Centre College Athletics Photo
Quarterback Jack Gohmann proved what kind of leader he could be last season when he led the Colonels to five straight wins to close the season. He spent time this summer whenever he could work on his throwing and passing with teammates.
However, he also spent a lot of time working as an intern for McCarthy Strategic Solutions, a lobbyist firm with experience managing political, policy and corporate operations headed by John McCarthy, who played football at Centre College with Gohmann’s father and was part of current Centre coach Andy Frye‘s first linebacking group at Centre in 1989.
“As an intern, you do what they ask you to do. Most meetings I could attend in person but others were also on a live stream. I would take notes and send back to people I worked for to send out to their clients,” said Gohmann. “I got a great understanding of how a lot of things worked.
“I really enjoyed the experience. I enjoyed the law aspect and how everything works. If you want to be involved in law and politics, the best place to be is in Frankfort and I was there.”
“I think I eventually want to go to law school and this is a great transition for that. I am not sure if I want to be a politician or not but this was really a great experience for me.”
Gohmann joked he didn’t need to hear any stories about “young” coach Frye because he had heard plenty during his first two years with the Colonels.
“I have loved being at Centre College. It goes beyond what you get out of football. Centre provides so much on and off the field,” Gohmann said. “It’s more than just the place. It is the people that make Centre great and then that Centre pipeline connection. Coach Frye is the head of that pipeline because he’s been at Centre a long time and knows a lot of people that can help you.”
Gohmann certainly helped the Colonels last year after Centre got off to a 1-3 start and scored 45 or more points in four straight games. That’s why often when he finished work about 5 p.m. in Frankfort he would drive to Centre College and often throw with returning receivers.
“We definitely worked out a lot to get ready for the season,” he said.
The Colonels report for preseason camp this week and open the season Sept. 7 at Hanover. Gohmann admits it is hard not to be excited about the season.
“We have a lot of really good returning players and a lot of young guys to fill the places of guys who are not back,” the former Lexington Catholic quarterback said. “We have super high expectations.”
Gohmann became the starter in game three last season and the Colonels went 6-2 with him as the starter.
“There was a quarterback rotation the first two games before I took over. But the way we finished the season was not a testament to me but to the coaches and amazing players here,” Gohmann said. “A lot of times the quarterback gets the praise but you need receivers, offensive linemen, good defensive players, good coaches.
“We have success as a team. We scored almost 60 points (59) and then won our last game against Birmingham-Southern 10-7 because our defense shut them down.”
Gohmann knows he is ready to have a bigger season. He’s gone from a 180-pound freshman to a 200-pound junior.
“That’s all physicality from the weight room. I wanted to be bigger and stronger. I wanted to add weight for durability to take more hits, pick up more yards and brush off sacks,” Gohmann said.
“I also felt like I learned something new every game last year just being a student of the game and understanding what defenses are doing and how to apply that to make our offense better. If you slow down things in your mind, you can play fast and efficiently and that’s why I think we can be even more successful this season.”
