Jeff Wiley runs a route during a home scrimmage against Hamilton West Sept. 1, 2015. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)
Jeff Wiley is active at Hopewell Valley Central High School. He plays basketball for the Bulldogs, and he gets good grades during the day.
But what really gets his motor running is the time he spends on George Ackerson field, or any other gridiron the Bulldogs happen to be playing on.
“Football is my life,” the senior said. “Everything I do is about football. Every decision I make ultimately comes down to football. Football this, football that.”
The latest decision has locked up Wiley’s future for the next four or five years, as he has given a verbal commitment to attend classes and play football at Villanova University. Wiley will join his brother Drew, a freshman who will likely redshirt for the Wildcats this fall.
“Playing college football is a dream come true, but it’s not even close yet,” Wiley said. “A commitment is nothing until you get there. You’ve got to work hard, prove yourself on and off the field.”
The fact that he will be there with Drew makes it that much better for both Wiley and his family, as they will soon just have a short drive to one school to watch two sons play.
“Drew’s been a huge impact on me,” Wiley said. “He’s my older brother, he’s always there for me, he’s been teaching me, helping me make the transition with things. He’s a great older brother, he helps me do a lot of things better.”
And while Drew claims that ‘Nova is “a perfect place for us both and I’m excited for him,” he did nothing to influence his younger brother’s choice.
“I had no real role in Jeff’s decision,” Drew said. “I think Jeff knew that Villanova offered three key things: excellent academics, an alumni network to assist in getting a job after football and a great FCS football program.”
At 6-foot-4, 245 pounds Wiley is still shorter than his dad, Don, a former basketball player for Monmouth University. Don was Wiley’s coach for most of his life and, because Wiley was always one of the heavier players, he played up a division with Drew during Pop Warner so the two have been teammates more often than not.
Wiley saw a bit of varsity time as a sophomore when Hopewell won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship.
Upon returning to preseason camp as a junior, the lifelong linebacker was told he was moving to defensive end.
“I just adjusted, and I liked it,” Wiley said. “It was definitely different, starting down (in a three-point stance). Everything is coming at you faster. You’re right there, you’re in the midst of every single play. You’ve just got to use your hands, fight blocks, simple things.”
Asked what the toughest adjustments were, Wiley added “using my hands, getting separation off blocks, reading my keys and people coming down at me.”
Bulldogs’ coach Dave Caldwell feels Wiley is “a college type defensive player that is playing high school football.”
“He’s a big presence to try and block,” Caldwell said. “He plays well with his hands, he’s relentless, he pursues the ball.”
Wiley felt he could have played better last year. His coach didn’t have many complaints, however.
“He’s really progressed,” Caldwell said. “You look back, he didn’t play much his sophomore year. That could seem little surprising, but that’s the year we won the sectional championship and he had some great kids to learn from. Since his sophomore year, we’ve sent thirteen kids on to play college athletics, ten of them to play football.”
In his first season as an end, Wiley made nearly 40 tackles, had 3.5 sacks and put in a ton of work this past off-season to improve himself. This year he will also be the team’s starting tight end.
“I’ll just do whatever the coaches ask me to do at tight end,” said Wiley, who had seven catches for 84 yards last year. “If they want me to run routes I’ll run routes, if they want me to block, I’ll block. Whatever helps us win.”
In an effort to play college ball, Wiley sent out films to various schools and attended several camps and combines. He received offers from Army and Villanova, and the desire to play with his brother won out.
“I played with him my whole life, I wanted to continue that in college, I thought that would be pretty cool,” Wiley said. “Villanova is also a great school, it’s close, it makes it easier for everyone in the family.”
While Drew Wiley doesn’t take any credit getting his brother to Villanova, Caldwell feels that big brother’s influence has been pretty strong both on the field and in mapping out his future.
“Jeff probably got a lot from watching Drew compete,” the coach said. “And Jeff learned a lot about the recruiting process because Drew just went through it with his dad so I think he learned a lot on and off the field. ”
At the moment, Wiley’s main concern is working at getting the Bulldogs back into the playoffs. HoVal went 18-3 the past two years and entered the 2014 CJ III playoffs as the top seed before being upset by Ocean Township.
That loss has fueled him and his teammates this year. “We’re coming out every single day, everyone on that field remembers that loss,” Wiley said. “It’s still with us, it drives us, it motivates us.”
Adding to that hunger is the desire to keep Hopewell a winning program. After bringing football back just over a decade ago, the Bulldogs had some lean years before blossoming the past two seasons.
As long as it’s football, Wiley loves doing it.
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