Jake Witt: Indianapolis Colts Rookie Files

After starting his collegiate career as a basketball player, Indianapolis Colts rookie Jake Witt hopes to make a career in the NFL.

It is common to hear of NFL players being multi-sport athletes as kids.

When you are one of the best athletes in the world, you can find success in multiple sports in your middle and high school years. They participate in other sports because of their love for the game, to spend time with friends, or even to stay in shape for football season.

But usually, the player settles on football as they enter college, playing on scholarship for their university. It is hard to find a player that leaves the game of football for another sport only to return to football and find their way to the NFL.

This is "Rookie Files," a series on Horseshoe Huddle that gives you the backstory of every rookie for the Indianapolis Colts. Going player by player, we look at their journeys to the NFL and what makes each unique while also detailing how they help the Colts. Finishing off the series for 2023 is Jake Witt, who began his college career as a basketball player and now finds himself carving out a career in the NFL.

Going to College for...Basketball?

© Detroit Free Press

Witt was born on February 7, 2000, in Bruce Crossing, Mich., to Bill and Patti Witt. Growing up in a small town in the Upper Peninsula, Witt did not have the chance to play football. Bruce Crossing did not have a youth football league for him to participate in.

Instead, Witt began playing basketball in second grade and found a love for the game. He played throughout elementary and middle school and became quite talented at the game. Basketball was the primary sport for Witt, and he was looking forward to showing off his skills at the high school level.

Witt enrolled at Ewen Trout Creek High School, where he immediately made an impact on the basketball team. With his skills, combined with the fact the school was very small, Witt became a starter on varsity as a freshman. He became one of the best players the UP has seen in a long time.

Witt finished his basketball career at Ewen Trout with over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. As a senior, he averaged 27 points and 18 rebounds per game. Witt was even named Upper Peninsula Mr. Basketball in 2018.

The talented basketball player did not find himself on the football field until his junior year. Witt played a big wide receiver role at Ewen Trout, as the 6'7" kid was 235 pounds. But because of the size of his school and their opponents, Ewen Trout played in a league with only eight men on each side of the ball instead of 11.

While experiencing great success in basketball and even track, Witt loved football. The more he played, the more he fell in love with the game. Playing college football was not out of the question if he received the right opportunity.

Because he played in such a small town and did not participate in any camps, Witt had a quiet recruiting experience. While a no-star recruit, he had interest from Division II programs in both basketball and football. Academics also had an influence, as Witt graduated as the valedictorian of his 16-student class. Ultimately, Witt would have to decide between basketball at Michigan Tech, football at Northern Michigan, or walking onto the football team at Central Michigan.

In the end, Michigan Tech was the choice. Witt chose basketball after a great senior year and wanted to continue playing the game he had played his whole life. But football would not go away quietly.

From the Hardwood to the Gridiron

© Detroit Free Press

Witt headed off to Michigan Tech to begin his college basketball career. He quickly found his role with the Huskies and averaged 6.4 points per game as a freshman. But after a year of playing ball, Witt was  unsure if basketball was what he wanted.

On top of second-guessing his choice to play college basketball, Witt was trying to figure out what he wanted to do in school. Michigan Tech was known for having a great engineering program. But Witt did not want to be an engineer, instead having an interest in becoming a personal trainer.

With Witt changing his major to health sciences, he transferred from Michigan Tech to Northern Michigan. His basketball career was over, and Witt was at peace with his decision. He wanted to focus on his schoolwork and be a normal student.

2019 started with Witt doing just that, being a normal student at Northern Michigan and diving head first into his studies. He was not training or playing sports for the first time in as long as he could remember. He began working out again just for himself, not sports.

Now, Northern Michigan was one of the schools interested in Witt joining their team after high school. As Witt began to work out, those around him tried to convince him to give football another shot. After considering it for a couple of months, Witt gave it a shot.

"Originally, I transferred from Michigan Tech, so I transferred to Northern Michigan and I was just there for my studies for that first semester," Witt said. "Walked on to the team in that spring of 2020 and you know, I had good people in my corner that got me back into it. It was all about dedication at that point."

Witt walked onto the team during the spring of 2020 as a tight end, ready to return to the field. It had only been a few weeks after Witt had walked on when the pandemic shut everything down for the program. The 2020 season for Northern Michigan was canceled, but Witt took this time to continue catching up and refining his game.

"I had a full year of COVID that just allowed me to practice, sharpen up my game coming from the high school eight-man level to the college 11-man," Witt admitted. "So, that full COVID year was great and now we’re here.”

After a year of practice, Witt was more prepared than ever to get his college football career started.

His True Calling

© Northern Michigan University

Witt began the 2021 season trying to find a role on the Northern Michigan football team. While playing wide receiver in high school, he would have to adjust to more of a blocking role at tight end.

His year of training paid off. Witt showed up to summer practices in shape and ready to compete. He impressed the Wildcats' coaching staff, and by the beginning of the season, he was named the starter at tight end. 

Although he was the starting tight end, he only caught six passes for 79 yards through the first eight games. But Witt did show value as a blocker, something that would lead to a much-needed change.

At halftime of the Wildcats' game against Ferris State, coaches approached Witt about playing the second half at right tackle. The team was depleted by injuries and needed his big frame to help fill in on the outside. Witt obliged, and to everyone's surprise, held his own at right tackle in the second half.

The Northern Michigan coaching staff decided to keep Witt at right tackle for the remaining two games of the season. Witt held down the fort on the right side and seemed to have a more promising future on the offensive line. While he would need to learn another new position and put on more weight, Witt was excited about the opportunity.

"Just had to be open to everything," Witt explained when asked about transitioning in sports. "Be a sponge when it comes to learning. That’s how I’ve succeeded playing basketball, then to football and then two positions in football. Just learn from a lot of guys, try to be a sponge like I said and just take everything in.”

Witt began the 2022 season as the Wildcats' starting left tackle at only 280 pounds. While he continued to add weight all season, he never looked back. Witt started all 11 games at left tackle and was named Second Team All-GLIAC.

With so little experience, Witt knew that he would need to show off his athleticism to get on the radar of NFL teams. Witt was a workout warrior at the Northern Michigan pro day, measuring 6'7" and 302 pounds while running a blazing 4.89 40-yard dash with a 37-inch vertical jump. Teams certainly took notice.

"I knew I would test well," Witt admitted. "I knew I was going to be very athletic in the sport of football when I actually went out. I got a couple of years of film under my belt, started to get the attention of a couple of teams at the league and you know, that’s what really started to kind of domino effect it for me."

Witt spoke with 31 out of the 32 teams in the NFL leading up to the draft. When draft weekend rolled around, he was unsure if he would be drafted or have to sign as a camp tryout. Luckily for Witt, the Colts took a chance on the kid from Northern Michigan with the No.236 pick in the seventh round, making his dreams come true.

How Witt Helps the Colts

Courtesy of Northern Michigan University

With only two years of experience playing 11-man football, it may seem like Witt is quite a ways away from contributing to the Colts. But Witt has demonstrated to be a fast learner in his football career.

Witt has great size for an offensive tackle. His athleticism shows through in pass protection as he can stay mirrored with quicker pass rushers. Witt also does a good job of keeping his hands up and ready to strike.

Witt will need to continue to add weight to hold his own against NFL defensive linemen. While he has added around 40 pounds over the last couple of seasons, he has been able to stay quick with his feet, an asset he will need at the next level.

Witt is still very raw in his development and will need plenty of coaching before he is ready to play. His tape was inconsistent at times, but he showed the athletic upside the Colts love in their players. Witt would benefit from spending time on the Colts' practice squad while he continues to work on his game.

From choosing basketball over football to taking a year off from sports altogether to ending up in the NFL, Witt's journey is full of surprises. As he starts his NFL career, the seventh-round pick may have a couple more surprises up his sleeve in the years to come.

More Rookie Files

• QB Anthony Richardson
• CB JuJu Brents
• WR Josh Downs
• OT Blake Freeland
• DE Adetomiwa Adebawore
• CB Darius Rush
• S Daniel Scott
• TE Will Mallory
• RB Evan Hull
• DE Titus Leo
• CB Jaylon Jones

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

---

Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewMooreNFL.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.