It’s not often offensive linemen are recognized for what they do at the line of scrimmage. It’s a thankless job, butting heads and bodies with all of the other heavies so the skill guys can get all the glory.
Edgewater offensive tackle Ben Bankowitz, who recently changed his name to Ben Jones, is ok with that. He’s humble and dedicated to his passion. And for his efforts, Jones was finally recognized this past week as a US Army All-American.
Jones, who is ranked No. 43 in the Sentinel’s 2026 Central Florida Super60, was selected to play in the All-American Bowl on Dec. 21 in Frisco, Texas.
“It feels really good. I try to not think about it too much, just give the glory to God, but it does feel really good,” said Jones, who officially changed his named recently in honor of his step father Eric Jones. “It always feels good to get some recognition.”
Jones has been a mainstay in the Edgewater offense for the past four seasons, starting on the O-line since his freshman year. He’s been an instrumental part in the success of the Eagles, who are undefeated at 9-0 and the champions of Class 7A, District 5. Edgewater is off this week before taking on Boone, which is also undefeated, in the regular-season finale Barrel Game rivalry, on Oct. 30.
Ben Bankowitz (Jones) poses with his mother Allison Jones during the presentation of his Army All-American jersey Thursday at Edgewater High. (Photo courtesy Eric Jones)
“This year is going really well, obviously, 9-0, but we’re not close to done. In our minds, we still got six more games,” Jones said. “We’re running the ball great this year, everything is going well and we just gotta keep doing it every week.”
Jones is a technician and he’s been honing his skills since his youth, developing onto one of the top offensive linemen in the state.
“Technique is one of the most pivotal components of being an offensive lineman,” Jones said. “Working technique and having it translate to the game is probably some of the biggest things I have done throughout my high school career. When you work on technique in practice and then put it into the game, good things happen.”
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He credits former Edgewater offensive line coach Chris Jamison with a lot of his progress, although Jamison followed former head coach Cameron Duke to Marietta, Ga. Jones also acknowledges coaches Shermane TeArt and Kenny Thomas.
He’s extremely sound in technique and blocking assignment awareness, and he’s quite agile with quick feet for a 6-foot-3, 295-pound lineman. Jones plays tackle out of necessity at Edgewater, but in college he will move to the interior. Jones committed to Appalachian State on June 17.
He chose App State in part due to the recruitment of Mountaineers offensive line coach Allen Mogridge, a familiar face in Central Florida, having spent time at UCF during two different stints in 2012 and 2014-15.
Edgewater offensive lineman Ben Bankowitz (Jones), who is committed to Appalachian State, has been invited to play in the Army All-American Bowl. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel)
“I’m locked in,” Jones said of his App State commitment. “They are building something special up there and Coach Mo is the realest coach I have talked to.
“For me, it was really the culture of the team and the coaching staff. I feel like App State is overachieving with the coaches they have. … I just feel like they have some of the best coaches in the country.”
Jones said he has enjoyed his senior season under first-year Edgewater coach Patrick Browning.
“I don’t have enough good words to say about Coach Browning and how much he has helped me and all my teammates,” Jones said. “Coach Browning is a great coach, a football guru. You can sit around and talk football with Coach Browning for hours.”
Part of Edgewater’s success this season, and the ability to go unbeaten in nine games has to do with the players commitment to sticking together. When Duke decided to step down and take the job in Georgia, that move could have had a chaotic ripple effect on the program. The players, however, stuck together, and very few transferred to other schools. An impressive commitment from the Edgewater players during this transfer-crazy era.
“We had team meetings and we talked every day about how we had to have the whole team stay on track during the offseason and just stay on course. It’s working out so far right now, so I’m glad we did,” Jones said. “I think that is just a testimony to how close we are, on and off the field.
“Our senior class, we are like actual brothers. I’m really close with all of them. If you see me you are probably going to see three or four of them with me wherever I go.”
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.
