Plenty of colleges made recruiting Joel Rich a priority and he appreciated all of the interest.
But one school stands above all others for the senior-to-be from St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
“He loves Boston College,” Aquinas head coach Tim Budd.
That’s why when Boston College offered Rich a scholarship over the weekend, the two-way standout didn’t hesitate to verbally commit to the Eagles.
“When I was there (on a visit), it just felt right,” Rich said. “Also, I’ve gone to a Catholic school all of my life ... and going to a Catholic college just kind of continues on my Catholic education.”
Rich said it took him about an hour to accept Boston College’s offer. After talking with family and Budd, Rich let the Eagles know he was coming there way next year.
Budd said Rich had plenty of options, but the coach knew this was the first option.
“He’s over a 4.0 GPA and had a lot of interest from the Patriot League and the Ivy League,” Budd said. “Boston College, though, was his first choice. He loved it, and as soon as they offered, that’s where he wanted to be.”
Boston College recruited the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Rich to play defensive end, the position he’s made his biggest impact at Aquinas.
But Rich is far from being one dimensional in any way.
He’s big, fast, agile and skilled — just part of what Budd loves about Rich.
“He’s the real package, both academically and on the football field, and he’s a leader,” Budd said. “I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s a special, special kid. He’s a nice guy, then he gets on the football field, and he’s an animal.”
An example of Rich’s athleticism:
Come track and field season, he doesn’t go over and throw the weights with the other big guys, he takes to the track and runs the hurdles.
“He runs a 4.7 40,” Budd said. “For his size, to be able to move like he does, it allows him to do some pretty special things on the football field.”
Rich helped Aquinas last fall reach the state football playoffs for the first time in 23 years, as the Knights won a first-round game and finished 7-5. He earned third team All-Ohio honors in Division V after leading the team with eight sacks and 16 QB pressures. He was fourth on the team in total tackles (66) and forced two fumbles.
Offensively, he caught 15 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown. To further show his versatility, he also ran a fake punt 34 yards for a touchdown.
“I just always try hard, work hard in everything I do,” Rich said.
He joins a Boston College team coming off a 4-8 season and that already has a Stark County presence. Louisville High School graduate Bobby Swigert, who will be a junior, was BC’s leading receiver last year with 44 catches for 470 yards.
“I talked to him a little bit (during the recruiting process),” Rich said of Swigert.
It turns out, Rich and Swigert have another connection.
“The house I used to live in, when we moved out, his family moved into that house,” Rich said of a move that happened when he was about 3. “So we kind of have that connection. ... And our dads have known each other.”
Swigert was a good resource for Rich to go to during recruiting.
“Any question I had about what it would be like to be a student there, he definitely helped me with those questions and just helped me with the recruiting process a lot.”
Rich is eager to become a Boston College Eagle, but his focus now is on the St. Thomas Aquinas Knights.
“I’m very excited (about the upcoming season),” he said. “It’s going to be a fun year. We have a lot of guys coming back from last year. Our goal definitely is to get to and get pass what we did last year.”
