Former Ballenas Whalers lineman Enzo Agostini has committed to play football at Harvard University.
The Parksville defensive end/offensive lineman was recruited by Berkshire School in Massachussets when he was just about to enter Grade 11 at Ballenas. He spent two years playing and honing his skills there and his talent on the field garnered the attention of university recruiters.
In his final year in high school, Agostini made a good impression that led to a myriad of offers from different university football programs including Princeton, Yale, Bucknell, University of Massachussets, University of Connecticut, Brown, Columbia, Colgate, University of Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Monmouth, Akron, Lafayette, Dartmouth and Harvard.
Agostini said the decision was not easy. It took him almost a year to choose which school he wanted to go and play for. He picked Harvard.
“This goal has been in my head since I was about eight or nine years old,” said Agostini. “So when it came time to make a decision, I didn’t take it lightly. It took me all of nine months to decide which school I wanted to go to and which was the best fit for me. I’ve always had the goal to get an education out of football. I have this goal because I know that I can only play football for so long. So playing high level D1 football and getting one of the most valuable degrees in North America was basically a no-brainer.”
Agostini was recently invited by Harvard to visit its campus. He said it was an amazing trip as he not only got the chance to tour the school but also savoured the opportunity to watch the Crimson clinch a share of the 2023 Ivy League title, beating Penn in overtime. It was Harvard’s 18th Ivy League title and first since 2015.
“This is years of hard work coming into reality for me, so very exciting,” said Agostini. “I would also consider this one of the biggest accomplishments in my life which makes it all the more important.”
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The 6-foot-6, 273-pound Agostini is outstanding on the field and in the classroom, carrying an impressive 3.90 GPA. He is looking at pursuing a degree in business.
“I haven’t put my finger down on exactly what I want to do, but I have a while to figure that out,” said Agostini.
Aside from preparing for his next educational step, Agostini is also focusing on the next chapter of his football career.
“My goal is to always be the best player I can be,” said Agostini. “So that means I have to put my nose back to the grindstone to get ready for college. I have to get bigger, stronger and more explosive to be the best I can be. Ultimately I want to do great, and it’s going to take a lot more work to get there.”
Looking back to his development in football, Agostini is grateful to the many people and coaches who have helped make him not only a dedicated and hard-working athlete, but also a good student and good person.
“I want to thank everyone that has been a part of this journey with me,” said Agostini. “My development on and off the field has been in large part due to the people that surround me. I’m grateful for the community that I live in and the people that make it so great. I’d also like to thank my parents, Chris and Miranda, for always being there for me and encouraging me to try my best. And to the Oceanside Lions and Ballenas Whalers programs, thank you all. Some of my fondest football memories came from those programs.”