Worthington Kilbourne football’s Jackson Szabo enjoying big season
Thursday, October 29, 2026
By Michael Rich
mrichnotwealthy@gmail.com
Worthington Kilbourne quarterback Jackson Szabo, a three-year starter for the Wolves, throws on the run during their game at Big Walnut on Oct. 2. Photo: Kevin Lam
Jackson Szabo understands why the recruiting on him has been relatively quiet so far. That doesn’t stop the junior quarterback from using it for motivation.
A three-year starter for the Worthington Kilbourne football team, Szabo is making himself impossible to ignore.
His numbers look like a video game set on easy mode. Szabo has completed 176 of 269 passes for 2,977 yards with 31 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
Szabo also leads the Wolves with 1,183 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on 154 carries.
He received his first Division I offer from Cincinnati on Oct. 24.
“I want people to see that I’m a good football player and that I can do stuff that all quarterbacks can,” said Szabo, who stands 5-feet-11 and fluctuates between 190 and 195 pounds. “I mean, size doesn’t matter with me.
“I think it’s definitely put a chip on my shoulder and will continue for however long I play. I think it’s a blessing and a curse. It definitely gives me motivation.”
Szabo has been the Wolves starting quarterback since his freshman year.
He’s also been a standout lacrosse player for Kilbourne where he earned first-team all-state honors last year and second-team all-state as a freshman. Szabo has a lacrosse offer from Villanova.
“He’s getting a ton of opportunities for lacrosse but is he trying to wait for the right one in football,” Wolves football coach Mike Edwards said. “We live in this world of height, height, height in recruiting – especially for a quarterback.
Kilbourne wide receiver Shawn Rice (5), who leads the Wolves with 61 catches and 1,069 yards, is quarterback Jackson Szabo’s favorite target this season. Photo: Kevin Lam
“I think he’s one of these rare anomalies where he’s a short quarterback that can still be very successful at the Division I level of football. He’s got a lot of people in love with him and (the offers) are going to come.”
Kilbourne is seeded third in Division I, Region 3 and after a bye in the first round it’ll host sixth-seeded Pickerington North or 11th-seeded Groveport in a regional semifinal on Nov. 6.
The Wolves, who are 9-1 overall, closed out the regular season with a 41-27 win at Westerville South in OCC-Capital play. It was their first win over the Wildcats since 2007, a span of eight games.
Junior wide receivers Shawn Rice (61 receptions, 1,069 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Alex Meek (42 receptions, 803 yards, 9 touchdowns) and junior tight end Grady Wanner (36 receptions, 614 yards, 7 touchdowns) are Szabo’s main targets.
Meek, however, suffered an arm injury against Big Walnut and will miss the rest of the season.
“I wish I could snap my fingers and have him back,” Szabo said. “Alex getting hurt does hurt. But we have a lot of other weapons we can use.”
Kilbourne finished second in the league at 5-1 behind Big Walnut (6-0), which won the meeting between the two, 35-28. The Golden Eagles are seeded second in Division II, Region 7.
Szabo hopes the lesson learned in that game will help them navigate the playoffs. Host Big Walnut scored the first 21 points and led 28-7 in the third quarter before Kilbourne rallied.
“I don’t want to speak for other guys or put words into their mouths, but I think the stage might have been too bright,” Szabo said. “It was definitely a big stage and there were a lot of people there.
Kilbourne cornerback Griffin Miller (33) tackles Big Walnut wide receiver Brayden Giesler during their game on Oct. 2 in Sunbury. Photo: Kevin Lam
“In games to come, every game is going to be like that. (We) definitely need to ease in, settle down, stay focused and not really listen to the outside voices.”
Kilbourne has come a long way as a program since going 0-10 in 2023.
That season, Szabo was an eighth grader at McCord Middle School and called Edwards after his season ended.
He had a feeling he could contend for the starting job and wanted to get a jump on his high school career.
“I think the biggest thing people don’t see with Jackson is that he’s the hardest worker out of everybody,” Edwards said. “With his weight room, with his recovery, with his film prep – I mean, the kid has worked so hard to get where he is and to be as good as he is.”
He’s always been known as a high-caliber lacrosse player with over 100 career points in two years.
Szabo’s first love was always football. His dad, Mike, is a scout for the Buffalo Bills and his grandfather, Steve, coached collegiately and in the NFL with a stint as a head coach at Edinboro Pennsylvania of University (now PennWest Edinboro). Mike Szabo played lacrosse at Ohio Wesleyan.
Jackson loves playing both sports but admits that it turned to football just before his freshman year when he started to embrace the times when nobody was watching.
“I think the offseason is where my love for the work and the grind come from,” Szabo said. “Everyone’s going to see those Friday nights. But not everyone is going to see those times when we’re waking up at 5 a.m. and getting to work. I think that’s what I fell in love with.”
Kilbourne quarterback Jackson Szabo (3), the Wolves’ leading rusher, runs for a touchdown in the team’s home win against Delaware Hayes on Sept. 25. Photo: Reggie Zachery