Andrew DePaola

Early life and college

DePaola was born in Sparks, Maryland, a town in Baltimore County. In 2001, DePaola entered Hereford High School in Parkton, Maryland, as a freshman with a passion for baseball, but soon shifted his focus to football. DePaola quickly became an integral part of the school's football team, the Bulls, and was promoted to the varsity squad his sophomore year. That same year, DePaola helped the Bulls win the 2A state championship in football. DePaola's success continued into his senior year, in which he again led the football team to the state championship but ultimately lost. As the team's quarterback, DePaola completed his senior year completing 68% of his passes, throwing 22 touchdowns, 2,092 passing yards, and allowing only 7 interceptions, leading his team to set a state record for single season scoring of 636 points. In addition to receiving the Baltimore County Offensive Player of the Year award from The Baltimore Sun, DePaola also received honors as an all-Metro and All-State player. The last football game DePaola would play during his high school career would be the Good Samaritan Bowl hosted at the Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. While DePaola did make football his athletic focus during his high school career, he continued to play baseball earning all-Metro honors his senior year after batting.527 and posting a 3–1 record as a pitcher.

After high school, DePaola went on to Rutgers University and joined the football team as a walk-on. His first year, DePaola was redshirted, a technique in player management for college sports in which students may practice with the team while attending classes, but not play in any games. During his first two seasons on the team, including his redshirt season, DePaola served as the team's third string quarterback, helping the team prepare for games during practices. DePaola served as the team's holder on field goals during his third season, not once dropping the ball. It was during this season in 2007 when DePaola was featured on ESPN SportsCenter for a play in which DePaola received the ball for a field goal against the then #2 Ranked University of South Florida, but instead completed a fifteen-yard pass for a touchdown. DePaola began his fourth season with Rutgers as a wide receiver, but became the team's long snapper when the starting long snapper Jeremy Branch sustained a leg injury. During the final four games of that season and for the entirety of his fifth season, DePaola served as the team's starting long snapper, playing in every game that final season. DePaola went undrafted by a professional team after completing college.