DePaul's Vinny DePalma continues to excel at Boston College

Growing up in Wayne, Vinny DePalma played many sports, including basketball and wrestling. Still, when DePalma reached DePaul Catholic High School, he pivoted towards football.

By the time DePalma reached his junior year, he dominated on the gridiron leading New Jersey in tackles with 194 while registering seven and a half sacks and one forced fumble. On the offensive side, he totaled 245 rushing yards, 178 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns.

"You feel accountable to your teammates and want to work harder because you want to win," DePalma explained. "If you have great team success, the individual accolades will follow."

In his senior year, Vinny DePalma amassed 119 tackles, 17 behind the line of scrimmage, three forced fumbles, and recovered two fumbles resulting in an NJ.com First-Team All-State selection on defense. In addition, DePalma was ranked as the top inside linebacker by ESPN.

DePalma finished his high school football career as a team captain with an impressive 449 tackles and state champion as DePaul Catholic won the Non-Public 3 title.

"When we beat St. Joe's, we had not beaten them in 40 plus years and to get over that hump," DePalma noted. "We had lost to them the year before in the state championship in really close game. It really says a lot because we could have gone into the game saying we can't clearly beat these guys but we took our stand, put our foot down and all of us will remember that forever."

"My sophomore year we played the state final at Rutgers, my junior year at MetLife (Stadium) and senior year at Kean (University). To see all of the venues was really cool and my junior year going out there the lights felt brighter and a different feeling looking at the Jumbotron after a play or watching a replay. It was really neat. Every kid should be able to have that experience."

Playing under legendary head coach John McKenna carried significant meaning for Vinny DePalma.

"He's the best and I can call him whenever. I can't speak enough about how much he did for me, my teammates and DePaul Catholic as a school."

Playing in rivalry games against Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco Prep, St. Joseph Regional (Montvale), Paramus Catholic, and St. Peter's Prep provided the best competition for DePalma. "Every week was a grind, and literally, that's the only way to describe it. Every week, you're going up against outstanding players at multiple positions and good coaches that know how to win football games and get the best out of their players. You get the most out of them scheme-wise. It's almost like the SEC (Southeastern Conference)."

"You have a great game and beat Paramus Catholic then Don Bosco but there are no walkovers and you're playing Bergen Catholic and St. Joe's and you have to bring you're a game every week. One year St. Joe's was the number one team in the country and lost to Don Bosco on Thanksgiving. Anything can happen any week and what makes it really fun."

The support from the DePaul Catholic alumni, administration, and athletic department made the experience at the school very special for DePalma.

"The teachers and coaches have been there for 20 to 30 years. Coach McKenna is involved and knows all the families inside and out and cares about us. There's the alumni network and everyone's really proud to have met someone that has gone to DePaul Catholic and happy to talk about it."

The Move To Boston College

DePalma got a head start enrolling in Boston College in January 2018. DePalma decided to redshirt but still got to play in three games and notched ten tackles and one sack.

"I was able to come in for Spring ball and learn the works and offseason development with the older guys who had already been there," said DePalma. "During those 15 practices and meetings, I tried to soak up everything. I was enthralled with how detailed the offense and defense were and alignments and specific keys."

"The NCAA made a rule you could play in four games and still redshirt and I played in three games. UMASS on opening day, the Red Bandana game we played against Miami on a Friday night. That was a great experience and gave me the confidence I could go out there and say I can play college football."

In his redshirt freshman season in 2019, DePalma played in all 13 games making 33 tackles.

"I felt like I had laid down a little bit of a foundation, and we had some veteran guys and linebackers in their fourth or fifth years," DePalma said. "I wasn't necessarily competing for a starting job, but I had a little role in playing 15 to 20 snaps on defense and full-time special teams that was beneficial for any guy."

"College football special teams was a great experience. You don't realize how detailed it is and effort that goes into those meetings and practices. Special teams are a combination of offensive and defensive football so it's almost playing backyard football and was fun in 2019."

DePalma was looking forward to the 2020 season, but his football career hit a significant roadblock sustaining a devastating season-ending Achilles injury.

"It happened to be the Covid year. We were in the middle of training camp and it was a non-contact injury," DePalma cited. I felt something in the back of my ankle and heel and ended up tearing my Achilles and got surgery the next day."

"I was very fortunate to be around really good athletic trainers that pushed me and took care of me in the right way. They would clean my wounds that would always get infected and did a tremendous job. When guys get season-ending injuries, it's the nature of the business and those people are so important to the program."

"Pushing yourself to strengthen your Achilles and calf muscle and not trying to get discouraged because there will always be setbacks in rehab. I leaned on people with their past experiences and their timeline and progress. It's a mental and physical grind when you get hurt, but our medical staff does a tremendous job guiding us through the process."

Fast forward to 2021, Vinny DePalma returned emphatically, posting 54 tackles, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and recording a career-high 11 tackles in a game against Syracuse. DePalma had an opportunity to see playing time against No. 21 Cincinnati in the Birmingham Bowl.

"I was able to carve out a role for myself in 2021 and it was fulfilling and play in big time ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)," DePalma explained. "Coming back from an Achilles injury some people write you off and could change your career and sometimes harder to come back from that but when you see all the hard work that paid off in rehab and to contribute for your team."

"It was awesome experience with the Birmingham Bowl," DePalma explained. "We didn't win unfortunately but still it's rewarding at the end of the season to go down there with your teammates and whole program and something that every team strives for."

Initially wearing the number 52 in his freshman year, DePalma switched to 42 in his sophomore by drawing inspiration from the late Pat Tillman.

"I was always a big Pat Tillman fan, and he wore number 42 at Arizona State," DePalma stated. There was 40 at Boston College, but it was retired because of Luke Kuechly, and I wore number 34 in high school but settled on 42."

For DePalma, the adrenaline rush of playing home games at Alumni Stadium and support from the school and community meant so much to him.

"It's great. Alumni Stadium is not 90,000 people, but 45,000 people that fill up every seat in the house is great," DePalma noted. "When we need it to get loud, it gets loud, especially during the big games. The students show out and take up a third of the stadium by themselves."

Equally notable for Vinny DePalma has been playing with teammates from New Jersey and having running backs coach Savon Huggins, an elite football player at Rutgers University who graduated from St. Peter's Prep.

"Coach Huggins is awesome. I remember growing up and he was one of the best players in the state. I was a young kid in high school football and he's at Rutgers. It's a small world when you saw a guy growing up and now you go to work with him every day and become closer with him over the last couple of years. It's awesome to have him up here."

"Staff members and people in the athletic department who have been around Boston College football for a long time have said when the team is good, it's because there are a lot of players from New Jersey," DePalma remarked. "I think there's a similar ideology regarding high school football. Boston College believes in as an institution in terms of community and the kind of football you want to play in. People are attracted to this place and want to come up here and had the success over the last 30 to 40 years."

Vinny DePalma enjoyed a breakout season in 2022 playing in all 12 games, leading the team in tackles with 87 and team-high 49 solo tackles, notching at least four solo tackles in six games, and finishing every game with at least four tackles.

Compiling these outstanding numbers led to DePalma earning All-ACC Honorable Mention and receiving the Swede Nelson Award from the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston for sportsmanship, academic and athletic achievement.

"It definitely was a testament to the consistent hard work," DePalma said. "I tried telling the younger kids that get here it's not a sprint but a marathon and you're going to have setbacks, but you have to keep pushing through and have results in some way." "We didn't have exactly the season we wanted but you have to be a rock for your teammates and earn the respect not only for your teammates but other competitors in the conference and something you set out to do."

DePalma's goal is not to be an elite football player but to excel off the field as a student in the classroom. DePalma is pursuing a master's degree in sports administration at the Woods College of Advancing Studies and is the recipient of the Anne and Gerald B. Healy Scholarship for Academic Excellence Fund.

"It's hard to be a Division I athlete and have full-time job," DePalma remarked. "I have a job to play college football, wake up early in the morning to go workout and then go to class. Sometimes you're up at 7 a.m. and I don't get back to my room until seven at night. It's just not showing up on game day and the University and the NCAA knows that.

"The University gives us a lot of resources with study hall and tutors and coming from the either the NCAA or ACC. They put an emphasis on student-athletes. There's wellness and success in totality and being champions off the field."

"Boston College does a great job with the alumni networking sessions and finding mentors to help when you're done playing. I needed academic support, learning how to manage my time and organize academic responsibilities. The college has a process and plans to help you figure that out and guide you through and lays the foundation down for the next four or five years."

Vinny DePalma's Final Season at Chestnut Hill

As DePalma embarks on his last season playing for Boston College, he is soaking up every moment. "I go back to the time I was injured and remember saying the most important thing is to cherish every time you step out on to the field whether it's for a workout or practicing in the middle of March or August. You just appreciate it more because it could be a lot worse."

"I've had a great experience here at Boston College and came out of DePaul Catholic and fortunate to be part of great team there and surrounded by great coaches and teammates and I'm so close with. This is one of the reasons I chose Boston College, it was aligned very similar to DePaul in terms of how everyone interacted in the building and closest to the locker room."

"It feels like yesterday I got here and in a blink over five years I've been here and really grateful and lucky in my eyes to have a great experience and finish it off on a good note."

Most important to Vinny DePalma during this football journey has been the support from his parents John and Michele along with his siblings Nick and Anthony.

"Family is the most important thing to me and the unrelenting support from them time to time," DePalma explained. "I grew up in a sports family. My Dad was a high school football coach and coached youth sports teams. My Mom is an elementary school teacher. I grew up around educators and coaches that have molded me."

"My older and younger brother were both athletes and I grew up competing with them. Having that relationship with them is one of the most important things in the world and how supportive they have been means so much to me."

DePalma shared some much-needed advice and message for the younger kids and athletes.

"Whatever you do, you got to be passionate about and love it. You can't play because you just want to get a scholarship out of it, play because your parents want you to play or feel the pressure from other people to play. You have to play and pursue whatever you do because you genuinely love it and feel almost like you can't live without it. Find a sport that you feel you can get intrinsic value in terms of you love to go to practice and set yourself on the right track for success."

In closing, Vinny DePalma had many people to thank for a successful journey in football.

"I wouldn't be here without my family, my coaches from youth sports (Wayne Panthers), to the DePaul Catholic teachers and coaches at Boston College. I am super grateful for them. My teammates without their friendship and being able to compete with them on every level and laid the groundwork for where I'm at today."