State College Defensive End Thomas Keller Commits to Ithaca College

Tagged under: District 6, News

Noah Radio | September 19, 2024

On Sept. 16, State College defensive end Thomas Keller announced his commitment to Ithaca College. Keller, a 6’5” senior, recorded 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in his junior year.

While the on-field product was important, Keller was most drawn to Ithaca by the coaching staff. “The coaches were some of the coolest guys I’ve ever met, they really wanted me to be there and that really influenced my decision,” Keller said.

Head Coach Michael Toerper leads an extremely tight-knit program. Keller said, “I also talked to some of the players and clearly they were more of a family than a team, and I just wanted to be in a place like that.”

Keller is already familiar with one member of the Bomber family, 2024 State High alum Colin Dardis. “My only connection to Ithaca is the guy that went up there this year, Colin Dardis,” Keller said, “He helped me with [my decision] too, he told me how great it was, about their brotherhood that they have there, and that was kind of important to me.”

Along with Dardis, Keller was also helped out by State College Head Coach Matt Lintal. “He [Lintal] knows the coaches at Ithaca, I think he reached out to them to let them know about me and that really helped me out.”

Off the field, Keller is planning on majoring in business analytics with a minor in pre-law.

Before he transitions into college life, Keller still has a state championship to chase at State College. The Little Lions are back in action on Sept. 20, when they travel to take on Chambersburg.