Harrison Rooney of Bentonville (Ark.) High School, signed with the United States Military Academy on Wednesday. Look inside for quotes from Rooney.
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound outside linebacker committed to the Black Knights on December 3rd, 2014, to Army head coach Jeff Monken.
“There were several things that attracted me to West Point. I’ve caught a few of their games on CBS this season; UConn and Air Force, and really thought they played with such toughness in those games. It’s how I like to play and think I’d be a good fit there with what they do. I’m also impressed with how they develop leaders and emphasize leadership at the Academy as well as in the football program. Committing to West Point is like a dream come true for me. I fell in love with the idea of going to one of the service academies early on in the recruiting process. Air Force, obviously, has a great program and they’ve had an outstanding year. When it came down to it, though, I just was more inclined to go with the Black Knights.”
Harrison Rooney held an additional offer, which he strongly considered, from the Air Force Academy.
“Coach (Danny) Verpaele and Coach (Kevin) Corless have both told me they like how physical I play, that I attack the ball, and can run a little bit more than a lot of the linebackers they’ve seen. I had a good relationship with both coaches. I’m just really impressed with Coach Corless, as a position coach. He’s a great guy and I’m excited to be able to play under him.”
Rooney was a back-to-back state champion at Bentonville. A three-year starter, Rooney was selected as Arkansas Class 7A Defensive of the Year (2014), the Northwest Arkansas Defensive of the Year (2014), and first team All-State. He is the son of Aaron Rooney, Angelia McCreary and Bill McCreary. Rooney has received a direct appointment to West Point.