On Nov. 21, senior Cole Weidler announced his commitment to play college football at the University of New England via Instagram.
Weidler had his sights set on the collegiate level for quite some time before his announcement. He said, “In eighth grade, I knew that football was what I worked for. Throughout high school, I realized that I wouldn’t know what to do without football. It was important to keep playing.”
Despite transferring to WHS from Seton Hall Preparatory School early in his high school days, he left a mark on the WHS program. Accounting for the last 2 seasons, Weidler threw for 10 touchdowns, while throwing for 1,259 yards on 107 completions. This was all a testament to the way he was as a person, as well as a player.
WHS quarterback coach Tony Scott said, “Cole’s arm will get him places. He can hit any receiver. Just put your hands up.”
Chris Weidler, Cole Weidler’s father, said, “His athleticism, his leadership skills and his resilience are the most impressive [skills]. The thing with Cole is that he had to deal with a lot of adversity and challenges while playing football at WHS, and his resiliency and no-quit attitude have been super valuable [to his success].”
As for Weidler’s love for the game, his passion started years ago. He said, “I began the Police Athletic League in third grade, and I put myself on watching the Giants and Odell Beckham Jr. I was like, ‘wow, I want to play football and throw the ball.’”
Senior Jake Grossman, one of Weidler’s teammates, has noticed a change for the better in Weidler’s game at the varsity level. Grossman said, “When Weidler was younger, he was one of the better players on the field. [Now], he has developed into some serious talent at the varsity level. He’s got a great deep ball, he can scramble and he’s got a good spiral. He’s also quick, smart and has all the tools.”
Junior teammate Luke Romano agreed. He said, “Weidler has become a better pocket passer, and his IQ has gotten better. As a person, Weidler has become better, too.”
In addition, Weidler helped to maintain a healthy team environment. Grossman said, “He helped lead the squad by creating a relationship with the younger guys. He was also there when anyone needed it and if things did not go his way, he was still ready to go.”
Scott said, “Weidler stayed positive when we needed him mostly. When his number was and was not called, he had the same reaction. He wanted to win.”
Despite earning a spot on the roster at New England, it would not have been possible without the people who had helped him along the way.
Weidler said, “I have a college counselor who was super helpful, and my parents were great. They took me to every recruiting camp and helped me get the opportunity I got.”
Chris Weidler said, “My best advice for Cole is to keep fighting and never quit, no matter what adversity one may deal with because it will work out in the end.”
As for the school itself, the University of New England is a small university, specializing in private research, located in Portland and Biddeford, Maine. Home to just about 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students combined, the Nor’easters compete at the NCAA Division III level in the Conference of New England.
Weidler was blown away by the school. He said, “[University of New England] looked like a great place to be. It’s on the water in Maine. The surrounding cities, like Portland, are beautiful. It also has a great coaching staff and culture.”
In the Nor’easters’ most recent season, the squad went 8-2, standing undefeated at home while knocking off schools such as Coast Guard and Nichols.
One thing is for sure with Weidler: he is not done grinding, especially in trying to leave a footprint at the University of New England. Chris Weidler said, “I think Cole needs to continue to develop physically. He is going to need to become bigger and stronger to be able to play at the next level.”
