Jacob Katauskas is next in line for Lemont, and Graham Pocic knows what that means.

Pocic, a 2008 graduate who’s in his first year as the offensive line coach, played at Lemont before moving on to Illinois and eventually a short stint with several teams in the NFL.

And Pocic likes what he sees in Katauskas, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound senior left tackle.

“I didn’t coach him full time sophomore and junior year, but his technique was always years ahead of where he was in school,” Pocic said. “The biggest thing is getting in the weight room and getting stronger — getting more used to his body.

“I think the sky’s the limit. I think he’s going to play really well.”

A Katauskas-led line will be key for Lemont, which is No. 7 in the Daily Southtown’s preseason rankings. And Willie Hayes, in his first year as head coach, wants to go to work.

“He’s a road grader,” Hayes said of Katauskas, who’s committed to Coastal Carolina. “He’s taken such a passion for the craft of pass protection. You bring in a guy like Graham, a guy like that who has that knowledge to be able to work with our kids, it’s just outstanding.”

The mild-mannered Katauskas knows all about Lemont’s illustrious history of offensive lineman.

That includes Mack Indestad, a 2022 graduate who’s now playing at Eastern Michigan. Katauskas also teamed up with Jacek Blaszynski, a 2023 alum who’s playing at Indiana State.

Indestad took Katauskas, a sophomore right tackle, under his wing on varsity. As a junior last season, Katauskas succeeded Indestad at left tackle, helping Lemont win the South Suburban Blue and advance to the Class 6A state semifinals.

What has Katauskas learned from Indestad and Pocic, who co-coaches the offensive line with John Coneset?

“Leadership a lot,” Katauskas said. “Mack helping me as a sophomore, introducing me to varsity football, and Graham’s technique. He’s got a lot of knowledge of the game and helped me out with technique.”

When Katauskas arrived on campus as a freshman during the pandemic, Hayes said it was clear Lemont had its next candidate for stardom on the offensive line.

Katauskas spent that 2021 spring season playing on the sophomore team before getting promoted a few months later to varsity.

“It’s always nice to have another kid that’s taking that step toward the next level,” Hayes said. “I think it’s a testament to him because he worked hard in the offseason and did what we asked him to do on the field, off the field and in the classroom.

“He took our guidance and took it to the next level.”

The next level after Lemont is Coastal Carolina, which is about 20 minutes from Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.

The recruiting process was equal parts stressful and fun, according to Katauskas. He took advice from Hayes, his assistant coaches and former Lemont players who had gone through that journey.

The key aspect of Katauskas’s collegiate choice was simple. The chosen school would have to mimic the family atmosphere he appreciates at Lemont.

“I’m excited to come out here every day and work,” said Katauskas, who also owns Lemont’s program record in boys track for the shot put at 51 feet. “That’s what Coastal felt to me.”

After such a strong season last fall, Katauskas is ready to step into a bigger leadership role, just like Indestad did for him two years ago.

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‘I like to lead by example and get on my teammates, make sure they are doing good, helping them up when they are messing up,” he said. “I want to be a leader on this team, and I’m going to do that all year.”

Team: Lemont.

2022 record: 12-1.

Offensive leaders: Nathan Kunickis, senior, quarterback; AJ Carlson, senior, tight end/linebacker; Jake Sulzberger, junior, offensive lineman; Jacob Katauskas, senior, left tackle.

Defensive leaders: Jason Piskule, senior, defensive back/wide receiver; Nevan Bufka, junior, defensive back; Carter Mikolajczak, senior, defensive back; Chase Lefevers, junior, defensive back/wide receiver.

X-factor: Alex Pasquale, senior, nose guard/right guard.

Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.