Next brother in line

While some players enter their recruiting process blindly, junior defensive end Nick Arcidiacono of Warminster (Pa.) Archbishop Wood already has a wealth of knowledge behind him. With one brother playing at Penn State and a second recently committed to Rutgers, the next Arcidiacono brother is ready to make a name for himself.

"Recruiting is good," said Arcidiacono. "I've been getting game invites from Rutgers and Penn State. I'm going up to Penn State this weekend actually. Rutgers seems to be very interested, and I'm getting looks and letters daily from Oregon, Nebraska, Miami, Temple, Rutgers and Penn State."

With Mark Arcidiacono currently at Penn State, and Brandon Arcidiacono recently committing to Rutgers, Nick has a number of people to turn to for advice.

"I kind of just know what to expect with coaches and visits," said Arcidiacono. "When my oldest went through this, he and my parents had no idea what to expect, but now that we've gone though the whole recruiting process several times, I feel like I know what to expect."

This fall, Arcidiacono is lining up at defensive end and offensive guard at Archbishop Wood.

"I'm very happy with my play and I'm grading out very well on film, both offensively and defensively," said Arcidiacono. "As a team, of course I would've wanted to win our big first game against Pitt Central Catholic, but we've learned from it and have played very well during the last two weeks."

A big part of his solid play this fall is a result of all of the hard work he put in during the off-season

"I've gotten a lot stronger and faster," said Arcidiacono. "I feel a lot more confident out there. It's definitely a huge jump from my sophomore to junior season. I feel like a veteran now. My pass rush has really improved. I lead the team in sacks and I feel like I've really improved on just reading the play and reacting a lot quicker. Offensively, I've gotten really quick off the ball. I try to get on people before they're even out of their stance. Some of the bigger guys I play against, I'm able to beat them by being quick off the ball and just out-techniquing them."

With two of his brothers picking different schools, Nick has his own list of things he will be looking for in a program.

"The campus environment and the football tradition are important to me, but the main thing for me is I want to get on the field as quickly as I can," said Arcidiacono. "I want to be able to play early, whether it be offensively or defensively."

Finally, Arcidiacono mentioned that he has two younger brothers still left, one in 7th grade and one in 6th grade, so the family name has the potential to live on for several more years.