn’t get in the stat book, but when we go in on Monday film, we watch Jason Figg make plays.
“It’s so fun because he’s the strongest guy on our football team. He moves people like it’s nothing.”
Figg said he couldn’t have learned the position so quickly without the help of his teammates.
“I get a lot of great reps in practice against our scout team and our starting O-line,” Figg said. “I credit them. I’m a new nose guard, and they have taught me pretty much everything I know. Like they tell me what to look for, what not to look for. We have a great coaching staff that also helps.”
One that appreciates his efforts.
“He’s changed his body over the last two years,” Ulreich said. “He plays with such great pad level and never quits.”
In that, Figg is a protégé of Ohle, who plays at Ohio.
“He taught me everything I know in the weight room,” Figg said. “He made me fall in love with the weight room.”
Figg loves his new position too.
“It’s great playing nose guard,” he said. “For me, it’s the most fun position on the field, right?
“You’re not going to make every tackle, but that just makes the tackles you get that much more meaningful. When you get in the backfield and make a play, it makes it that much more meaningful.”
Playing for the Redhawks also is meaningful for Figg, whose brother Samuel played linebacker and graduated last year.
Has Figg thought about playing football in college?
“Right now, I’m just enjoying my senior year,” he said. “I’m playing for everybody on our team. I love all these guys. I grew up playing with almost all of them, and I love being a part of the team, and having the whole town behind us is a great feeling.
“After high school, we’ll see what happens. But I’m just enjoying the now.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
