Soslow answering the kicking call for Penn
PHILADELPHIA >> In an age where most communication is done through social media, text messages or email, two phone calls changed the life of Penn AllIvy League kicker Jack Soslow.
The first was to Haverford School football coach Mike Murphy back in 2014, when Soslow was about to enter his senior year. An accomplished soccer and squash player, Soslow decided to make the switch to football at the urging of classmates James Gratok and Derek Mountain, who played tight end and wide receiver, respectively, for the Fords.
Soslow could not just show up unannounced so he placed a call to Murphy the day before training camp was to start to let the Fords coach know that he was coming out for the team as a kicker.
Being a coach, Murphy wanted to see what he was getting so Murphy asked Soslow to kick a few balls before he signed off on the deal. One look was all Murphy needed.
“He was like, ‘Yeah, we’re good. Get out of here,’” Soslow recalled. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
The toughest part was telling then Haverford School soccer coach Bill Brady, who also was Soslow’s club coach, that Soslow wasn’t going to play soccer as a senior.
“Quitting before my senior year was hard because we were looking forward to that season,” Soslow said, “but it was the right decision because I had a great football season.”
Soslow wound up setting the Inter-Ac League record for the longest field goal
(52 yards) and most points scored by a kicker (76) in a season as the Fords went
9-1 overall and 5-0 to win their second league crown in three seasons. He earned first-team All-Delco honors for his efforts.
One would think that those numbers would draw interest from college recruiters. It didn’t. While disappointed, Soslow had been accepted to Penn, his parents alma mater. And so he emailed the coaches at Penn to see if he could try out for the team as a walk-on. He received no response.
Undeterred, Soslow staked out the football office at Penn hoping to get one of the coaches, any of the coaches, to look at his highlight tape. The first coach Soslow ran into was Jon Dupont, the coach of the linebackers. Dupont said he would have Jake Silverman, then the director of football operations and now the assistant athletic director for admissions and financial aid, get in touch with him.
Soslow took the initiative and contacted Silverman, who said he liked what he saw in Soslow’s highlight tape. However, Silverman told Soslow that there was no room on the roster for him in the 2015 season, but that Soslow could try out in the spring.
That’s where the second phone call came into play. Two weeks before training camp was set to open, Soslow received a call at his home in Bryn Mawr. It was Silverman. There was a spot on the roster if he wanted it.
“It was a shock,” Soslow said.”… I saw it on my phone and I had no idea what was going on. I was sitting in a room with my parents and I went outside, out on to our porch. My parents were looking at me wondering what was going on. I come back inside and told them I was on the team. It was such an amazing feeling … I dreamed of going to Penn all my life and playing sports and it just happened like that. I couldn’t even wrap my head around it.”
After serving as a kickoff specialist on back-to-back Ivy League championship teams as a freshman and sophomore, Soslow became the starting kicker as a junior and earned All-Ivy League honors after leading the Ancient Eight and finishing sixth in the FCS in field goal percentage (10-for-12, 83.3 percent) while going 36-for-36 on PAT attempts. This year, he’s averaging 8.0 points per game for the Quakers (2-0) and is 3-for-3 in field goal attempts heading into Saturday’s league opener at Dartmouth Saturday.
He’s also a standout in the classroom. Wednesday, Soslow was named as one of 179 semifinalists from across all divisions of college football for the William V. Campbell Trophy which is presented annually by the National Football Foundation (NFF) to the most outstanding scholar-athlete in college football.
To be considered for the award a player must be a senior or graduate student in his final year of eligibility, maintain a
3.2 grade-point-average, possess outstanding football ability, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Soslow is enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, majoring in statistics. He’s also doing data science for Facebook.
“The first day I got to Penn I walked onto Franklin Field and realized that I was going to be playing football here, the coolest stadium in the world,” Soslow said. “It was a feeling of awe and amazement.”
And to think, it all started with a couple of phone calls.
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In other action this weekend, No. 13 Villanova (3-1 overall, 0-1 CAA) begins a string of three straight games against ranked opponents when the Wildcats visit No. 18 Stony Brook (3-1, 1-0) Saturday (6 p.m.). Next up is a trip to No. 14 Maine before coming home to take on No. 2 James Madison on Oct. 13.
The good news for the Wildcats is that safety Rob Rolle IV, center Paul Grattan and wide receiver Changa Hodge practiced Wednesday and are expected to play against the Seawolves. All three missed last week’s 49-7 romp over Bucknell. Senior quarterback Zach Bednarczyk is having a monster season. He is second in the FCS with 11 touchdown passes.
Widener (1-3, 1-1 MAC) looks to extend its winning streak to two games when it visits Lebanon Valley (1-3, 1-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Pride opened league play with a 69-0 romp over Albright. The running game has been Widener’s strength. The Pride ranks third in the MAC in rushing yards per attempt
(5.0) and rushing yards per game (181.0). The lost was a costly one, though. Leading receiver Jim Gillespie is out with a broken collar bone.
Williamson (2-0) heads out on the road for the first time this season when it travels toFairfax, Va. Saturday to take on George Mason (1:30 p.m.). The Mechanics are coming off a 12-10 win over Widener JV. Quarterback Vince DelPercio scored both touchdowns while the defense held the Pride to 22 yards rushing and 152 yards of total offense. The Patriots (1-0) beat UNC-Greensboro, 202, in its season opener and has a 16-9 lead in the series, although Williamson has won the last three meetings.