ANTHONY SACCA: READY TO CARVE HIS OWN LEGACY AT NOTRE DAME
- Al Thompson
- 12 minutes ago
- 7 min read
There are two questions former St. Joe's Prep standout linebacker Anthony Sacca is asked the first time he meets someone from the football world.
Both questions are related to his dad, quarterback Tony Sacca, who starred for the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1988 to 1991 and was selected in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft.
The senior Sacca, who grew up in Delran Township, New Jersey, and played high school football at Delran High School, played two seasons for the Phoenix Cardinals then two seasons in the NFL Europe league for the Barcelona Dragons in Spain.
The first question he gets asked is why did he pick Notre Dame over Penn State where his father did so well?
Both programs did very well in the expanded college playoffs last year. Penn State lost to Notre Dame in the semi-finals by a field goal, then the Fighting Irish lost the national championship game to Ohio State 34-23.
“That's kind of been the narrative ever since I started getting recruited in high school,” said the younger Sacca, who reports he is now 6-foot-4, 245 pounds. “'It's Sacca's got a kid who got a Penn State offer'...they were one of my earliest offers, along with all other schools. It was kind of just almost penciled in, in a way, yeah.”
But the younger Sacca decided he wanted to make the choice that best fit his plans for college football and the college experience.
“I was a Penn State fan growing up,” he said. “But I always knew I had to go look at other schools. I had to make the best decision for me. I couldn't be so nearsighted.
“There were some things I liked at Penn State, there were some things I didn't like at Penn State. “Eventually you kind of get to that pros and cons list of kind of thing. Towards your sophomore, junior year...when you've been around, you've been to different schools, and you kind of focus on what you like.
“I just felt that other schools had given me a better opportunity to progress my football career. I guess that's why I picked [Notre Dame].”
The second question is always...why didn't you play quarterback?
“Freshman year, I'm a lefty, and my head coach hates lefty quarterbacks,” Sacca said with a bit of a chuckle. “He's like, I gotta change the whole playbook. Everything's gonna go a different way.
“And also...I was a very good athlete, but I wasn't [a great quarterback]. I struggled with the same thing my dad struggled with, which is throwing a consistent spiral. That's the one thing he really struggled with.
“So [my coach] called him my dad. He's like, 'Hey, I can't have him up on varsity as a quarterback, but we need people who can play safety.' So I really started off my high school career at that position.
“I played safety for two years, and then I transitioned to outside linebacker my junior year, and I played inside linebacker last year, so kind of just my dad was like, 'Well, if you want to play varsity football, yeah, you should. You should probably just go play safety and try to get on the field.'”
Obviously his dad gave his son some really good advice.
STARTING OVER AT NOTRE DAME
Sacca has done it all as a high school player. He was an award-winning, standout player for a program that captured multiple PIAA State Championships during his time in North Philadelphia.
But when he hits the practice field at Notre Dame for the first time, it's reality check time.
When he looks around at his teammates, he's going to see the roster is filled with players with similar resumes.
Sacca says he is aware of the next challenge.
“That's like the base thing, you're back to the bottom of the totem pole,” Sacca said during an interview at the Adrenaline Sports Performance facility in Cherry Hill. “Nobody really cares about who you are, what you are. It's what you bring to the table....are you going to help us win? That's the bottom line.
“At the end of the day, these coaches are trying to feed their families. They're not going to play favorites or anything. They are going to go with whoever gives them the best chance to keep their job.”
Sacca compared what is coming this summer to his first practice at high school.
“It's not the same level, but I relate it to coming to St. Joe's Prep,” he said. “I had that sense of shock...you're with the big boys now. You're not the best player on your youth football program now. You're going up against dudes who are going all over the place at practice. I was going against three Division 1 wide receivers every day my freshman year. It was tough.
“So, I mean, I kind of expect it. You can never really prepare for it, but like, you can get yourself as ready as possible to know, like you're taking that step up, and you're going against guys who are going to be playing in the NFL very soon. That's definitely an adjustment.”
Adrenaline owner and respected personal trainer Chad Hallet said he believes Sacca will do well at the next level.
"Anthony Sacca is an All-American with impressive size and athleticism,” Hallet said. “He possesses a strong work ethic and high football IQ, leading me to believe that he will seamlessly integrate and achieve success at Notre Dame."
Everyone who plays football in high school dreams about playing in the NFL.
Going to Notre Dame and just practicing against players of that caliber will be a barometer for Sacca to know if he has a chance to reach the highest level of the sport.
“Yes, definitely,” Sacca agreed. “I mean, the best, at least in high school, the best looks I got were in practice, because that was the best competition we played all year. I kind of feel that's the same in Notre Dame, where you're going to be going against, you're going to be going against guys every single day that are really good, and that's only going to make me better.”
Sacca was asked if Notre Dame coaches had given him an idea of what position they want him to play starting this summer. Outside linebacker...inside linebacker? Edge rusher with his hand in the dirt?
“So I'm projected as a weak-side linebacker,” Sacca said. “They run a four-two-five (formation) still out there, even with the defensive coordinator change (Chris Ash). And so I'll play weak side linebacker. They run a lot of man stuff, so I'm more in charge of the tight end and running back.”
Sacca talked about ways he can get into games his freshman season.
“For the most part...we're pretty deep at linebacker, so, I mean, my expectations are to contribute in any way possible,” Sacca said. “I mean, I've always loved playing special teams. I see that as a way to get on the field.
“One thing I've learned is, if you can show out on special teams and give good, great effort, you'll get opportunities to come on the field on defense where they want to reward you for what you're doing.
“If you are doing well on special teams, they may give you a couple plays in a series. So, that's more what I'm looking forward to my freshman year, just trying my best to help the team win in any way I can.”
DIRECTION OF HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS/FOOTBALL
Twenty years ago, private schools like Malvern Prep, LaSalle College High School, Bergen Catholic and the Prep caught all the grief for allegedly pirating good players from the parochial and public programs throughout the area.
Now student-athletes are transferring regardless of the school, obviously looking to put themselves in a better position to land a scholarship.
Sacca said he believes transferring from school to school can be, in some cases, just an excuse to avoid challenges.
“I guess it's different than when I started high school,” said Sacca, who lists defensive back Cooper DeJean as the Eagles player he admires most. “But the trickle-down effect from college, where all these people are thinking, 'wow, I need to get on the field now.'
“Honestly, colleges aren't taking that many high school players. So if you're not getting on the field early at the place you're playing, your chances of playing high level division one football drastically change.
“I understand the part where you need to get on the field early, but there's certain places where you're at, where you're gonna play, when you play does matter.
“But if you're a starting linebacker at St. Joe’s Prep your junior year, you're gonna get a decent amount of looks no matter what happened your freshman or sophomore year.
“But, I do get it at some places where there's you're not getting recruited as much at these smaller schools, and you need, and you need to get more eyes on you… it's not their fault.
“It's also this whole immediate gratification from the social media and everything, where everyone wants to play right now, and they don't want to go through the process or go through the hard work that it takes to get on the field.
“It's more of a…if I can't get on the field, I'll just get up and leave, instead of...'if I don't get on the field (right away), I'm gonna go back in the weight room and try and try harder the next year and challenge someone for their spot.'”
Can Sacca ever see himself in a portal if things don’t go well with the Fighting Irish?
“God no,” Sacca exclaimed. “I don’t see myself…even if I suck at football at the next level magically and I lose all of it…I’m going to stick it out for as long as I can because you can’t beat a Notre Dame degree.”
Sacca said transferring from high school to high school can have a negative effect on a player's chances of a scholarship.
“Transferring turns off a lot of colleges,” said Sacca, who lists former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton as his favorite NFL player. “If you’re doing this in high school, what are you gonna do in college? Are you just going to get up and leave because you’re not getting on the field? There’s an NFL wide receiver in front of you and you want them to start you ahead of him? It’s not realistic.”
Looks like Notre Dame is getting the who package in Anthony Sacca. *
Some information from Wikipedia.com.
Email Al Thompson at al.thompson@footballstories.com
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