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Aidan Wells Commits to Play Football for Harvard

By Joe Ginley, 07/16/18, 4:15PM EDT

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The dedicated student-athlete plans to study pre-med at Harvard.

Some young boys dream of playing in the NFL and of living the glamorous life of a professional athlete. Some other young boys dream of attending an Ivy League university. 

Young Aidan Wells fell into the latter category. 

And now, nearly 10 years after first imagining himself in a chair at an Ivy school, Wells will realize his dream of becoming a Harvard student-athlete. 

The rising senior at Saint Ignatius announced his commitment to Harvard on Sunday evening after a whirlwind tour of schools on the East Coast last week. Following a summer camp in Cambridge, Harvard's football coaching staff extended an offer to Wells. The talented tight end / defensive end quickly accepted on the spot. 

Wells joins a growing fraternity of Wildcats in the Ivy League. Jack Cook '16 (Harvard), Mike Chime '17 (Yale), and Justin Sands '18 (Penn) have all chosen Ivy league schools after successful Wildcat careers. 

But Wells' journey began long before he started attracting attention and offers from college coaching staffs from across the country. His odyssey started as a young boy thinking about his future. 

"I've always loved academics," Wells said. "I remember talking to my mom when I was in third grade. 'Hey Mom, wouldn't it be cool if I went to Harvard?' Not even knowing that I would have the opportunity down the line, she said, 'You can do it, you just have to keep working your tail off in the classroom and things might fall the right way.'"

Wells did just that, working hard in the classroom at St. Mary Grade School in Berea. Wells chose Saint Ignatius and adjusted well to the workload in the classroom from the start. 

"You can ask his teachers – it's a pleasure to have in the classroom," said Head Football Coach Chuck Kyle '69. "He's not shy to ask good questions and take part in class." 

A dedicated student, Wells has recorded a cumulative GPA of 4.01 in his first three years, including a 4.3 GPA last semester. Wells is currently taking a summer Greek class with Mr. Joe Zebrak '87 in order to complete four years of Latin and three years of Greek before graduation. Wells also enjoys science classes, such as his senior-level physics class with Mr. Aaron Mekker '06 last year. 

His smarts and football skills earned him a spot on the varsity football team as a sophomore. Wells did not play much on the 2016 team, but he gained experience and confidence heading into his junior season. 

"When you're up with the older guys, you're quiet and don't want to overstep your bounds," Kyle said. "Going into last year, Aidan felt like a veteran, acted and talked like one. Aidan has always been a very mature young man."

Wells thrived on the field last season. During his junior campaign, the 6'4," 260-pound prospect saw extensive time on both sides of the ball. He did not record any offensive stats, but tallied 9 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. 

On offense, Wells played a critical role as a standup, blocking tight end in double tight formations, opening space for Wildcat running backs. His blocking especially helped during the Wildcats' 21-14 win over St. Xavier, a game in which the Wildcats heavily utilized the two-tight end formation. 

"We move our tight ends – they're not always on the line of scrimmage, sometimes off the line, or in motion, or cracking back," Kyle explained. "That position has multiple responsibilities, from pass receiver to pass blocker to run blocker. He has to do a lot. You have to be smart and physically able to play there, and that position is key to our offense. I'm not sure if Harvard will play him on offense or defense, we'll see. Some colleges even talked about moving him one position in to tackle, from #86 to #76. He can fill various needs."

On the defensive side, Wells played primarily as a defensive end. He showed aggressiveness in attacking the quarterback in pass rushing situations, helping to pressure opposing QBs all season. Against the run, Wells displayed an uncanny ability to find the ballcarrier and force him inside. 

"Our defensive ends can bounce around a little bit, we don't automatically line up outside the tackle," Kyle said. "In part, it depends on what we do with our linebackers. We move our ends around from outside shoulder of guard or tackle. We like to switch them around and get the offense to talk. Consistently, Aidan handles that. If he were to play on defense in college, he might play outside at 5 tech at end, or I could see him playing on the outside shoulder of the guard, being effective inside."

Whatever his position, Aidan is a great young man and easy to coach. Defensive Line Coach Dave Cicetti, his position coach on defense, loves working with Wells. 

"Aidan is an extremely coachable player," Cicetti said. "He pays attention to the finer details of technique, and is always looking to improve his game. He has developed over the past 3 years into an outstanding defensive lineman. He is stout against the run, and his pass rush technique has made it very tough for opposing offensive linemen to stop him from getting pressure. I attribute all of these improvements in his game to his ability and willingness to learn and be receptive to the finer techniques of defensive line play.

"It is great to get to coach a player like Aidan. It has been awesome to watch him develop into the outstanding defensive linemen that he has become."

His coachability and smarts certainly make Wells a player to watch on the field this season. 

"He played in strategic formations on offense, and at defensive end, about 70-80 plays per game last year," Kyle said. "He's a guy who can handle that and flip the switch. No one can say it's easy. It takes a lot of focus, but Aidan can flip that switch well."

Wells enjoys playing both offense and defense, too. He embraces the challenge. 

"I've played defense longer, so I'm more experienced with that," Wells said. "But the thing I like about playing tight end is the double tight packages, and I get to switch things up, see a whole bunch of things. Honestly, I'm excited for both of them. I love playing both ways. It adds another dynamic to the game."

And even when Wells is not on the field, he's a useful asset to the team. 

"When we can get him off the field, he's a good source of getting a little better information off what the players are seeing," Kyle continued. "We see things from the sideline or press box, but we ask, 'What's that guy on the other team trying to do?' He's very good at clear conversations and those points in the game. When we need to get the info from our players, Aidan is very lucid in conversations and good at clearly giving the information we need."

Wells has loved his high school journey to this point, and is excited for his senior season.

Both Wells and the team have big goals for this year. 

"It's been a ride. For my sophomore year, we had the hiccup in the state game. That's been a driving force in the last two years," Wells said. "Now this year, we've got a lot of kids returning and some experience. I'm really excited for this year because we have the pieces, we just have to assemble it. The state championship is the one goal everyone is pursuing. Talking to Tommy [Eichenberg] and Grant [Abbott], that is the goal. The recruiting has been nice, but now we need to focus to get to where we want to go, and that's to win a state championship."

Beyond that, Wells looks forward to his time with the Crimson.

As of now, Wells plans on studying pre-med at Harvard. Beyond that, Wells envisions working as either an emergency room doctor or in radiology.

Whatever field he chooses, Wells is sure to be a success if he keeps working hard. On behalf of Saint Ignatius Athletics, congratulations, Aidan!