Dakota Conwell has put together a decorated high school football career, one that has allowed him to explore opportunities playing on the collegiate level. And even though he will soon leave after his senior season, next year he will continue his football career in his hometown as a Panther.
Earlier this week Conwell, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior quarterback/linebacker gave his verbal commitment to the University of Pittsburgh to play football there starting next fall.
“One thing I really liked about Pitt is the coaching staff, and that’s a big thing for me," Conwell said. "This one fit a lot better.”
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Conwell will play for recently-hired head coach Todd Graham at linebacker, the same position that earned him all-state honors last season. He led the team in sacks last season and was third in tackles, while also rushing for 1085 yards and throwing for 916 at quarterback.
“At first I had no clue," Conwell said when asked what position he expected to play in college. "I like both sides of the ball equally, but my thing was I just wanted to get the chance to play major college football, and I did, so it didn’t matter what position.”
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Conwell is the third player so far in the WPIAL Class of 2012 to commit to Pitt, signifying a strong local recruiting presence in western Pennsylvania.
“I think that makes the future bright because the best players are going here," he said. "Coach Graham told me the last time Pitt won a national championship they had a lot of western Pennsylvania guys, and that’s how he wants to have it in the future.”
Upper St. Clair now has two NCAA Division I recruits so far in this upcoming senior class: tight end/defensive end Jack Schwaba has verbally committed to play at Northwestern University next year, and more scholarships offered to USC players are expected.
“I think it says our program has a lot of talent here, just like some other programs we hear about all the time,” Conwell said.
Within the past ten years, Upper St. Clair has produced a consistent pool of college football talent, headlined by the Lee brothers, Connor and Sean. Connor was a placekicker at Pitt, ranking fifth in the nation in field goals per game as a junior. Sean played linebacker at Penn State and now plays for the Dallas Cowboys.
Conwell says it's a great feeling to know he is joining such a talented list of players and adding to the legacy of USC football.
“When I was younger I would watch Connor and Sean and a bunch of great guys coming through our school," he said. "Ever since I was little that’s all I wanted to do was play college football, and it’s really a dream come true now.”
While he could have waited until after his senior season was over for all of his potential scholarship offers to come in, Conwell says there are a couple of reasons why he made his decision before the end of the summer.
“Throughout the whole process I knew if I found the right school before school started that I would like to get it over with because I wanted it to be about my team this fall, and I have big plans with my team, so I didn’t want any distractions," he said.
"There wasn’t any pressure to commit. There wasn’t a rush on my commitment or anything. It was just the right place at the right time, so I didn’t need to wait any longer.”
