Ben Bartch (born July 22, 1998) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

at Saint John's (MN).

Early life and high school

Bartch grew up in

McMinnville, Oregon McMinnville is the county seat of and largest city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. The city is named after McMinnville, Tennessee. As of the 2019 census, the city had a population estimate of 34,743. McMinnville is at the confluence of ...

and attended Blanchet Catholic School where he played tight end. He was not recruited out of high school.

College career

Bartch began his collegiate career playing tight end. He played in one game as a freshman and was the team's third tight end as a sophomore, catching four passes for 43 yards and one touchdown. His coaches liked his blocking ability and suggested he move to the offensive line going into his junior season. In order to gain weight, Bartch consumed a protein shake daily consisting of 7 scrambled eggs, tub of cottage cheese, quick grits, peanut butter, bananas and gatorade and went up from 250 pounds to 275 by summer training camp before eventually reaching 305 pounds. Bartch became the Johnnies starting left tackle and was named second-team All-

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) is a college athletic conference which competes in NCAA Division III. All 13 of the member schools are located in Minnesota and are private institutions, with only two being non-sectarian. ...

(MIAC) and to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team at the end of the season. As a senior, Bartch was named first-team All-MIAC and a consensus first-team All-American by D3Football.com. Considered a prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft, Bartch was invited to participate in the

2020 Senior Bowl The 2020 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game played on January 25, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. CST, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game featured prospects for the 2020 draft of the professional National Fo ...

. Bartch also competed on Saint John's track and field team in shot put and discus throw events.

Professional career

Bartch was selected in the fourth round of the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

by the

. He became the first Saint John's player to be drafted since 1974 and the first player to be drafted from any Division III program in five years. Bartch made his NFL debut on September 13, 2020 in the season opener against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

, playing five snaps on special teams. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

list by the Jaguars on December 15, 2020, and activated on January 5, 2021. Bartch entered the 2022 season as the Jaguars starting left guard. He suffered a dislocated knee in Week 5 and was placed on injured reserve on October 11, 2022.

References

External links

Saint John's Johnnies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartch, Ben 1998 births American football offensive tackles Jacksonville Jaguars players Living people Players of American football from Oregon Saint John's Johnnies football players Sportspeople from McMinnville, Oregon