They never played football together until ninth grade.
And now they can’t get rid of each other.
In a rare trifecta, it was announced on the Feb. 1 College Signing Day that the Nottingham triumvirate of offensive lineman Ronnie McNulty, defensive back Q McMillan and linebacker Dario DeJonge signed with Division II Lock Haven State University. It marks the first time in program history that three players from the same graduating class will attend the same college on scholarship.
“You see two guys, like a package deal, but this is unprecedented,” Northstars coach Milo McGuire said.
It definitely is at Nottingham as athletic director and former football coach Jon “Big Dawg” Adams confirmed this is the first time three classmates were offered by the same school.
But it took them a while to come together. McNulty played his youth football for Hamilton PAL; DeJonge played for the Hamilton Revolution; and McMillan played for Lawrence in the West Jersey Youth Football League.
Of the three, McMillan had college football on his radar since entering high school and had Division I interest until tearing up his knee against Trenton three games into his senior season. Suddenly, the D-I offers withered.
“Lock Haven came into the picture last minute,” said Q, who was recruited as a defensive back. “I was still talking to D-1 and D-2 coaches but they were slowly falling off because my film wasn’t there for senior year. Being a Mercer County kid it’s hard getting interest from all those big schools and I was getting looks from the bigger programs.”
Until the injury. But McMillan showed great maturity in how things played out.
“I really just faced reality and understood and realized what could happen and what will happen,” he continued. “I’m still playing in the best D-2 conference in the nation (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) without playing my senior year. I’ve gotta be thankful for what I have and just go on with the cards I’m dealt. It could have been way worse.”
And while Q’s expectations went from D-I down to D-II, his teammates’ hopes both rose from thinking they would play for a Division III program.
“This is something I always wanted to do, but never thought it could actually happen until after junior year when colleges started texting me,” said McNulty, who stands 6-3, 285 pounds. “Sophomore year I didn’t play varsity, so I never had the thought that I’m gonna do college football. I wasn’t expecting it when they started contacting me.”
DeJonge was also pleasantly surprised by the interest.
“I didn’t think I was that good going into junior year,” he said. “As a senior I had my standout year, but I was shocked. It’s been like a dream. Junior year is when I really started getting noticed by people. I didn’t have my mind set on going to college, but senior year I started blowing up and had a bunch of colleges interested. That’s when I wanted to go play football.”
McGuire is thrilled that the three are going together “so they can watch each other’s backs. College is a brave new world out there. They’re just jumping into the middle of that. But to have somebody on your side when you have those down times, to be able to have some comfort, that’s pretty cool.”
While McMillan played varsity since his freshman year as a regular, DeJonge was mostly a special teams player his first two years before taking over as middle linebacker in 2021. McNulty became a starting guard that same year and blossomed into one of Mercer County’s top O-linemen.
McGuire gave the following assessment of each:
“Ronnie is the hardest working big man out there. He perfected his craft the last two years he’s been a starter and it’s just been so great to see his transformation from when he was a sophomore. He loved Lock Haven. He was ready to rock ‘n roll early. He was just ready to go.
“Q was the most dynamic player in the county. When he tore his ACL, you had a guy who D-I people were coming to see all the time, and now there’s no D-I. I had said months ago, somebody is gonna get a diamond in the rough. He’s just sitting there, and once he gets cleared (medically) he’s gonna be a game changer. I’m glad he is still able to fulfill his dreams. He’s gonna be great.
“And Dario, this guy is a bull in a china shop. He’s gonna go out there and just wreak havoc. He’s a big bruiser and he’s gonna showcase his talents in college.”
McNulty was the first of the trio to sign. “I did a lot of visits in the summer but that was my only official visit,” he said. “It was in the middle of my senior season. I went there and met all the coaches and players, and that’s where I wanted to go. It was like a family, they were all really close.”
When the Lock Haven coaches came to Nottingham, they asked McNulty if he had any teammates they might be interested in. He recommended DeJonge and McMillan, who went on visits shortly thereafter. Q was the next to commit, and Dario followed him a few days later.
DeJonge not only liked the school, but that sleepy town in which it’s located. Lock Haven sits about three hours away, which will enable the players’ families to attend games.
“I saw they didn’t have a good record but I figured I’d give it a shot,” Dario said. “I saw it, I loved it. It’s a small little town, everyone is really close. I thought ‘This is probably a good school for me.’ It was beautiful, the campus was so nice. The coaches were amazing. It’s gonna be a good year this year, for sure.”
McNulty admitted he tried ever-so-gently to coerce his fellow Northstars to join him. The school sits in north central Pennsylvania, about a 3-½-hour ride from Hamilton. DeJonge felt McNulty’s urgings made a difference.
“Ronnie definitely put me over the top,” DeJong said. “He was explaining how much fun and just what a good time we would have playing football again with each other.”
Dan Mulrooney is in his second season as the team’s head coach/defensive coordinator. He is in full rebuild mode after the Bald Eagles’ 1-10 season and brought in a whopping 38 recruits and 10 transfers.
“He’s really big on rebuilding and making things work,” McMillan said. “We saw something in him and saw his pride for the game. We loved it and that was another reason to stick with Lock Haven.”
With so many newcomers, playing time will be wide open for freshmen, which is appealing to the Northstars. Each of them takes a realistic approach, however, and are not suffering from entitlement.
“They don’t want me redshirting but I’m definitely gonna have to work really hard to start,” McNulty said. “There’s a lot of other people that I will be battling against.”
“He told me that nothing’s guaranteed, but I’ll definitely get in on special teams just because I’m like a special teams guy,” said the 6-foot, 225-pound DeJonge. “He also said if I’m good enough; he’ll play freshmen.”
McMillan is still trying to get back to 100 percent after knee surgery, as he is forced to sit out the basketball season while undergoing physical therapy.
“It’s gonna be a little harder to play right away coming off of injury, but it’s a goal,” he said. “I’m just working toward getting better, getting my body back in shape. Starting in college football right away would be a big deal for me.”
For the threesome, it’s already a big deal that they have each other to lean on.
“It makes me way more comfortable with everything,” McMillan said. “It’s like, I’m going to another home with the players from my home before, so it’s just great.”
DeJonge, who visited 10 schools, agreed, saying “I think it will definitely be easier for me. I’m a teammate guy, I definitely think knowing people going in will be easier.”
It’s also pretty unprecedented in the annals of Nottingham football.
Nottingham High students Ronnie McNulty, Quiyon “Q” McMIllan and Dario DeJonge commit to attending and playing football at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania. Standing is head football coach Milo McGuire. (Photo by Wes Kirkpatrick.),
