Omillio Agard has been getting college attention before he even stepped on a high school football field. Since then, the scholarship offers have been rolling in for the perennial Philadelphia All-Catholic League St. Joseph’s Prep 5-foot-11, 175-pound cornerback.
He made his choice public on Saturday night.
After four years of recruiting, and some recent stress involved with the process, the standout rising senior is going to Wisconsin.
Agard, who had 14 pass deflections, 14 solo tackles, and two forced fumbles in St. Joe’s drive to the PIAA Class 6A state championship last season, chose Wisconsin and new coach Luke Fickell over Clemson, Penn State, Tennessee, and Michigan.
In the end, it came down to two: Wisconsin and Clemson.
“It was really close between Wisconsin and Clemson, but getting the chance to play early, feeling comfortable there and I know they play a lot of man defense, and they have a good track record of getting DBs in the NFL went into it,” Agard said. “That set it up for me. Playing earlier was a deciding factor, but the biggest difference was Wisconsin making me feel wanted and needed. You go to some schools and they’ll take you, but you get a feeling that you’re not their top priority.
“When coach Fickell was at Cincinnati he got in touch with me my freshman year. When he got to Wisconsin, he stayed in touch with me. Coach Fickell and his staff were there since the beginning. This is a big relief for me. We’re (St. Joe’s Prep) going to be really good this year. It was also getting stressful. I was talking to Samaj (Jones, Prep’s quarterback) about how stressful this was getting.
“Your freshman and sophomore years are like a honeymoon phase. You’re younger, you think it’s cool to get these offers and the attention. Then it got serious my junior year because it gets real. You have to pick a school and it is a life decision. I trusted in God, and my family, and I have a great group of support people at St. Joe’s Prep. They’re the best coaches in the country. I have a big, great support system that helped me deal with this.
“I am so happy it is over. I get just play football my senior year and have a great time.”
This is going to be another big year for St. Joe’s Prep. The Hawks, with a good nucleus back from last year’s state championship, may have larger aspirations than winning another PIAA Class 6A state championship. This is a team that is good enough to win a mythical high school national championship.
“We have the talent and the coaching, and the work ethic,” Agard said. “I can’t wait. We have a hard schedule. I get to play with my guys against great teams and I have a lot less stress off my shoulders.”
Agard, who has been taking summer courses for the last two years at Prep, admitted he actually lost sleep over where he was going. He would talk to Jones in the middle of the night because each one of them could not sleep, dwelling over their decisions.
“Me and Samaj were on FaceTime in the middle of the night all the time, talking to each other about where we’re going,” said Agard, who is looking to major in communications. “I could not tell where I wanted to go, and now it’s over. Knowing where I’m going, and going to a great place, this is going to help me sleep better at night (laughs).
“I have a great support staff because I spoke to Marvin Harrison, Kyle McCord, Jeremiah, and Josiah Trotter, they all gave me great advice. For kids getting recruited, my best advice to them is not to follow the logo. Everyone has facilities. There is scouting everywhere, so if you’re good enough, it does not matter where you go, they’re going to find you. Concern yourself with the scheme and how that fits you, and you could tell what coaches are real and what coaches are not.
“Right now, I’m 9.5 happy on a scale of 10, because you can never be a 10. I wear No. 1 at Prep. No one wears No. 1 at Wisconsin. I haven’t asked for that number.
“But I will soon.”
Other important football news
St. Joe’s Prep wide receiver Brandon Rehmann has committed to West Virginia and Elijah Jones is going to Cincinnati and in huge news, Penn State-bound wide receiver Tyseer Denmark is leaving Roman Catholic. Agard will join Neuman Goretti’s Kahmir Prescott and Pope John Paul II’s tackle Kevin Heywood at Wisconsin, while Malvern Prep offensive lineman Peter Jones is headed to Notre Dame, Downingtown West offensive lineman Ryan Howard will join his older brother Will at Kansas State, Penn Charter running back Ohifame Ijeboi is headed to Minnesota, Neumann-Goretti defensive back Khari Reid is headed to Stanford and Imhotep Charter defensive back Kenneth Woseley is headed to Penn State, while teammate, defensive lineman Jahsear Whittington, has committed to Pitt.
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.
