SAN JOSE, Calif. — Christian Haynes sat in the San Jose McEnery Convention Center’s ballroom Thursday afternoon in a room full of reporters, microphones and cameras.

Wearing his special edition Seattle Seahawks jersey with a Super Bowl LX patch in the top right corner, the 6-foot-2, 318-pound offensive lineman reflected on his journey. Did he ever expect to be here?

“I’m sorry, you messed me up with that,” Haynes joked after briefly stumbling over his words.

The Bowie native and Bowie High School graduate had no scholarship offers from power conference schools entering his senior year. He was a two-star recruit, redshirted his freshman year at UConn and spent six years in college.

But Haynes never questioned his path. Now he’s set to live a lifelong dream when the Seahawks meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

“I [knew] coming from Bowie and then going to UConn was going to be a hard path to make it to the NFL,” Haynes said. “But I just [stuck] with my goal and I just kept growing every day.”

Haynes considered transferring to a private school ahead of his senior year of high school, as a number of his teammates did, but first-year coach Augustus “Gus” Parrish kept him on board. Parrish, who went to Potomac High School and played offensive tackle at Kent State, related to Haynes with their similar paths.

Parrish’s first Bowie team had a handful of returning varsity starters. Haynes was one of them, and he became a captain his senior year. Parrish noticed him taking on more of a leadership role, working to be the “protector” of his teammates.

Haynes’ loyalty paid off when he became Bowie’s first NFL draft pick, going 81st overall in 2024.

“The route that a lot of people take is to leave your team and to go to a better team, and sometimes that makes it a little easier to become successful,” his father, Maurice Haynes, said. “But he chose to stay at Bowie, where his roots were.”

Haynes showed his loyalty again when he remained at UConn through a coaching change after the 2021 season to play under Jim Mora. His faith was rewarded with back-to-back Football Bowl Subdivision All-America seasons — becoming the first Husky to accomplish that feat.

TCU offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis, who coached Haynes for two seasons at UConn, said it would be hard to find another player like him. NFL scouts said Haynes was one of the most fun players they watched on tape because of his combination of size, speed and lateral quickness, per Sammis.

But Haynes’ demeanor also stood out. There was “nobody better at pissing off the other team” than the burly lineman, Sammis said. Haynes consistently pancaked and decked defenders — and no matter how hard the opponent tried to get under his skin, he didn’t let it affect him.

“I can’t tell you how many times people would throw a punch at him and stuff like that, and he would just walk away,” Sammis said.

Haynes’ imprint on the Bowie community is still felt, even with him playing nearly 3,000 miles away. He gifted Seahawks gear to the football team and stopped by the school last offseason.

“For him to be able to come back and still embrace us, embrace the kids that are currently there, be inspirational, it’s been truly big for us as a coaching staff and us as a program,” Parrish said.

Haynes aims to be an inspiration for Bowie kids who play public school football. “You don’t have to go to Saint Frances, or you don’t gotta go to DeMatha or St. John’s, to reach your goals,” he said.

The support goes both ways. Maurice Haynes said 40 to 50 people, from aunts and uncles to elementary school friends, filmed videos congratulating his son on making the Super Bowl.

Christian Haynes played 16 games as a rookie with the Seahawks in 2024, splitting time at right guard with Anthony Bradford. He played just eight games this season after being placed on injured reserve during the preseason with a pectoral injury. He returned in mid-November and will be active Sunday as a reserve lineman.

Haynes’ parents and one of his brothers will be in Santa Clara. They’re nervous and excited, with Maurice saying: “Christian has kind of fulfilled all of our dreams.”

For Haynes, the moment will be surreal.

“I’m going to soak it all in, like I’ve been doing every playoff game, and just embracing the energy that’s in the air,” Haynes said. “And then, shoot — once kickoff comes, it’s go time.”