Although he never set foot on the field in the town he was born, Troy Stellato has North Shore football in his blood. The son of former Salem High football standout Eric Stellato and the nephew of Salem High great Sean Stellato, Troy Stellato has built himself up as a four-star college recruit in one of the most football-crazed areas of the country — south Florida.
And now, as he prepares to enter his senior year at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Stellato has made his future plans known after making a verbal commitment to play his college football at national powerhouse Clemson University.
“I just fell in love with (Clemson head coach) Dabo (Swinney) and the program right away,” said Stellato, who has been clocked with a 4.42 40-yard dash time. “The first time I stepped on campus, it felt like home. The wide receivers coach is great and it looks like I might have an opportunity to play fairly early, so I just felt like overall this was the best decision for me.”
“The process of recruiting is so different now, it’s a long way away from where it was for me back in the day,” said Sean Stellato, who quarterbacked Salem High to a Super Bowl in 1994 and now represents a number of NFL players as an accomplished player agent. “But helping Troy through the process has been a lot of fun and we’re all very proud of him. Clemson has a great pedigree of receivers, so having an opportunity to play there is very exciting for him.”
Stellato, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound slot receiver, had plenty of offers from top-tier programs before making his decision. Among the 43 scholarship offers he received were from schools like the University of Kentucky, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, Notre Dame, Boston College and the University of Alabama.
“The process was pretty hectic at some points for sure,” said Stellato, who made visits to Ohio State, Michigan and Kentucky in addition to Clemson. “But as I started to narrow things down, it got a little easier. And once I went out to Clemson and got to know people out there, my decision was pretty much made.”
Stellato has burst onto the scene over the past two seasons at Cardinal Gibbons, notching over 1,400 receiving yards with 14 touchdowns in that time. In his sophomore year he helped lead the Chiefs to a Florida High School Athletic Association state championship, and as a junior he hauled in nine touchdowns as he helped Gibbons to a regional final appearance. Stellato is also ranked as the No. 19 receiver in the country by Rivals.com.
“It’s been a lot of fun playing, learning and growing over the past couple years,” Stellato said. “I just want to continue to get better and hone my game while also trying to help my team win games.”
But just because the commitment has been made doesn’t mean the work is over. Far from it, in fact.
“It’s time to put the pedal to the metal,” Stellato said. “It’s definitely satisfying to get to this point and I’ve worked really hard to get here, but I know this is just the beginning. I believe that I have the talent to do well at the next level, but now it’s time to put in the work and prove that.”
Stellato hopes to help his team make another run to the state championship before embarking on the next part of his football career.
“It looks like we’ll have a season this year, so I’m excited to get back to work,” Stellato said. “Hopefully we can go out and have another good year on the field as a team.”
