Lehigh football’s offensive line has proved to be a tight-knit group consisting of a diverse mix of class years this season.
The Brown and White spoke to offensive linemen seniors Christian Jablonski and Jackson Wiles and sophomore Christian Curatolo about their experiences in the trenches this season.
Q: How have your teammates supported you in taking the starting role?
Christian Jablonski: My teammates have been very supportive of my starting role. Everyone on our team wants the best for everyone else no matter what their role on the team is. They always tell me techniques that I need to work on or even looks that I should be prepared for. As much of an honor it is to start, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything without them, and I am very appreciative of them making sacrifices to help make me better.
Christian Curatolo: We are a very tight-knit group of guys who try to help and give each other advice in any way possible. Whether it comes from a first-year or a senior, we listen and we apply.
Jackson Wiles: It’s just the next-man-up mentality. I’ve played a lot of positions on the interior offensive line here, but I’ve just been ready. When your number is called and you got to shift (positions), it’s just something we do for the better of the team.
Q: Who do you model your game after?
CJ: I would say that I model my game off of Trent Williams (of the San Francisco 49ers) as best as I can. For his size, he is a phenomenal athlete and he has a nonstop motor. Those are two attributes that I want to have as well, so I always want to see if I can pick up little nuances from him.
CC: Being the most technically sound player in his department, I don’t know how any offensive tackle wouldn’t want to model his game after Rashawn Slater of the (Los Angeles) Chargers. He has been dominant ever since he was drafted back in 2021. The way he’s always moving his feet and keeping the defender guessing by working a variety of moves — it’s what makes him great.
JW: I take a lot of different bits and pieces from different players, whether it be NFL or different college guys. In high school, I worked with a guy named Scott Peters, who’s now the assistant line coach for the Cleveland Browns. He has this whole program called the “Tip of the Spear” that works with NFL guys. It’s definitely shaped my game.
Q: How is the bond between offensive linemen different from that of other position groups?
CJ: Having played defensive line my (first) and sophomore year, I can say that the bond between the offensive line and any other position is very different. Unlike other positions where you are just responsible for your own assignment, on the offensive line you are almost always working with another offensive lineman on every play. And with that, you by nature get a lot closer to those around you because you always need to have faith that they will do their part too.
CC: The bond in an O-line room has to be unlike any other position in order for an offense to be successful. If one guy makes a mental mistake and the other four are correct, it blows up the play. I have to trust that the guy next to me is going to do his job and I am going to do mine. The key is to play for each other and with each-other.
JW:We have a good group of guys who are really motivated and want to be great. We got guys from all over the country, which is good. At the end of the day, our goal is just to do what’s best for this team and win the game.
Q: Do you have any pre-game rituals?
CJ: Other than just taking a few minutes to myself prior to every game, I can’t say I really have any pregame rituals. In high school, I was very superstitious, though, and I would always have to get dressed a certain way and drive to school a certain route.
CC: I’m not a superstitious type of guy. I just like to get in my zone and think about what I have to do to play my best game possible.
JW: I always take a knee before the game on the 27-yard line, just because in high school, I messed up my knee a little bit on the 27-yard line in practice. Then I always listen to “Where the Hood At” by DMX before I go out. That’s my song.
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