Central Catholic RB headed to Ivy League
Eddy Tillman led WPIAL Class 6A in rushing each of his final two seasons and finished his career with nearly 4,000 yards.
He was named all-state those seasons while helping Central Catholic win backto-back WPIAL titles.
But as impressive as those numbers are, it’s another that Tillman might cherish even more.
4.2.
That was Tillman’s GPA the first semester of the 202021 school year, which placed him on Central Catholic’s All-Academic Gold Team (4.0 or higher) for the first time.
Add all of those numbers together — on the field and in the classroom — and it’s no wonder why Tillman will continue his career in the Ivy League.
Tillman, a Wilkinsburg resident and one of the WPIAL’s top running backs, announced Saturday that he hadcommitted to Cornell, located in Ithaca, N.Y. He said he picked the Big Red over Dartmouth, Mercyhurst, West Virginia Wesleyan and Fairmont State.
It was in 10th grade when Tillman began getting interest from Cornell and some other Ivy League schools. He admits that at the time, he didn’t know exactly what the Ivy League was.
“I knew the schools. I just didn’t know they had their own league,” Tillman recalls. “I didn’t even know what the Ivy League was all about.”
But once he began learning more, he wanted to be a part of it. Due to COVID-19, Tillman was never able to visit Cornell. He did virtual tours online, though, and said a big reason he picked the school was his relationship with Cornell director of football operations Alex Peffley, a Saint Vincent graduate.
“He was just awesome the whole time,” said Tillman, who plans on enrolling in the school’s College of Arts & Sciences. “He always kept me updated and helped me with the whole application process. He went above and beyond.”
It’s easy to see why Cornell coveted Tillman. Not only has he been a high or high honor roll student throughout high school, but he was highly productive as Central Catholic’s feature running back the past three seasons after attending Westinghouse his freshman year. He rushed for 2,160 yards as a junior and 982 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior when he was named to the Post-Gazette’s Fabulous 22 team.
At 5 feet 8, 165 pounds, Tillman is built in the mold of former Central Catholic star running backs such as Eugene Jarvis, Damion Jones- Moore and J. J. Younger.
“They say they like my vision and my work ethic,” Tillman said. “They like that I’m a good man around the Central community. As a football player, they like that I’m a dynamic running back and can run and catch the ball.”
When Tillman tweeted news of his commitment, he gave a special shout out to his uncle Ed Tillman, who he said has played a big role in his life and even got him started in football when he began playing in the Wilkinsburg Athletic Association.
“He’s basically like a father figure,” Eddy said. “Ever since I wanted to play football, I called my Uncle Ed and he signed me up the next year.”
Baseball commitment
Pine-Richland’s Sean Connolly (John Carroll).
Basketball commitment
Seneca Valley’s Jaden Davinsizer (Grove City).
Football commitments
Beaver Falls’ Mitchell Myers (Westminster); Central Valley’s Josh Campbell (Thiel); East Allegheny’s Amaryeh Lucky ( Lock Haven); Mount Pleasant’s IanFasano (Fairmont State); Peters Township’s Logan Pfeuffer ( Grove City); Plum’s Ryan Hubner (Geneva); Woodland Hills’ Armani Bailey (Edinboro).
Tennis commitments
South Park’s Ethan Bowden (Westminster); South Park’sJoey Toth (Penn State Altoona).
Track commitment
Fox Chapel’s Alex Khorey (Detroit Mercy).