On Jan. 26, senior Connor Whelan announced his commitment to play college football at Colby College via Instagram.
For the senior defensive end, playing football was something he had surrounded himself with his entire life. Whelan said, “I started in sixth grade playing tackle [football], after playing flag from first grade until then. I had always wanted to play tackle [football], and that year, my parents finally let me [play].
However, for the Colby commit, choosing between football and basketball was quite the dilemma. Being a 4-year varsity basketball player, Whelan recorded 139 points and 171 rebounds before being sidelined with an injury in his senior season. On the turf, in two seasons, Whelan recorded 28 solo tackles, adding 7.5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss.
He said, “For a while, I was trying to decide which sport I would take to the next level between basketball and football. After the sophomore football season, I realized playing college football was more of a realistic goal.”
Nevertheless, mentors from both sports helped propel him to the success he achieved. Whelan said, “I’ve had many coaches over the years, instrumental to my journey. This past year I made a focus to limit mental distractions, just letting my mind go and my body do. Working out with [football] coach [Matt] Andzel in the spring definitely gave me that new mindset on training, practices and games.”
Despite just the field, Whelan has learned about the grind while being on the court. He said, “Also, the support I’ve received from coaches outside of my sport, like [basketball] coach McKeon, helped a ton. [McKeon] always preaches that nothing is gifted at WHS and that everything is earned.”
This is a testament to the character that Whelan was. Football teammate Cole Weidler said, “Connor was and is very selfless; he didn’t care where he was put or what position he played. He always worked the hardest. He led and was rightfully voted captain and proved it through every game of the season.”
With all this praise, Whelan was recorded as an all division player, honorable mention all conference, second team all county, but most importantly, given the Ray Bailey Scholastic Award, the award given to the senior football player with the highest GPA. As a disclaimer, he did tie with one of his teammates, something that has not happened since 1960, but he was still elected as a recipient.
As for the school itself, Colby College is a private liberal arts school located in Waterville, ME, home to just around 2,200 undergraduates. The Mules compete at the NCAA Division III level, taking part in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
When Whelan stepped on campus, he fell in love with it. He said, “Colby’s facilities are second to none at the Division III level. They recently had a 200-million-dollar athletic facility built, and I can speak firsthand to how gorgeous it is. It is state-of-the-art.”
In the Mules’ recent season, the team held a record of 6-3, with wins over Bates College, Amherst College and Tufts University. For the type of player Colby College is getting, Jake Zemsky, another one of Whelan’s high school football teammates, said, “[Whelan] is going to bring intensity and grit. He is a hard-nosed football player. He has overcome a lot and knows how to fight through adversity.”
Weidler said, “He is bringing the ability to lead and a ton of experience because of the good competition he played in New Jersey.”
Planning to brush off a shoulder injury soon, Whelan looks to get right quick in hopes of imposing his will in the NESCAC immediately. It is only a matter of time before he is causing mayhem on the defensive side of the ball.
