Photography by Stephen Buchanan
Anthony D’Angelo has his two older brothers to thank for how far he has come in football and how far he may yet go. Despite strong interest from Ivy League schools, D’Angelo committed to play football in December at Navy, where he expects to play defensive end. He carries a 4.0 grade-point average. D’Angelo, also received strong interest from Syracuse, Connecticut, Buffalo, and Lafayette.
Brothers Mike and Nic “really helped me with football,” he says. “They supported me so much with this journey. There’s just so much love that comes from both them.”
Mike, who played quarterback at Queen Anne’s County High, helped get D’Angelo interested in the sport. He was recruited by Division III colleges but ended up going to Maryland to focus on his education.
“I credit my oldest brother with helping me stay active in football,” says D’Angelo, who transferred from Queen Anne’s to Kent Island after his sophomore year. “Since he was a quarterback, he always wanted me to run routes for him and catch passes.”
Nic, a sophomore offensive lineman at Towson University, has also been an outstanding teacher for D’Angelo. They work on drills together and constantly text and talk on the phone about football.
“I learned a lot from Nic because we played similar positions,” D’Angelo says. “Having a Division I collegiate offensive lineman as a brother is invaluable. I will know what practices are going to be like. I can go against him, practicing moves and doing one-on-ones. He can teach me technique he has seen at the collegiate level and what offensive lineman do to counter it.”
Kent Island Football Coach Damian Ferragamo adds, “I think he has huge upside. It’s all about motivation, and he is determined to play at a high level.”
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound D’Angelo also credits Evan Eichler, the co-owner of the Eastern Shore Performance Center in Stevensville for his development. Dangelo participates in three eight-week camps a year at the center and has done individual sessions with Eichler for two years.
“I credit a lot of my playing ability to my power, quickness off the ball,” D’Angelo explains. “My trainer helped me with all those things. Before I started training with him, I had no clue.”
D’Angelo came into his own as a sophomore at Queen Anne’s, earning Bayside Conference Second-Team defensive honors. He performed even better in 2019, being named to the Bayside Conference First-Team offensive tackle and Second-Team defensive end.
“It’s very rare to do that,” Ferragamo says of making two all-conference teams in the same season. “In my opinion, he would be justified being first-team on both sides of the ball.”
Indeed. He racked up 10 sacks as a junior and had three in a route of his former school in November of 2019 despite being consistently double and triple teamed. D’Angelo certainly has come a long way since he started playing football in the fifth grade for Unified Queen Anne’s Lions.
“He checks all the boxes as far as height and weight,” Ferragamo says. “He has the body of a college football player. He has the frame to put on more weight and size. He’s very mobile and a very good athlete.”
D’Angelo will also make academic a big priority at Navy, where he’s considering cyber security for his major and a long career in the Navy. Five members of D’Angelo’s family served in the military, including two great grandfathers in the Army.
“I take pride in my family’s military background and I would like to serve myself,” D’Angelo says.
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