Fortunately for Mooresville, offensive lineman gives into peer pressure

Sometimes, peer pressure can be a good thing. For Mooresville High School offensive lineman Jaelin Alstott-VanDeVanter, his friends saw his size and immediately pressured him into playing football. “After my first game, I fell in love. I didn’t start football until my freshman year, and I wish I started sooner,” the 6-foot-7-inch, 280-pound standout told Sideline Prep Sports Report. Despite getting a late start to the game, VanDeVanter quickly made a name for himself, becoming a three-star prospect and garnering attention from numerous Division I schools. “I am very surprised by my success. I’ve only played three years, one-and-a-half at the varsity level. I attribute all my success to my coaches and family. They’re all the reason I play the sport and I’m great at it. Absolutely none of this would be happening without them. I never thought three years of football would bring me this far. I’m beyond blessed to be in this situation,” he said. Being the cousin of former Purdue and Tampa Bay great Mike Alstott and former Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Spencer helps as well. The last two seasons the Pioneers have advanced to the regional round of the IHSAA football tournament, something VanDeVanter wants to move past this season. “My biggest goal for the team is to make it past regionals. We got beat back-to-back in two regional games that we should’ve won. A state ring would be great,” VanDeVanter said. Last fall, eventual state champion Evansville Memorial pushed Mooresville out of the tournament by a 17-14 win. As an individual, VanDeVanter tells Sideline Prep Sports Report he wants to develop as much as a player and show the coaching staff at Purdue University what he can do. The rising senior committed to Purdue after hearing from the likes of Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Central Michigan and a few others. “Purdue was my choice since day one. It is my dream school. I want to major in chemical engineering, and that’s an amazing place to do that. Whenever I’m on campus, I get more of a home-like feeling than I do anywhere else,” he said.