Matt Baney chose path less traveled to be a part of Penn State

Matt Baney’s college football story could’ve very well been a different one.

The walk-on linebacker, now a senior at Penn State, had an illustrious high school career at State College.

As a senior captain, he racked up 107 tackles, a sack and two fumble recoveries, and throughout his career helped the Little Lions reach the 2009 PIAA Class AAAA State Championship game alongside three district titles and an unbeaten season in 2008. He played fast and gritty, and worked hard to draw the attention of those who might hold a piece of his future in their hands.

“Coming out of high school, I was really determined to be a scholarship player,” said Baney. “It was always a dream of mine, to be a scholarship Division I player.”

The recruiters came knocking — just not so much from the behemoth right down the street.

“He had a preferred walk-on given to him by (former linebackers coach) Ron Vanderlinden,” said Baney’s father, Mark, who is the assistant and offensive line coach at State High. “But he wanted to play at the next level — and he wanted to be a scholarship player.”

That last part was the kicker.

“I always had the dream of playing at Penn State,” said Baney. “Obviously, growing up in State College, a lot of guys do.”

Specifically, he grew up watching Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor and Sean Lee — those who reinforced Penn State’s longtime “Linebacker U” tradition.

“I couldn’t tell you how old I was (when I went to my first game),” said Baney. “My grandparents had season tickets, so I’ve been coming to games for a long time. I always got to go to the night games because my grandma didn’t want to stay up that late at night to watch the games.”

But the scholarship from Penn State didn’t come. Instead, Baney went to play at St. Francis University, in Loretto, where he was selected as a starter for the first game of the season.

“I made my first start as a true freshman, and on the ride home we would always pass Beaver Stadium,” said Baney. “And my first thought was, ‘Man, I need to get back to Penn State.’ ”

He said he texted his father, who questioned the rationality of his son — the kid who just started as a freshman at a Division I program.

“That’s kind of when I realized that St. Francis wasn’t fulfilling my dream, and what I (really) wanted to do with football,” he said. “I was there a full year, and about a week into summer camp, I up and left. I gave coach Vanderlinden a call — he had offered me a preferred walk-on out of high school — so I called him up and asked for a spot. And he told me to be here in a week.”

For the next four years, Baney clawed his way onto the roster each season as a walk-on player, convincing four separate head coaches he deserved to be there in the process; and there he stayed, with no real guarantee of any game action.

He remembers the first time he shared a field with guys who, in the years prior, he’d been a fan of. And he said he vividly remembers the first time he ever walked out of the tunnel at Beaver Stadium.

“I was ineligible because I had transferred, so I was in sweatpants; but it still meant a lot to me,” he said. “It was a critical part of my career.”

And as he shared his story with media on Tuesday, his jaw set square, it was clear he’s proud of the fact that he could have been the star at the small school; but chose to be the walk-on at Penn State.

“You’re never guaranteed to play. You’re just working and working and working for a spot on the team, and kind of earn the respect,” said Baney. “It’s just the daily grind of being a Division I athlete as a walk-on.

“That’s something that I’ll definitely take out of here and use the rest of my life.”

Mark laughs, thinking about it now.

“Now I think it was a great decision on his part,” he said. “I just think he had this determination that he just was going to be a part of this. And every day he went to practice and he set goals for himself, and he was able to achieve pretty much every goal he set out to do.

“I just think he saw an opportunity to come back and be a part of something special. He just wanted to be a part of it. And it’s been tremendous for him; it’s been unbelievable.”

Yes, Baney’s story could’ve been different. But it wasn’t, because he decided to rewrite it himself.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Matt Baney chose path less traveled to be a part of Penn State."