ORONO – Jordan Stevens had a considerable presence on the football field last season as a linebacker for the University of Maine.

This fall, coach Jack Cosgrove and his staff have found a way for Stevens to make that presence felt more often for the Black Bears.

The junior from the small western Maine town of Temple has made the switch to defensive end.

“He plays with a physical aggressiveness that really can’t be matched by a lot of people,” said Robb Smith, UMaine’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. “When he’s closer to the line of scrimmage, it allows him to be more involved in the run game, allows him to get more pressure on the quarterback as opposed to being in (pass) coverage most of the time.”

The soft-spoken Stevens admits he is going through a transition phase thus far. Rather than moving around, adjusting to opponents’ strengths, on every play he is lining up across from the same man on each snap.

“I kind of embraced it and tried to get better,” said the rugged 6-foot-2, 242-pounder out of Mt. Blue High School in Farmington and Bridgton Academy.

“It’s much different from playing linebacker, where I was able to see everything and make reads and react to the football,” he added. “Now I’m just reacting to one man.”

Learning the proper techniques has been a key aspect of the move, as has playing out of a three-point stance. A defensive end’s job is to win the one-on-one battle with the lineman and find the football.

“That’s what we try to work on, getting off the ball quick and making plays with our speed,” Stevens said. “We know we might not be as big as [offensive linemen], but they aren’t as quick as us.”

Cosgrove pointed out the Black Bears’ success moving linebackers to end. Two years ago, Matt King was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, while current UMaine teammate Jovan Belcher is a preseason All-America end.

Stevens enjoyed a productive sophomore season for the Bears. He made 10 starts and ranked fourth on the team with 69 tackles.

“[Former Bridgton assistant coach] Tom Austin calls Jordan Stevens a throwback. He’s more of an old-school type of football player,” Cosgrove said. “He loves the game. He plays the game hard all the time.”

Stevens said he acquired his blue-collar work ethic from his father, David Stevens, who is employed by the Wausau Paper mill in Jay. The elder Stevens also played high school football and has been an inspiration to his son.

“I know his work ethic,” Jordan Stevens said. “He always worked hard; he still does. I remember him talking about football. He was my motivator.”

Stevens cut his football teeth playing running back and linebacker for coach Gary Parlin at Mt. Blue. He said Parlin’s attention to discipline and scouting preparation helped him make a quick jump to the college game.

Not having generated much interest after a strong career with the Cougars, Stevens opted for a postgraduate year at Bridgton Academy, where he was recruited by the UMaine staff.

“At Bridgton I kind of realized my potential as a football player,” Stevens said. “It gave me the confidence to play at this level.”

While he has played football since his youth, Stevens’ future as a serious football player was threatened during the winter of his eighth-grade year.

Another of his passions is skiing. A nasty fall at Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley left him with a broken left hip.

“I was free skiing, in the park, going up jumps,” Stevens said. “I had surgery and they put a metal rod in my hip.”

Undaunted, he played freshman football at Mt. Blue the next fall, metal rod and all. It didn’t seem to bother him, although he did experience some back pain.

“I felt better when I got it out (the following spring),” said Stevens, who went on to become an outstanding ski racer in high school. He lost only one race as a senior and was recruited by Plymouth State.

He said he benefited from his ski racing experience.

“When I raced, I always wanted to win. I always wanted to be the best,” he said. “I try to do the same thing with football, put in 100 percent effort with everything.”

Stevens, a business administration major, has an important role this season trying to shore up a UMaine defensive line that lost four players to graduation.

“I think Jordan is ready to be a great football player for this team,” Cosgrove said. “I think defensive end fits him.”

The end.