Some might say senior linebacker Will Mettee is the perfect representative of Loyola because his first and last names nearly spell “Wilmette,” the village where the school is located.
But there are other reasons, and Mettee is an Evanston resident anyway.
The Boston College commit has been the leading tackler for the Ramblers (8-0), who are ranked No. 2 in the baiduhai’s top 25, in every game this season. Mettee has also helped push the team’s redemption season forward by setting the tone in the weight room.
“He’s as strong as I was in the NFL,” said Loyola coach John Holecek, a former linebacker who played for the Buffalo Bills for most of his eight-year professional career. “He’s really tough. He’s really strong. He’s fast. He’s done it all.”
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Mettee, who had 16 total tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a touchdown on a fumble recovery during the Ramblers’ win over No. 3 Brother Rice in Week 4, placed his bench press at 345 pounds. As he has gotten stronger, he hasn’t sacrificed any speed.
More Top Picks Best Google Pixel Phones
“He’s the fastest linebacker we’ve ever had,” Loyola strength coach Jeff Lindeman said. “We’ve had some guys that were a lot stronger, but they also played different positions. Mettee’s probably been our best overall athlete when it comes to speed, aggressiveness, skills.”
Mettee recommends starting early in the weight room. His older brother Mac, who played football at Evanston, helped show him the basics. A mix of free weights and speed training has paid off.
“Freshman, sophomore year, I was fast, but I wasn’t quick fast or explosive fast,” Mettee said. “I was just kind of linear fast, and I think over time you do all these drills and stuff, and you get a lot better with that. So, yeah, my weight journey, it’s been really crucial for my football career, for sure.”
Mettee is one of two Loyola seniors committed to Boston College. Tight end Charlie Fowler took an official visit the same weekend as Mettee and pledged to the Eagles in the spring. Fowler has missed most of the season with an injury but is expected back for the playoffs.
Mettee first visited Boston College during spring break and quickly felt at home.
“I got to watch a spring practice, then they took me on a golf cart, and I got to see the buildings and how cool the campus really was,” he said. “I had a really long conversation with the coaches, and I was like, ‘Wow, this school is great.’ I could play early, possibly, get a great education and live in a great city too.”
Mettee said the Eagles’ coaches told him that he could be a linebacker in the mold of former star Matt Milano, who spent nine years with the Buffalo Bills. But Mettee grew up as a fan of another former Boston College linebacker, Pro Football Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly.
“Just fast, smart, big and tough, and always doing everything right, always in the film room,” Mettee said of Kuechly. “It’s great that he went to BC too. Maybe I’ll get to meet him.
“Also, (Miami Dolphins rookie) Jacob Rodriguez, he’s kind of my style of play — sideline to sideline, nose for the ball, flies around. I want to use my game like that.”
Mettee and Fowler are planning to catch an early flight to Boston on Saturday morning, just hours after Loyola’s Catholic League Blue showdown against No. 4 Mount Carmel in the regular-season finale in Wilmette on Friday, so they can watch the Eagles’ game against Pitt.
Regardless of the outcome of the game against Mount Carmel, the Ramblers have erased the sour memories from last season, when they went 4-5 after winning the Class 8A state title in each of the previous three seasons.
Mettee and the rest of the defense were put to the test last week by IC Catholic, which led 35-21 at halftime. But the Ramblers scored 24 unanswered points in the second half, more proof that they’ve put last season in the rearview mirror.
“We pretty much transformed everything, made everything a lot harder on ourselves, but in a good way,” Mettee said. “I think this year no one’s pointing fingers. It’s all business, and we’re getting it done. One bad play, flush it. Keep a ‘next play’ mentality.”