The shoe was on the other foot for Batavia senior Ryan Boe.
Not surprisingly, he wore it well.
The Bulldogs’ quarterback for three years and 2023 Beacon-News/Courier-News Football Player of the Year cheered on his classmates in Friday’s basketball game at rival Geneva.
Boe was front and center in the first row of the student section behind Batavia’s bench during a 50-30 DuKane Conference win — as many had done for him in the football season.
A few hours earlier, Boe had announced on social media his change of heart. He had decommitted from North Dakota State for a chance to play in the Big Ten.
At the same time, Boe committed to a scholarship offer from Northwestern, a fact that stood out to senior CJ Valente, a tight end/receiver who is a wing in basketball.
“It was a good day to be Ryan Boe, right?” Valente said afterward.
Valente caught 28 passes from Boe last fall for 554 yards and eight touchdowns. He also starts for the basketball team.
Boe joined three Batavia teammates going Division I in linebacker Ben Fiegel (Southern Illinois), defensive lineman Jordan Buckley (Western Michigan) and running back Charlie Whelpley (Iowa State, preferred walk-on) for a Wednesday morning signing ceremony.
“I just thought it was obviously better — the education,” Boe said of his reasons for the last-minute switch to Northwestern. “That’s the important thing. And it’s closer to home.
“A couple weeks ago is when it first started. I got my offer the previous weekend when I was up there for a visit.”
The Wildcats reached out shortly after interim head coach David Braun was officially named head coach on Nov. 15, succeeding former head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was fired earlier in the year in the midst of a well-publicized hazing scandal.
Boe, who had committed earlier in the year to the FCS powerhouse in Fargo, North Dakota, said he didn’t pay much attention to the Northwestern scandal.
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He did plan to speak with Batavia graduate Michael Jansey, who played for the program in Evanston.
Ironically, Braun was hired by Fitzgerald in January 2023 to be Northwestern’s defensive coordinator after holding the same position for two FCS national championship teams at North Dakota State.
It’s a small world.
Braun met Boe early on during his North Dakota State recruitment.
The Bison (11-4) were eliminated Saturday from the FCS playoffs in an overtime loss to Montana.
Last month, North Dakota State coach Matt Entz had announced he would leave the program following the season to join USC’s staff as the linebackers coach.
“It wasn’t really a factor in my decision,” Boe said. “But after I made my decision, it kind of reaffirmed it.”
On Sunday, North Dakota State announced Entz would be succeeded by Wyoming offensive coordinator Tim Polasek, who had two previous stints at the school covering 10 years. He coached the last three with Wyoming under Chris Klieman, another former North Dakota State coach.
The Big Ten lure was simply too enticing, however, according to Boe.
“With the new and expanded Big Ten, it’s hard to resist,” he said, noting the addition of former Pac-12 teams California, Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington for 2024.
Not to mention name, image and likeness opportunities and facilities, highlighted by the completion of Ryan Fieldhouse and Walter Athletics Center built on the shores of Lake Michigan and costing $270 million.
“Before my visit two weeks ago, all the pictures made it look really cool,” Boe said. “But it’s even better when you get there.
“You just look out all those windows and there’s just water. It’s great.”