Malvern Prep's Nilan picks Marist

ALMOST ALL of the colleges that wanted Malvern Prep football star Joe Nilan had one thing in common: favorable location.

But next year he will do his tackling for Marist, a Division I-AA program in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

"Distance wasn't really going to affect my decision too much," said the 6-foot, 200-pound linebacker, the Daily News' Inter-Ac League Player of the Year. "Anyway, I think it's time to try something new. To get out of my comfort zone.

"My parents [Mary, Ed] are cool with it. Though they are a little bummed that they won't see all of my games live."

Nilan said he heard from Bucknell, Lehigh and Lafayette, West Chester and other PSAC schools, and a "ton of D-III schools."

Marist was in the hunt coming off his junior season because the assistant who handles recruiting in this area, Clarence Johnson, formerly coached at West Chester and keeps tabs on all things Greater Philly.

"I made my visit 2 1/2 weeks ago," Nilan said. "The campus was great, the coaches were awesome, and the players were really cool. I'm very happy that I'm going to Marist, and I want to thank my coaches and teammates for all the help they gave me through this process."

Nilan will enter school undeclared, but suspects he will wind up in business or education.