"He was incredibly excited when he called me," coach Drew Gordon said. "He doesn't say a whole lot. Isn't a rah-rah guy. But he sounded like he'd forgotten he was an 18-year-old and was a little kid coming down for Christmas morning."
Said Hoffman: "The service academies are different from all other schools. The brotherhood makes them completely unique. That was one of the huge attractions. I looked into Harvard and Princeton. Pretty impressive. They would have been great choices, too. But there's just something about Navy.
"The family tradition does mean something to me. And the location's good, too, because it's not too far. My parents will be able to see me play."
Despite a great run of success, La Salle had not produced a Division I-A player since lineman Paul Weinacht (Class of 1998, Stanford). Now, Hoffman is this senior class' second I-A commit, joining punter Ryan Winslow (Pitt). Also, 2012 grad Sean Burke this week joined Boston College's squad as a walk-on.
Hoffman is being eyed as a tackle. His father, also named Patrick, played guard while at Navy (class of 1986).
- Ted Silary
