Norwin graduate Declan O'Brien playing big role for Allegheny football

Declan O’Brien is hungry for more.

The Norwin graduate has emerged as one of Allegheny’s top receivers as a sophomore, and he credited some of his success to a bulkier frame.

After being listed at 138 pounds as a high school junior, he entered college at 150. Now, he said he is closer to 160. The key?

“Eating as much as I can whenever I can,” said O’Brien, who wants to add another 10 pounds to his 5-foot-10 frame. “I really like pasta. I eat a lot of pasta.

“(The added weight) allows me to me more physical and not get pressed. It’s harder for (defensive backs) to get hands on me and slow me down.”

O’Brien leads the Gators (2-7) with 531 receiving yards and five touchdown catches, and he ranks second with 37 receptions. He recorded nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown Oct. 30 against Wittenberg, and he followed that with 10 catches for 205 yards and three touchdowns Saturday against Wooster. It was the fifth 200-yard receiving game in program history.

Allegheny coach Rich Nagy, in his second stint with the Gators, lauded O’Brien’s football IQ.

“He runs really good routes,” Nagy said. “He has good hands, and I also think he has a really good knowledge of not only the offense but football in general.

O’Brien was part of Nagy’s first full recruiting class after he was named coach in February 2019. Nagy had a connection to the family because he was a graduate assistant at Allegheny in 1988 when O’Brien’s father, Jerry, was a running back there. Jerry O’Brien was an all-conference selection and helped the Gators win the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl (the Division III national championship) in 1990.

Norwin went 2-8 during Declan O’Brien’s senior season in 2019, so he didn’t put up eye-popping numbers, but playing in Class 6A meant plenty of exposure on Friday nights.

“Sometimes we get caught up with all the speed and other things with our receiver evaluation,” Nagy said. “To me, the ability to catch the ball has to be a huge factor in what we look at. His high school film, I don’t remember any drops. I loved the way he caught the ball and the way he competed. I thought he was a smooth runner.”

O’Brien said he chose Allegheny over other D-III options such as Washington & Jefferson, Saint Vincent and Thiel. Since last season was canceled because of the pandemic, it allowed him to add weight and adjust to the college game.

“I was able to get more reps in practice than I would have if I was on the scout team,” O’Brien said. “It didn’t feel like I was getting thrown into the offense. I had a whole year to learn it.”

This season, he is learning for the first time in actual games — along with the majority of his teammates.

The Gators roster features 14 seniors, 14 juniors and 74 sophomores or freshmen. Next season, those younger players, including O’Brien, will be counted on to assume even bigger roles.

“I’m trying to get faster and get stronger hands,” O’Brien said.