‘Success turned out the way I always hoped’: Beavers’ Jack Colletto reflects on career after most versatile player award

CORVALLIS Ore. (KPTV) – The 14th-ranked Oregon State football team is ten days away from the opportunity to win ten games for just the third time in program history as the beavers look to chomp the Florida Gators in Las Vegas.

The Beavers’ best season in a decade has the post-season honors pouring in for the orange and black.

One day after being named to the All-Pac-12 first team, fifth-year senior Jack Colletto won the Paul Hornung Award Wednesday as the most versatile player in college football.

The 24-year-old from Camas first arrived in Corvallis as a quarterback who turned into a linebacker, a special teams player and a full-back who leaves OSU tied for the tenth on the all-time rushing touchdown list.

“The success turned out the way I always hoped and wanted it to but how I got there was not what I expected at all,” Colletto said.

Colletto arrived in Corvallis after one season at junior college playing for the national title with Western Arizona.

“There was a lot of ups and downs. It was such a crazy process, and you can only imagine. Quarterback, and then it’s like, ok, this wasn’t working out so then I had to find other ways to add value to the program,” Collettto said.

Colletto carries out a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and minor in business administration.

“I get this from my mom, I pick up concepts really quickly. She’s a very bright mind and then my dad is very much a straight-forward person, so I guess those two together makes me really good at math. I can pickup concepts quick.”

When Colletto’s path forward was blocked under center, the deep thinker hunkered down in a belief with the Beavers.

“The guys who are bought in and want to change the program, they don’t leave. I truly believe, true greatness never comes without its adversity and to be able to go through that process and understand what it’s like as a player to be frickin’ 1-and-11, dead last in the Pac, our season would have been over a few weeks ago to now, we are playing in meaningful bowl games, we are always in meaningful games, being ranked the way we are. Seeing that transition is truly remarkable.”

The Paul Hornung Award Winner as college football most versatile player truly knows about the national evolution of a football life.”

“Ok, he played defense. Now he’s contributing on special teams. Oh, what if he were to do this? What if he were to expand his role to fullback? I am like, yeah, sure. I’ll do it. Whatever is going to get me on the field to play and contribute,” Colletto said. “It’s really not the result I am most excited or proud of but it’s really the process and everything that it took to get to that point, that is where you kind of reflect, ‘oh, crap.’”

Embracing the natural nickname of “The Jackhammer,” the entrepreneur in this era of name, image and likeness launched the Jackhammer Collection where 25 percent of the proceeds go to the Wounded Warriors Project.

“I believe there is nothing greater than people who voluntarily make the sacrifice to contribute to something greater in their lives.”

While no path to success is ever perfect, Colletto’s track to help bring the Beavers back was about buckling up and never settling down.

“What I believe in and really my ‘brand image’ I guess you can say is blue collar, tough, I believe a lot of our fans are like that. Wake up, get stuff done every day. For me to place myself in that and not only that but the people in the building and building relationships and trust with the people around here, it’s been an experience like no other and the fact that there was a lot of struggles that came along with it honestly made it that much better because you have a lot of people here who you can trust and depend upon to make your goals happen.”

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