Cody Yacamelli wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps but, at the same time, chart his own course.
Yacamelli, an athletic and versatile sophomore, pulled in two NCAA Division I FBS scholarship offers Wednesday, from Akron and Miami (Ohio).
The quarterback, receiver and defensive back is the younger sibling of Cade Yacamelli, the running back who will play a grad season at Miami (Ohio) after a start-and-stop career at Wisconsin.
“It means a lot because I feel like I’ve been working extremely hard, and it feels great that it’s starting to pay off,” Cody Yacamelli said. “I feel like the (recent Western PA Showcase) was a great way to show my abilities.”
Yacamelli is a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder whom colleges initially like as an athlete. His positional fit likely will come in time.
“Cody is versatile. He can project to play multiple spots on either side of the ball,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “He’s gotten to another level this offseason with speed, his hips and strength.
“Coaches liked his film, but when they saw him in action in person, they pulled the trigger.”
Yacamelli led the Warriors last season with 12 touchdowns. He rushed for 821 yards and also completed 12 of 19 passes for 95 yards and two scores.
His brother’s first offer came in his junior season, and it was from Navy.
“My goal to go D-I started when Cade got his first offer,” Cody said. “But I always wanted to create my own path and make a name for myself.”
Division I coaches always have tapped into talent at Penn-Trafford but are showing greater interest earlier this year.
Warriors wide receiver and defensive back Nick Ponko, a junior, also had two D-I offers, from Lehigh and Richmond.