Warren’s Jordan Ellis looks like a lot of things, but football novice isn’t one of them.
It doesn’t take a trained eye to realize the 6-foot-5, 280-pound junior left tackle is legitimate, from the way he fires off the ball to the ease with which he flows onto the second level.
Yet Ellis is only scratching the surface.
“It’s been a big step-up year for me, and I’ve been getting better each day, each practice,” he said. “Ever since I’ve been up here (on varsity), I realize the environment I’m in and how hard I need to play. I’m starting to take this really seriously now.”
That’s good news for Warren’s run-heavy offense and bad news for any opponent’s front seven. As the regular season approaches the stretch run, it has become common for that script to play out.
It was unmistakable during the Blue Devils’ 34-20 North Suburban Conference road win against Mundelein on Friday, when Ellis helped junior running back Aaron Stewart rush for 263 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.
Stewart’s scoring runs came from 22 yards, 2 yards and 16 yards, with his final trip to the end zone giving Warren (4-2, 3-1) a 27-20 lead midway through the third quarter.
“I love running behind this guy,” the 5-foot-7, 170-pound Stewart said, glancing upward at Ellis. “Look at him. He always makes his blocks, he’s always knocking someone down and he’s always picking me up. He’s my guy, right here. As long as I’m behind him, they can’t see me.”
It’s impossible not to see Ellis, and his physically imposing frame certainly gives him an edge. But he doesn’t think of his considerable measurables as his best attribute.
“I’ve noticed how much I’m using my athleticism,” Ellis said. “I’m a really athletic lineman who can use my ability to get lower than guys and get around guys if I need to — beat them to the spot with my speed. I feel like I have an athletic edge over a lot of defenders.”
Ellis’ quick feet and ability to change directions often within heavily packed confines can be traced to his experience in basketball. Warren football coach Bryan McNulty first saw Ellis at the school’s night for eighth graders, when Ellis approached a representative of the boys basketball program. McNulty and his staff eventually swayed Ellis to try football, and it has been beneficial for both sides.
“He’s really turned it on this year, and it’s been kind of cool to see his maturation,” McNulty said. “He’s pretty special with his size and athleticism, and he’s really smart. But he’s also speaking up a lot more and he’s very vocal, and that’s not a side of him we had seen. You can see his confidence growing.”
Ellis has learned to amp it up when he’s between the lines.
“I’ve never been a very aggressive guy,” he said. “Football came around, though, and I realized I had to find that and realized that sometimes I have to do dirty things to make my block.”
Ellis’ inexperience isn’t only due to his late start in the sport. McNulty said Ellis was ticketed to be a starter as a sophomore, but he broke his arm during the summer before that season. He got called up for brief action toward the latter stages of the season but was playing defensive tackle as recently as late July, which makes his progress all the more impressive.
“The defensive line, they’re always moving, and when I’m stepping and they’re moving, I have to make sure I’m disciplined,” Ellis said. “I have to play harder than them, and if I get underneath people, that really gives me an advantage.”
The advantage began to tilt Warren’s way against Mundelein (3-3, 1-3) in the second half, when Stewart gained 177 of his yards and senior quarterback Jack Wolf attempted just three passes. That purposeful disparity in play-calling allowed Ellis to dig in.
“When I hear the quarterback in the huddle call a run play, I know he has trust in us that we’ll get our guys in the end zone,” Ellis said. “Our coach always talks about the defenders putting up a fight, but our play style is to keep hitting them and hitting them until they start turning their heads. That’s how you know they’re starting to quit and you have them.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
