Ivy League football star eschewing stability for long-shot NFL bid
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Princeton QB John Lovett (12) attempts to avoid a tackle on a carry in the first half during the game between the Cornell Big Red and Princeton Tigers on October 27, 2018 at Princeton Stadium in Princeton, NJ. (Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
John Lovett is leaving the Ivy League for a long-shot bid at the National Football League.
Lovett, a history major, is set to graduate from Princeton University this year, but instead of riding his prestigious college degree to a potentially steady job, he's opting for a Hail Mary: a career in the NFL.
Lovett is hoping to be one of the players selected in the NFL Draft this weekend. Some evaluators, however, are wondering why Lovett, who is now listed as a fullback and projected to go undrafted, would pursue the uncertainty that comes with life on the football fringe in lieu of something more stable.
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“Why bother? Why not take that Princeton degree and start your career instead of taking the long shot of playing in the NFL?” unnamed teams have asked, according to the New York Post.
Responding to those critics, Lovett said he's pushing forward because football is his “biggest passion.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It’s something where I don’t think going to an Ivy League school expels your chances of being a great football player. Right now, that’s my only focus. I really don’t know what I’d be doing otherwise,” Lovett told the New York Post.
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Lovett has been described as a “five-tool player” because of his all-around talent on the field. In three seasons as the Tigers' quarterback, he threw for 31 touchdowns, rushed for 42 touchdowns and caught two more. He also recorded two tackles on defense and punted the ball three times.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“In the baseball world, there’s the five-tool player. I think John has a little bit of that,” Lovett’s former offensive coordinator, Sean Gleeson, told the New York Post. “He’s got quickness. He can catch. He’s a good thrower. He’s incredibly competitive. He’s got every trait you’d want in an athlete in his toolbox.”