Hart senior Justin Curtis officially signed to play Division I football with Wagner College. After receiving more than 25 football scholarship offers to D1, D2 and NAIA schools, Curtis decided to continue his football career in New York. 

While a formidable force on the football field, Curtis was not always a football player. He played baseball for several years, but in seventh grade he decided to give football a try. 

“One of my baseball teammates said I should come out and try football. He said that my size would make football a ton of fun and that I could go far with it,” said Curtis.

Curtis stuck with his decision to switch to football when he entered high school. As a sophomore, he became a member of Hart’s varsity football team. He maintained his membership on the varsity team for another year, but for his senior year Curtis played for the IMG Academy football team. With Curtis and other talented players, IMG Academy’s team was able to become the number one high school football team in the country. 

Curtis gives much of the credit for his successes to those who have guided him through his journey with football. 

“My biggest inspirations definitely have to be a combo of my parents and my freshmen O-line coach, Coach Pool. They have both pushed me to always strive for my goals and to never give up when faced with adversity,” Curtis said.

Curtis’ accomplishments caused him to catch the eye of several college coaches. After careful deliberation, he decided that Wagner College would be the best fit for his athletic and academic future.

“I decided to commit to Wagner because the coach there seems very genuine and like he cares for his athletes. Also, Wagner offers a great education and some amazing connections/internships. Finally, Wagner is in a good football conference, where we will have a lot of winning in our future,” Curtis said.

While many athletes choose to play college sports to cover the cost of college, that is not where the road ends for Curtis. While he greatly appreciates the financial assistance, his eyes are trained firmly on the NFL. 

“Even though one of the main reason[s] I played football was to just get college [paid] for, I also think I should see how far I can take it. It would be a waste to have put this much effort into football just to be content with playing college football and then calling it quits,” Curtis said.