Thousands of recruits across the country will be making their college decision in the next few months. Some pick a school because of the coaching staff, the recent success of the program or the academics of the university. It’s rare though for recruits to end up at the dream school they have always envisioned attending.
Long before he would dominate Friday nights on the gridiron for Mt. Lebanon, David Harvey wanted nothing more than to attend Princeton when he was in elementary school. Most kids at that age aren’t thinking about college let alone a prestigious Ivy League institution. But for David, he found his early motivation for his college future from his oldest brother.
“He was attending Harvard at the time and I would always hear about how it was such an amazing school,” Harvey said. “But when I looked up a list of the best colleges in the U.S., Harvard was second to Princeton. So in order to outdo him, I knew I’d have to work hard and get into Princeton”
His dream came full circle Sunday night. He announced his commitment to play football for Princeton. Every Ivy League team showed interest in Harvey, who also held offers from Lehigh, Lafayette, Bucknell and Army. But when he made his official visit to Princeton, he knew he had found his home.
“When I visited Princeton, it exceeded my expectations,” Harvey said. “I have never been around such a great group of coaches and student/athletes. It felt like family, which is saying a lot as I have a huge and awesome family. I look forward with great anticipation for the next four years.”
Harvey was a big reason why Mt. Lebanon won the Southeastern conference. The versatile back rushed for 1,408 and 20 touchdowns. A chunk of his production came against Bethel Park when Harvey carried 34 times for 207 yards and 5 touchdowns. His performance helped the Blue Devils clinch the conference and locked up a first team all-conference selection.
Though the coaches at Princeton like him as a running back, they may end up using him on the other side of the ball.
“At first, Princeton was recruiting me at running back but as of right now they see me at linebacker,” Harvey said. “Once camp rolls around, we’ll have a better idea of where I will fit on the team so I can reach my highest potential.”
This is the latest WPIAL recruit to commit to an Ivy League school. Last week Armstrong standout Zane Dudek committed to Yale after setting the WPIAL rushing record. As Harvey pointed out, the track record of players with talent and strong grades in the WPIAL has Ivy League coaches’ flocking to recruit here.
“There is definitely no shortage of talent in the WPIAL and so many high schools in the area are great academically. So when these coaches find a skilled player in the WPIAL that can also excel in the classroom, it’s an easy choice.”
