State College 2-way football star Stephen Scourtis commits to the Harvard Crimson
State College defensive end Stephen Scourtis said he felt at home from the moment he first stepped foot on Harvard’s campus.
Scourtis made his college decision known on Tuesday, committing to play for the Crimson and making the announcement through a video on Twitter. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound edge rusher had 25 offers including Harvard, Bowling Green, Bucknell, Buffalo, Colgate, Columbia, Dartmouth, Kent State, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Richmond and William & Mary, per 247Sports.
His parents taught him from and early age to take academics very seriously. It’s been his first priority, coming before sports with his attention to detail in the classroom coming front and center. The rising senior is excited for the opportunity to join a program in the Ivy League, sifting through the process with his coaches and parents.
“Harvard really stuck out to me as a place that I felt like I was at home and I felt like I fit in, I felt comfortable there and the coaches welcomed me as soon as I got on campus,” Scourtis said. “Every player that I’ve gone to meet there at the program have been outgoing, respectful, they have a really high character and that’s a culture that I want to be a part of. I couldn’t be more excited to say that I’m going to be a Harvard football player.”
State College head coach Matt Lintal is excited to coach Scourtis for one more season, calling him “unbelievable in every aspect.” Lintal pointed to Scourtis’ 4.5 grade-point average.
“He’s a tremendous competitor, one of the nicest kids that you’ll ever find,” Lintal said. “He’s obviously very intelligent — he’s kind, he’s thoughtful, he’s hard-working, he really is the whole package. I’ve kind of said throughout the whole process that he’s the type of kid you want your daughter to bring home because you want him to be a part of your family. He’s a special young man that you can count on and trust in any aspect.”
The rising senior defensive end had 43 solo tackles and 102 total tackles in 14 games in 2021. He added 4.5 sacks, forced three fumbles and provided 33 quarterback hurries. He had 13 receptions for 131 receiving yards as a tight end.
“Just going into the recruiting process, I wasn’t that focused on the Ivy League,” Scourtis said. “Obviously, their academics are top-notch and the opportunities coming out of there are amazing, but they weren’t completely in the picture for me in terms of where I thought I’d end up. I’ve said after my first visit to Harvard that I was blown away from everything.”
This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 4:51 PM.
