YA GOTTA LOVETT
Versatile L.I. product ready for jump from Princeton to the NFL
John Lovett is sitting in the stands at Princeton Stadium on a warm spring day answering the question he has gotten from so many NFL teams in the last few weeks.
Lovett graduated from Princeton in December. The two-time Ivy League Player of the Year is now hoping to get drafted this week and then make an NFL roster. But teams have asked him various versions of the same question, “Why bother? Why not take that Princeton degree and start your career instead of taking the long shot of playing in the NFL?”
“Football is my biggest passion,” Lovett said, looking at the f ield where he made so many plays for the Tigers. “It’s something where I don’t think going to an Ivy League school expels your chances of being a great football player. Right now, that’s my only focus. I really don’t know what I’d be doing otherwise.”
For Lovett, the road to this point has been an interesting one. The Wantagh native had to fight to get on the field at Princeton, but became a star there. After leading the Tigers to an Ivy League title and a 10-0 season as a quarterback last fall, Lovett is trying to make an NFL team as an H-back.
Taysom Hill kicked open the door for versatile players last season with the Saints, serving as a Swiss Army knife in Sean Payton’s offense. Lovett hopes he can do the same thing. At Princeton, he threw 31 touchdown passes, ran for 42 touchdowns and caught another two.
“He’s the single most committed guy I’ve seen in the last 10 years,” veteran agent Joe Linta said.
NFL teams have taken notice. He has had visits to the Saints, Pa c ke r s and Vikings in recent weeks. Titans coach Mike Vrabel came to Princeton and worked him out as well. The expectation is Lovett could be taken in the sixth or seventh round of the draft. If not, he will be one of the most sought-after free agents following the draft. The son of a retired New York firefighter, Lovett is a bit of a legend at Princeton. Coaches talk about the time they walked past the baseball stadium and saw balls flying out of the yard. They looked and Lovett was taking batting practice. Or when, during the 2017 season, he ran onto the field to celebrate a touchdown … while wearing a sling because shoulder surgery kept him out that season. Then, there are the stories of his leadership. In college football, mouthpieces are required. At one practice Lovett saw one of his teammates not wearing one. He dressed him down and then told a coach to pull the player from the drill. Later, he pulled the player aside and explained why paying attention to t he det a i l s mattered. “He’s the best leader I’ve ever been around,” Princeton coach Bob Surace, who spent eight years as an NFL assistant, said. “His work ethic, character, intangibles, the things that you hear about special guys in the NFL leadership-wise, he’s a takecharge person.”
As a sophomore, Lovett was behind Chad Kanoff, who is now on the Cardinals roster, at quarterback. He pleaded with his coaches to let him play another position to get on the field.
“He is so unselfish,” Surace said. “He said, ‘I’ll do anything.’ To the point where he told me he would long snap and he’s the best long snapper we’ve got, he would return punts and we had a very creative coaching staff.”
They ended up playing him at slot receiver, H-back and using him as a Wildcat quarterback in goal-line and short-yardaged situations. The following season, he did more of the same and rushed for a school-record 20 touchdowns. Against Cornell in 2016, he accounted for seven touchdowns — four passing, two rushing and one receiving.
“In the baseball world, there’s the five-tool player. I think John has a little bit of that,” said Sean Gleeson, who was Princeton’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons and now holds the same role at Oklahoma State. “He’s got quickness. He can catch. He’s a good thrower. He’s incredibly competitive. He’s got every trait you’d want in an athlete in his toolbox.”
After missing the 2017 season following shoulder surgery, Lovett had quarterback all to himself in 2018. He ended up averaging 303 yards of offense — passing for 203.7 yards per game and rushing for 99.3 yards per game. He ranked second in the league in both categories.
Lovett broke his wrist aand missed just one game. A clean-up procedure in February left him catching passes one handed at his pro day, but he caught 29-of30 thrown to him as teteams had him work as a quarterback, receiver and H-back; one team even asked him to do lilinebacker drills.
“I laughed because he played quarterback likei a linebacker, with thatth kind of mentality,” GlGleeson said.id “I really think whoever gets him could play him at three or four different positions.
Lovett’s 23rd birthday is Thursday, the first day of the draft. He plans on being with his family on Long Island, waiting to find out his football future.
“It’s something I’ve been working toward since I was 6 years old,” Lovett said. “I’ve had that clear vision for 15-plus years honestly. It’s been a relentless commitment to the game of football. It’s my passion. It’s what I love. I’m really just excited for the opportunity to continue playing and have a chance to play at the next level.”