By RYAN WALKER
Norwell’s football team had two players sign their letters of intent to play at Taylor University Tuesday afternoon in the high school commons area.
Linebacker Luke Graft and offensive tackle Kyle Zeddis inked the next four years with the Trojans.
“I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go yet, and I went on an official visit – which is an overnight thing for Taylor — and you know, I fell in love,” Graft said. “I really like they’re coaching staffs, and they’re really good guys.”
Graft made his verbal commitment to Taylor in mid-December via social media, and exactly a month later, Zeddis did the same.
“It’s really awesome,” Zeddis said. “I look forward to playing with him (Luke). He’s a good football player and fun to play with.”
Both agreed on the same thing – the coaching staffs were one of the contributing selling points.
“I really liked the coaches, especially coach (Aaron) Mingo, he’s a really good guy, really Christ-led,” Graft said. “Taylor, overall, academics is great, business program is really good.”
“I went on a visit. I stayed overnight and stayed with a couple of kids,” Zeddis said. “They were all really friendly and nice — fun to hang around. Had the visit the next day, and all the coaches were really nice, and I like all the coaches. The facilities are nice. It took me a couple days after the visit to decide, but it was pretty clear.”
Head coach/offensive line coach Aaron Mingo was in attendance along with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jared Boddie.
Shortly after their visits — which, Zeddis said Graft didn’t even know he took one — both wanted to make the choice to the purple and gold.
Taylor University is a private Christian institution located in Upland.
The Trojans are in the Crossroads League for athletics, but for football, they compete in the Mid-States Football Association with 16 other schools. The team posted a 5-6 record last season.
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