After wearing the No. 49 his freshman season, Colorado State sophomore linebacker Buom Jock knew he wanted to change his number going into his second season with the Rams.
To get the one he wanted, however, he felt he needed permission, and a blessing, from the player who previously wore it.
So, Jock called up 2023 Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year Mo Kamara, who was drafted by the Miami Dolphins, and Kamara gladly told Jock he could don the No. 8 this season.
“I was looking to change my number, and for a little bit in everybody’s mind No. 8 was kind of off-limits,” Jock said. “So I was like, ‘I’m not really going to wear No. 8.’ Then it came to my mind, like, ‘I don’t see a reason why not.’ But I wasn’t going to try to get the number without asking Mo.
“I gave him a call, asked him, ‘Hey, what do you think about me wearing No. 8?’ He blessed it. He said, ‘It’s all yours. I’m blessing it for you.’ He said, ‘Hey, you can wear it right after me.’ That’s kind of how I got the number, and it’s an honor because he’s such a great player. A lot of people know him from No. 8 and being on the field. It’s bigger shoes to fill, but I feel like the reason I got it is because I knew I could do it.”
That blessing came after Jock proved his worth during a freshman season that saw him make an early impression on his teammates and coaches, only to continue to improve over the Rams’ 12-game schedule.
A native of Mankato, Minn., Jock was a three-sport athlete in high school. He lettered in basketball and track as well as football. His prep career included 54 receptions for 814 yards and nine touchdowns as a receiver while adding 52 tackles and four interceptions on defense.
He also averaged 16.7 points per game in basketball as a junior.
For the second half of his high school career, he moved from Minnesota to Virginia, where he attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria. When it came time to make a decision on where to play collegiately, he had it narrowed down to four schools — Princeton, Boston College, Pitt and CSU.
“The reason I chose Colorado State was because I had a lot of familiarity with it,” he said. “The coaching staff was very honest with me. I honestly just loved the area. So that ultimately was the decision on why I came here.”
Jock came to Fort Collins a little over a year ago hungry to prove himself and play right away. He impressed his teammates and coaches so much early on that he played his way into the Rams’ season opener against Washington State.
He knew he had an opportunity to show he could play with the team immediately, and he took advantage of it. After playing in that opener, he — and his coaches — knew he was a player who would have an impact.
“So, I came in with not a chip on my shoulder, but I felt some type of way coming into the season,” Jock said. “When I got here, things were kind of hard. Running the defense is a lot different from high school, especially playing linebacker here. Coming in as a freshman playing the Mike linebacker position was kind of hard, but after a few weeks, fall camp, then after that bye week I was pretty confident I could play, and my coaches were confident that I could play.”
Jock finished his freshman season with 34 total tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. While he didn’t start, he played in all 12 CSU games.
Now, he enters his second season as a starter at linebacker alongside senior Chase Wilson. Wilson switched sides to make room for Jock and is excited about playing with the sophomore.
“There’s going to be no hiccup and no problem for the switch,” Wilson said. “Buom’s a smart guy, a real great player, so we’re going to be ready to go.”
Jock believes this year’s defense is better than last year’s. While wearing the number of the player who mentored him last year, and who he looked up to as a freshman, he is looking forward to helping the entire CSU defense improve.
“I feel like this is a very mature group,” Jock said. “A lot of people have been in this defense for a long time. A lot of people know the standard and how it’s supposed to look like. Last year, we fell short on certain things that we wanted to accomplish, but this year we know what we need to get done and how we’re going to do it.”
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