Peters Township’s DiLucia finds perfect fit at Villanova
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
When the white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel chimney at the Vatican last week signaling a new pope was elected, Peters Township quarterback Nolan DiLucia got a couple texts from the coaches at Villanova.
It turns out the new pope, Pope Leo XIV, is a Villanova grad.
“They were texting me ‘It’s a sign. It’s a sign.’,” DiLucia said. “The man above works in mysterious ways, so who knows?”
It was another piece of the puzzle that made Villanova the right fit.
DiLucia, a junior, committed to Villanova over the weekend.
He received the offer on Friday during a visit and committed on the spot. On Saturday he announced his decision on social media.
“When they extended the offer it just felt surreal to me,” DiLucia said. “I think I surprised my family, because I had told them I was still deciding. I weighed all my options I had, but I think Villanova is the best fit for me. The team, the school and atmosphere all-around.”
DiLucia also had offers from Towson, Lehigh, Miami (Ohio) among other schools and had interest from Ivy League schools and Holy Cross.
Though it may seem like a quick decision, committing right after the offer, it was a much longer process.
DiLucia first met Villanova receivers coach Nate Pagan when he came to visit Peters Township following the football season.
Pagan is the recruiting coordinator for Western Pennsylvania.
The two stayed in contact and DiLucia went on his first visit to Villanova where he met offensive coordinator Chris Boden and head coach Mark Ferrante.
“I think that really helped,” DiLucia said. “They got a visual on me and my size and got to know me as a person.”
A home visit with Pagan also played a huge role.
“He always shot me straight and that was important to me,” DiLucia said. “Honesty is the best policy.”
DiLucia knows some of the history of Villanova football, including the fact that former NFL players Howie Long and Brian Westbrook went there.
“I know they have a great program at Villanova and they’ve had winning records in recent years,” DiLucia said. “That shows progress. The academic portion stood out to me too. The football portion and academic portion together are a great fit.”
He hasn’t nailed down an exact major yet, but he has interest in Business, Finance, Nursing and Sports Medicine.
DiLucia became the second Peters Township player to commit recently, joining Lucas Shanafelt, who committed to Stanford. Another Peters Township junior, Reston Lehman, has offers from some major college programs, including Oklahoma, Pitt and North Carolina.
DiLucia had a huge junior year throwing for 2,496 yards and 22 touchdowns.
He earned All-Conference and Observer-Reporter All-District team honors and was a finalist for the Willie Thrower Award.
He hopes to lead the Indians to a WPIAL title after falling to Pine-Richland, 20-9, in the Class 5A championship game last year.
“I’m excited for this season,” DiLucia said. “I think we have a lot to prove coming off a loss in a big game like that. We want to get back to that point and build on the culture to leave Peters Township in a good place. We don’t want to leave empty handed our senior year.”