High school football: Avon Lake's Derek McCrum commits to Penn

For Avon Lake senior wide receiver/linebacker Derek McCrum, academics have always been as important as athletics. McCrum found a school where he will to be able to excel at both. Earlier this week McCrum announced on Twitter that he has orally committed to the University of Pennsylvania, where he expects to play linebacker for the Division I FCS school and study business. "It feels good," McCrum said. "I am thankful I can play the sport I love at the next level for another four years and at the same time get a high-level education. "It's definitely up there in the education world. It came down to Penn or Rutgers. The people there were the reason I chose Penn. Their business school in the past decade has been No. 1 in the country, but the biggest thing was the coaches. (Linebackers) Coach (Jon) Dupont and (associate head coach/defensive coordinator Bob) Benson are just great guys. Some schools sent me an offer and never talked to me again. The coach at Penn was always talking to me, asking me how my day went and how football or basketball was going. I kinda build a relationship with them that way." McCrum will be a three-year starter at wide receiver for the Shoremen this fall. He really brought his game to a new level last year on the defensive side of the ball when he switched from safety to linebacker. "What can you say, he's going to an Ivy League school," Avon Lake football coach Matt Kostelnik said. "This is a culmination of years of hard work and getting it down in the classroom and on the field. He's a hard-working kid. I couldn't be happier for him. "He's a smart, strong fast football player. He studies the games, he loves watching film. He understands the game. From there, his size and speed tend to take over. I think he will really excel at linebacker most at the collegiate level." McCrum's first love was golf, but the team aspect of football is what eventually won him over. "I used to love golf. Freshman year golf was my favorite sport, I kinda thrived at it," said McCrum, who played both sports his freshman year. "Then going into my sophomore year I didn't know where I would fall on the football team coming out of camp, but I was starting at wide receiver and playing at safety so I really got to be part of that team. In football, it's easy to be a team guy and be a team leader. You can't do that in golf. It's a whole different thing." McCrum is already looking ahead to being an entrepreneur and his own boss after college, so Penn's focus on academics and the opportunity to attend the Wharton School of Business weighed heavily in his decision. "On my visit to Penn, they focused on how you have eight hours a week of study time together as a team," McCrum said. "You're studying in the football facility and with your teammates, so it's easy to get locked in and focused." McCrum was All-Northeast Lakes district and All-Southwestern Conference first team after recording 65 tackles, three sacks and three interceptions last year. He said the same skills that help him succeed in the classroom carry over to the football field. "I love the mental part of the game between you and the other team in the days or weeks you have to prepare for an opponent," McCrum said. "Watching film, taking notes, seeing what a team does in different situations and seeing it translate to the game is such a good feeling when you get one right." With official practices starting Monday, McCrum is now freed up in trying to help Avon Lake improve on last year's 9-3 record and win an SWC title. "Having this stress out of my mind is a huge thing," he said. "Now I can fully put my mind in high school football mode for the next 20 weeks instead of thinking about what I am going to do on the next level." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.