York High quarterback taking the 'longer road' and walking on at Big 12 school
Sam Stoner said he knows the path he's chosen won't be easy.
As he put it, it's a "longer road" to playing time.
But he's comfortable with that challenge.
Stoner announced Thursday that he has accepted a preferred walk-on offer from West Virginia University and will enroll at the school next month. The York High senior quarterback had scholarship offers from Division I FCS schools Towson, St. Francis and Utah State and Division II schools Clarion, Millersville, Shippensburg and East Stroudsburg.
Instead, he will remain teammates with York High superstar running back Jahiem White, who has accepted a full athletic scholarship from West Virginia. The Mountaineers compete in the Big 12 and are coming off a 5-7 season under coach Neal Brown, but the school has already announced the coach will be returning for a fifth season.
"Why not get trained like a Power Five player and eat and prepare like a Power Five player?" Stoner asked rhetorically. "Coach Brown came to our building last week. He told me 'It's going to be a longer road to playing time but it's not a bad option.' I understand that, and I'm not scared of that."
No football experience to D1 recruit?Here's how Sam Stoner did it
Throughout his recruiting process, Stoner said he wouldn't rule out attending a smaller school if it meant a more realistic path to playing time. However, there are a number of reasons why he ultimately chose to walk on at West Virginia, which extended him the walk-on offer in September.
He is set to graduate from high school this month and always intended to enroll in college this spring. The top student in his class, Stoner said he has an academic scholarship from West Virginia that will greatly reduce the financial burden on his family. A resident of the West York Area School District whose family paid tuition for him to attend York High, he said his college tuition will be cheaper than his high school payments.
Stoner also was strongly considering accepting a scholarship from Towson until Tigers head coach Rob Ambrose was fired last month.
And while he plans to major in finance, Stoner said his main aspiration is to be a football coach at a major college program. Attending a Big 12 school and working with people like Mountaineers quarterbacks coach Graham Harrell — a former Texas Tech superstar and Green Bay Packers backup — could provide him with invaluable connections.
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Still, he's not giving up hope of getting on the field eventually ― even if that's typically a long shot for a walk-on quarterback. West Virginia has just one scholarship quarterback, Charlotte native and three-star recruit Sean Boyle, in its 2023 recruiting class. This past year's starter, J.T. Daniels, has already entered the transfer portal and just two other quarterbacks who saw the field this season are expected back with the program next year.
"I'm not going in with any backup plans," Stoner said. "I truly believe I can play at West Virginia. With my work ethic, I think I'll have a shot after a couple of years. But I can't imagine (my future) without football. I've been around this game since I was 5 or 6. I can't imagine going to a 9-to-5 job."
Stoner has been known for his work ethic since he became York High's starter as a sophomore. He didn't play organized football until his freshman year and broke his collarbone midway through the season. But he became York High's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns and led the Bearcats to three straight playoff appearances. This fall, he completed 68% of his passes for 2,051 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for four scores.
But as York High quarterbacks coach and former Temple starter Matt Baker previously said: "If you're looking for 6-foot-5 ... then you're the wrong school for him." Stoner's father and head coach, Russ, said the main concern they heard throughout the recruiting process was that the 6-foot Sam was undersized.
Outside of that, Russ Stoner said his son "can make all the throws, is competitive and educated about football." This season, Sam was often in charge of calling York High's plays and offensive line protections at the line of scrimmage. And the Bearcats run a spread, run-pass option offense that is similar to what West Virginia uses.
"First off, Sam is a great guy," Central York coach Gerry Yonchiuk said before his team faced York High this season. "I've spent some time around him, and he's such a competitor and a great leader. He makes that offense go because it has to start with the quarterback."
Sam Stoner said he's excited to continue playing with White, who is one of the top players in West Virginia's recruiting class. He said he was added to a team group chat this week and was immediately welcomed by fellow recruit and St. Joseph's prep star Josiah Trotter, the son of former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.
For his part, Russ Stoner said he could tell his son was enamored by West Virginia the first time they attended a game with White two years ago. He said he's glad his son understands the challenge he's about to face and knows what his ultimate goals are.
He said one of his friends reached out to tell him Sam is "one step closer to being the head coach at West Virginia some day."
"I just had to laugh," Russ said. "Sam isn't going there with any illusions. He's going there to work, and I wouldn't let him go if he wasn't. He's going to put his best foot forward and isn't going to just be OK with being the fifth-string quarterback. But he wants to be a coach and there are a lot of stories that start just like Sam's. No matter if you go to a Power Five school or Division III, you have to take advantage of your opportunities."
Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York High's Sam Stoner accepts walk-on spot at West Virginia football
