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Brian Hines was sitting on the couch when the alarm went off on his phone. It brought news that bewildered many in the NFL who didn’t sign up and understood the few in the league.

Hynes, the special teams coach at Appalachian State, read that the New England Patriots are signing backup linebacker Jordan Heilig, who played special teams with the Mountaineers.

Haynes is pumped. It’s amazing to see the players you’ve coached become professionals. That episode was really fun.

But even Hines couldn’t shake the surprise of what had happened to him – and someone who knew the situation.

The Patriots were making perhaps the most obscure free agent signing in recent memory. (Heilig and New England’s other undrafted free agents are expected to officially sign with the team before this weekend’s rookie minicamp.)

See, after finishing his senior season at Appalachian State and with a year of eligibility remaining, Haylig entered the college football transfer portal Dec. 5. He was looking for a school where he could get more playing time at linebacker and he was willing. To get down to the FCS level to get him. He made just 13 tackles on defense in 51 college games.

Heilig didn’t work out at the App State Pro Day, which had a chance to impress scouts for draft-eligible prospects, because, well, he’s not headed to the NFL. I didn’t hire an agent. His name does not appear on the NFLPA’s player database. There is no mention of him in Dane Brugler’s comprehensive draft guide, “The Beast,” which offers nearly 1,900 steps. There is still no video package of Hayleigh Collegiate Highlights on YouTube.

After entering the portal, he did not get a scholarship offer. So with his football career looking in doubt, he got a job at a local Zaxby’s fast food restaurant to help pay the bills.

And now he’s in the NFL.

Even for a coach like Bill Belichick, with relatively unheard-of players with extraordinary histories, and even in a league with a trade wire that currently includes more than 100 undrafted free agents and many of whom don’t come from small schools or huge stat sheets, the Patriots’ high-league additions are far from over. It is one of the shocking signatures.

“I’m with you,” Haynes said. But if anyone does something special like this, it’s the Patriots. … so I wonder? Yes. But am I surprised it’s with the Patriots? No.”

So how did the Patriots land a player few people have heard of? It helps to know Heilig’s story to know that.

He played football for Concord (NC) High, about half an hour northeast of Charlotte. It’s a proud program, but one that fell on hard times during Haylig’s tenure. The team went 1-10 in Highlig’s senior season. As such, recruiters were not knocking on the school’s doors.

Still, Heilig’s athleticism stood out. It was long and fast. He was a three-star prospect according to the 247Sports recruiting service.

But college coaches had a dilemma with Heilig. At 6-2, 215 pounds, he was a little undersized for a linebacker but too stout for a safety. Heilig earned the nickname “Ace” because he played every position growing up and could do anything. But to some, he was a jack of all trades and master of none.

Highlig’s coach during his senior year was Marty Paxton, whose college classmates were Appalachian State assistant coach (and now head coach) Sean Clark. Running a 3-4 defense during the season, they saw Heilig play a weakside linebacker role that could utilize his size and athleticism. Heilig committed to East Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State and North Carolina A&T.

“His hips may not be too flexible to play in the defensive backfield, but he’s not too big to play inside linebacker,” Paxton said. Still, he’s so athletic that you can’t leave him out.

That’s why Heilig quickly found a place on App State’s special teams units — even as a true freshman. It looks like a way to get on the field, asking for time to play a bigger role in the defense.

But that never came. Heilig was buried on the depth chart at linebacker.

When Haynes, the Mountaineer’s special teams coach, looked over the roster, Heilig stood out. Haynes realizes that if the defense won’t use Haylig, he will.

“There’s no reason to put a kid on the bench during special teams,” Hynes said of the mentality at the time. “I mean, he looks like Tarzan and he can run.”

He placed Heilig on each of the four primary special teams units: kickoff, punt returner, punt coverage and punt returner.

Heilig especially stood out as a tackler on the punt team, where he often lined up against smaller cornerbacks who couldn’t match his physicality. Coaches there still talk about the first game against Arkansas State when Heilig overcame a double team, blew up a potential defense on the scrimmage, then tackled one of the top 15 punt returns in the country inside the 20-yard line.

Still, despite Heilig’s commitment to special teams and his growth, his role on defense never materialized. He finished his collegiate career with more tackles on special teams (21) than on defense (13). He played an astounding 873 special teams snaps, but far fewer at defensive line.

That said, during his senior season, scouts attending upstate games took little notice of Haylig.

“He wasn’t making any noise,” Haynes said. “There was no attention around him.”

So on December 5, Heilig entered the transfer portal as a grad transfer. The plan seems to be to find a school where he can play more. But he had no options to continue playing until this spring.

So Heilig got a job at Zaxby’s, the famous fried chicken chain. In reasonable fashion, “Ace” did a little bit of everything there. He didn’t know what his football future would be – or if there even was one. So he needs something to fulfill his life.

Not long after the draft, Heilig received a call from the Patriots. Special teams coach Cameron Acord watched Hailig’s game on video and was impressed. The Patriots are going through their worst special teams performance of the Belichick era and have decided this offseason to get players, no matter how hidden, to fix things. So they offered Haylig a contract.

Heilig did not have an agent to turn to for advice. But the prospect of becoming a professional was much better than what was expected in the transfer portal.

Of course, there is no guarantee for Hayleigh. While the Patriots have more dedicated special teams players than most teams in recent years, there will be plenty of competition to make the team — ahead of Matthew Slater, Brendon School, Cody Davis and Chris Bord in special teams depth. Chart

But the Patriots don’t just value specialists — they also give undrafted free agents a chance. An undrafted rookie has made the Pats’ first 53-man roster for 19 consecutive years.

So to them, it doesn’t matter that Heilig isn’t considered an NFL prospect by most other teams, hasn’t had a pro day or hasn’t produced much on defense at Upstate. New England is looking for players who can add to a special part of their team, no matter how obscure their history.

“Yeah, I guess I was a little shocked,” Haynes said. But then again, if anyone could open up his special teams film, the dude could do it. … I think they did a great job of doing their homework and finding someone so special.

(Photo: Jim Dedmon / USA Today)

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