Jake Hescock's first college football game is setting up to be a memorable one.
As a native of Massachusetts, the tight end will be back in familiar territory when UCF kicks off the season at UConn. He's originally from Pittsfield, located in the western part of the state, then attended prep school in Salisbury just over the border in Connecticut.
It will also be his first competitive game in three years after being on the sidelines in his first two seasons of college. As a freshman at Wisconsin in 2016, he redshirted while playing on the scout team and then he had to sit out the 2017 season at UCF following his transfer.
It's only about an hour and a half drive from Pittsfield to Hartford, so Hescock is expecting a big cheering section on Thursday.
"I've got a lot of family going to the game," Hescock said. "I'm really excited... I've got some high school coaches coming, pretty much all the extended family, and then a couple of my buddies from back home. I'm gonna have a nice little fan section over there."
Each player is allocated a small number of comp tickets, so he's been making the rounds by asking teammates if they can help accommodate.
"I've been asking everybody, 'Hey, do you have family coming to the game? If not, can you shoot a couple tickets my way?' I've been racking them up," Hescock said. "I got a pretty good group coming. They're really excited. I know my dad is. He hasn't seen me play on the field in two years. He's pretty pumped up."
Hescock ended camp as the No. 2 tight end on the depth chart behind Michael Colubiale, who joined the team earlier in the summer after being granted a sixth year of eligibility. Regardless of starter or backup status, Hescock is in line to play a lot this season.
"Yeah, I can't wait," Hescock said. "I mean, it's been fun the past couple years, learning and getting better. Now I think I'm ready to just go out there and show my stuff and see what it's like. I've gotten great veteran leadership from (Michael Colubiale). He's been teaching me a lot about the game, how it's a lot different practicing and getting ready for an actual game. I'm going to learn a lot from him. We're excited, ready go out there and attack. It's going to be fun."
Colubiale is the only tight end with FBS playing experience, so he's also been playing the role of mentor to Hescock and the other tight ends.
"He's been a big help in helping me learn the offense to another level," Hescock said. "Reading the defense, getting tips, reminders and keys. He's been really good with that. It's been nice having him around."
Hescock feels he and Colubiale both complement each other in terms of how UCF plans to utilize the tight ends.
"Coobs, he's more of a receiver so I think he'll take some more of the routes," he said. "I'm a bigger body, I'll probably do more of the inline stuff. We'll mix and match here and there. We do have a very good playbook for the tight ends. Everybody is going to get used an equal amount. I think that we're going to be tough to cover because we have so many options."
As for UConn, Hescock is somewhat familiar with the program as he was offered by their previous staff.
"I got a chance to check out the facilities and stuff," Hescock said. "My brother, he's in high school now, he's kind of going through the same recruiting process. I've gone down there with him a couple times. I'm familiar with the area and I got a couple buddies on the team from other prep schools around the area. It'll be fun."
He's friends with Tahj Herring-Wilson, a starting cornerback for UConn.
"He played on Suffield, which was one of our rivals," Hescock said. "It will be exciting to see him again."
Hescock will also contribute on special teams as a starter on kickoff return, so he could be on the field for the first play.
"That's going to be exciting," he said. "Maybe I'll take a look in the stands to see where everybody is at, but once the ball is kicked off, it's go time."
