Danville RB headed to West Point

Todd Hummel, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 7—Ty Stauffer has consistently carved out some time in December to watch the Army-Navy game.

"I've always watched the game," Stauffer said. "(So Army has) always been in the back of my head."

Add that Stauffer said his great-grandparents and grandparents both served in the Armed Forces, and that his mom has always mentioned the military for his future, so when Army offensive line coach Mike Viti, a 2007 West Point graduate and former Berwick High School star, started making his pitch to the Danville running back, Stauffer knew his future just might be set.

On Thursday, Stauffer announced his verbal commitment to play football at Army.

"I was looking at Long Island and St. Francis, those are great programs, but (Army is) a chance to play FBS football, instead of FCS football," Stauffer said. "It's the next level in academics, and it really sets me up in the future as well."

And Viti told Stauffer that despite the rigorous physical and academics at West Point, he might just be surprised.

"He thinks I more wired for it than I think I am," said Stauffer, who just has to wait for his appointment to the Academy to come through.

With his familial connection to the Armed Forces, that kind of atmosphere is what appealed to Stauffer when he visited the campus.

"It's really a big brotherhood, the coaches and the players," Stauffer said.

And the FBS part of the equation works for Stauffer as well.

"Once I saw the facilities at an FBS school, I was sold, too," Stauffer said. "It's the highest level of college football, and it's kind of crazy going up there and seeing that kind of stuff."

The COVID-19 pandemic and injuries held back Stauffer during the early part of his career.

He didn't have those problems during the 2021 football season, and now the rising senior at Danville is headed to West Point, New York.

Stauffer earned the starting position at tailback during the shortened 2020 season, but played in just six of 10 games, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

He took advantage of his health last year, earning all-state and all-Daily Item first-team honors after rushing for 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Stauffer enters his final scholastic season with 1,967 yards, and a shot to become the school's all-time leading rusher. Sam Dressler ran for 3,630 yards in a career that ended in 2013.

Since Jeff Monken took over in the winter of 2015, the Black Knights have been one of the top Group of Five teams in the country. They've had a winning season in five of the last six seasons. Army has qualified for a bowl game in each of those five seasons. They won four of those bowl games, dropping a three-point decision to West Virginia in 2020.