Greencastle's Stephens opens up about Lehigh commitment

Over the last three years, Greencastle High School quarterback Cole Stephens has garnered the attention of college programs.

The attention has resulted in a major decision ahead of his senior season, as Stephens recently announced his commitment to Lehigh University. 

"Lehigh checked every box. I am a super competitive person, and when you look at what they've done recently with back-to-back Patriot League championships, competing nationally and the level of football they play, it really stood out," Stephens told The Putnam County Post. 

In addition to the success on the gridiron, the senior signal caller said Lehigh allows him the opportunity to get a top level education.

"You are getting one of the best educations in the country and an unbelievable alumni network. It really is one of those places where football and life after football both matter. The biggest thing was the people. Ever since I got on campus, they made me feel like a priority. Coach Hunt and Coach Nagy spent a ton of time with me and my family. I loved the offense, love the culture and the players I met were awesome. And, the campus itself is unbelievable. Once I got there, I could really picture myself there," Stephens said. 

Stephens said there were some "really good programs" involved in his recruitment. 

"Ohio University was up there for me. North Dakota State was up there. Kent State, Youngstown State, Illinois State, Indiana State, Butler, a lot of schools invested time into recruiting me and came through Greencastle to see me throw. What stood out about a lot of those schools was the winning culture. One competes for conference championships every year and develops really good players. North Dakota State, obviously, has one of the best championship traditions in college football, and now making the jump to the Mountain West makes them even more interesting. There were a lot of really strong options," he said. 

However, it was Lehigh that won him over, as Stephens admits it is where he felt most at home.

"I felt like I could get everything I wanted there without sacrificing anything. I can compete at a high level, chase championships, get a great education and build relationships that are going to help me long after football is over. At the end of the day, that combination was hard to pass up," Stephens said. 

Committing before the season allows the senior to focus solely on the upcoming season. 

"That was really important to me. I wanted to be able to fully enjoy my senior year and just focus on playing football with my teammates. Honestly, some of the most fun I ever had playing football was my freshman year before recruiting really became a thing. Back then, me and my dad were just focused on winning games and enjoying the process. I think getting the recruiting part done lets me kind of get back to that mindset and just enjoy one last season with my teammates and coaches," Stephens admitted. 

A season ago, Stephens guided the Tiger Cubs to a 5-6 mark, while throwing for 3,747 yards and 41 touchdowns and accounting for 46 total touchdowns and over 4,000 total yards of offense. For his career, the signal caller has thrown for over 9,200 yards and 104 touchdowns. 

This year, he has his eyes set on helping guide Greencastle to greatness in the county, the Monon Athletic Conference  and beyond. 

"I feel really good going into this season. I've put on good weight, gotten faster, stronger and more explosive, and a lot of our team has, too. There's a lot of excitement around what we can become. We've got some younger guys stepping into bigger roles, but I have a lot of confidence in them. They've worked hard and I think people are going to be surprised by what this group can do," Stephens said.