By Joseph Stueve, Dayton Daily News Contributing Writer
CENTERVILLE — Jameson Hartke’s current journey to the NFL might not be one of traditional manner. But the former Centerville Elk is doing his best to achieve his ultimate dream of playing in the NFL.
Hartke, 22, attended the Baltimore Ravens rookie camp last month as an undrafted free agent. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end said he received strong feedback after his camp performance.
“I was able to turn some heads,” Hartke said. “They told me I exceeded their expectations and that I had looked even better than they had thought.”
Uphill climb
Since Hartke did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine, he relied on a strong pro day to gain interest from NFL teams.
“After (my pro day), it was kind of a waiting game for me,” Hartke said. “Everything was out of my hands and my agent kind of had to do the work. He had to call these teams and tell them how I performed at the pro day.”
In May, hopes of playing in the NFL seemed bleak for Hartke as he wasn’t getting any feedback from teams.
“I put all this effort and work in and I’m not seeing anything come back,” he said. “I started to get kind of down on myself, but sometimes things happen and (Baltimore’s rookie camp invite) came completely out of the blue.”
Prepping for pros
After graduating from Centerville in 2005, Hartke moved on to Ohio University where he put together quite a career. Appearing in every game during his four years at Ohio, Hartke finished second on the school’s all-time sacks list with 17.5 and was a senior captain for the Bobcats. During his senior campaign, Hartke gained valuable experience at defensive tackle.
“It was good for me because my lifelong dream is to play in the NFL,” he said. “Even though I played defensive end throughout my whole college career, it was good for me to show the NFL coaches and GMs that I can play two positions and I can do a lot of things in a system.”
Centerville head coach Ron Ullery said it was Hartke’s versatility that caught the eye of college scouts when he was a senior in high school.
“I remember college coaches coming in liking the fact that he was able to play standing as a linebacker,” Ullery said. “They could see his body had a lot of room to grow. It had a lot to do for his marketability because he could play standing up and with his hand on the ground.”
Baltimore’s 80-man training camp is set to begin July 27. Hartke said he is just hoping for the opportunity to prove his talent. The die-hard Bengals fan wouldn’t mind cracking the roster of a heated rival.
“I’ve been with them through thick and thin,” he said about his Cincinnati loyalty. “But I am willing to go play for one of their rivals in Baltimore and totally forget the Bengals.”
That’s just another step toward a childhood dream.
Centerville grad Jameson Hartke, who played football at Ohio University, attended the Baltimore Ravens rookie camp last month as an undrafted free agent. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end said he received strong feedback after his camp performance.
Contact this writer at stuervejd@gmail.com
