New England Patriots fan Jackson Bonebrake impresses ‘one of my favorite players,’ new Benet coach James White

Benet sophomore offensive lineman Jackson Bonebrake, an ardent New England Patriots fan, still has a hard time wrapping his mind around it.

Bonebrake was incredulous when he heard that James White, who won three Super Bowls as a running back with the Patriots, had been hired to replace the retiring Pat New as Benet’s coach.

“I was just in shock,” Bonebrake said. “I didn’t believe it when they first announced it, and then I’m like, ‘Wow.’

“Even looking back now, I just think about how I used to watch this guy when I was little. He used to be one of my favorite players, and now he’s my coach. It’s just really surreal.”

White, who coached running backs at Illinois last season, quickly found out about Bonebrake’s allegiance but wasn’t surprised.

“He told me as soon as I stepped in the building,” White said. “New England Patriot fans are everywhere. When you’ve played for an organization that’s won a ton, you’re going to have fans all over the place, so it’s pretty cool for one of my players to be a Patriots fan.”

The two quickly bonded over their love for the Patriots.

“We talk about the Patriots all the time,” White said. “He went to one of their training camp practices a couple weeks ago.”

White likes what he has seen from the 6-foot-1, 265-pound Bonebrake during the Redwings’ preseason practices. Bonebrake started at guard as a freshman last season, a rare feat for any football player, especially a lineman.

“He’s got the right mentality,” White said. “He’s got the old-school football mentality where he’s trying to be physical, which you have to be that at the offensive line position.

“He kind of got thrown in the fire as a freshman last year, but you learn on the fly, get experience and just play hard. Now you just try to learn the whole picture of what we’re trying to get accomplished.”

That includes protection concepts, run-blocking assignments and why specific plays are being run.

“He’s starting to understand the full picture of the offense versus just what you have to do,” White said. “I think that’s the place where he’s taken that next step.”

Bonebrake stepped in the deep end last season as a freshman, but he was happy to get his feet wet so early in his career.

“It was really fun last year,” he said. “I’m grateful for my coaches for putting me in that position to succeed.

“Coach New was always telling me, ‘Man, it’s going to be crazy when you’re a senior and you’ve already done three years as starting O-line.’ I’m really grateful for the experience.”

While White brings an impressive cachet to the Benet program, Bonebrake is part of a rich family legacy. His father, Jeff, played college football and baseball at St. Francis and was Benet’s baseball coach from 2000 to 2011.

Bonebrake’s mother, Krista, was a basketball star for the Redwings and Lewis University. She later was an assistant under Benet girls basketball coach Peter Paul, who died in 2025. On his mother’s side, Bonebrake also is related to the Eshoo and Stack families, which include former Benet basketball stars Emily Eshoo and Colin Stack.

That pedigree gives Bonebrake name recognition, but other intangibles have led to him embracing a leadership role.

“Jackson has fit in well from day one,” Benet senior wide receiver John Ericson said. “He was laughing and having a good time, cracking jokes with us.

“But also he’s a really hard worker, keeps his head down — just one of the hardest-working kids on this team, if I had to say.”

White can see the camaraderie among Bonebrake and his teammates.

“They love him,” White said. “I tell these guys, you can be a freshman and be a leader, you can be a senior and be leader. I don’t care if you just got here or you’ve been here four years.

“Obviously, he’s one of the more experienced players we have, so you are naturally a leader, whether he likes it or not.”

Bonebrake likes it and the support he has from his teammates.

“They’ve really embraced me,” he said. “I’m really grateful for them accepting me and being able to be one of the leaders, especially because I’m younger.”

Bonebrake is also a manager for the Benet boys basketball team, which was the state runner-up in Class 4A last season. He’s hoping to help the football team rise as well. The season starts Friday, when the Redwings will go on the road to play Lena-Winslow.

“I’m really excited for this year,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of talent, and the coaching is great. I think we’ve got something real special that we’re building here.”