Making the most of his opportunity
11/24/2017 10:16:00 AM | Football, Student Athlete, Features
By Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
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Troy Pelletier was ready.
Â
Game two of Pelletier's freshman season, he took an opportunity and has turned it into a historic career.
Â
"I knew I could play at the college level right away and I was pretty confident in my abilities," he said. "When I got to college, I took advantage of a few opportunities early on in practice then at UNH, I was able to enter in the second half and make an impact."
Â
Pelletier's impact included making his first three career receptions, two for touchdowns, in a homecoming for the Deerfield, New Hampshire native.
Â
"From there, I got more and more opportunities to play and I just kept taking advantage of them," he said.
Â
Now a senior, Pelletier has transformed himself into arguably the most decorated wide receiver in school history for a Lehigh program that has featured plenty of All-American receivers. Watching one of those All-Americans succeed helped influence Pelletier's decision to choose Lehigh.
Â
"My goal was always to play in the National Football League," said Pelletier. "I wanted to give myself the best chance possible to make that come true. When I was being recruited, Lehigh was very good (top 10 in the nation). They threw the ball a lot, which really attracted me. Ryan Spadola was in the NFL combine and talking to teams, so I wanted to follow that same path and I thought Lehigh would give me a great opportunity to reach my goals."
Â
Lehigh has lived up to its expectations, as has Pelletier, and he's been accomplishing his goals - one by one.
Â
"My goals have always been the same since I was little," he said. "In seventh grade, we wrote a journal in in one of my classes. My goals were to earn a full Division I scholarship, start as a freshman and play in the NFL, which is still a dream today."
Â
Pelletier played multiple sports growing up, but was drawn to football for multiple reasons, including family ties.
Â
"Ever since I can remember, my brothers were playing football," he said. "I was three years old and my brothers were in sixth or seventh grade playing youth football. I was the mascot on their team, so they gave me a helmet, shoulder pads and a jersey that was all the way down to my ankles.
Â
"A few years later, I begged my mom to sign me up and I've been playing football ever since. I was also always an aggressive kid, so football is the right game for someone who's aggressive."
Â
After high school, Pelletier played a year at prep school Bridgton Academy, which helped him prepare for college football.
Â
"My transition to Lehigh on the field was actually pretty smooth," he said. "I thought the college game was going to be a lot faster. At prep school, I got used to the pace of game and physicality of the game at the college level."
Â
Three years after his collegiate debut at UNH, Pelletier holds a number of Lehigh and league records, including receptions in a game (Lehigh and Patriot League), receptions in a career (Lehigh and Patriot League), receiving yards in a career (Lehigh), touchdown receptions in a career (Patriot League) and more.
Â
Lehigh head coach Andy Coen expected big things from Pelletier, but it's safe to say those big expectations have been surpassed. Pelletier has turned himself into a complete wide receiver who steps up to challenges and does the little things.
Â
"Troy is a playmaker," said fellow wide receiver and classmate Gatlin Casey. "He is one of the most competitive players on our team and it shows. If someone tries to challenge him, he rises to the challenge."
Â
"Many times, wide receivers just want to run and catch, but Troy blocks really well," said Coen. "He does all the intangibles. He can run kicks and can play on special teams. He's everything you'd want from a player like him. He loves football and has done a really good job in his studies, which I'm proud of."
Â
Pelletier has understood the need to be successful not only on the field, but off it as well. Early in his Lehigh career, Pelletier struggled academically, but he's rebounded nicely.
Â
"I just had to grow," he said. "In high school, you have a lot more people holding your hand. College has made me grow up. I had to do a lot for myself, manage my time better and set my priorities straight because if you don't, you're going to end up in a bad situation."
Â
Whenever Pelletier has faced adversity in his career, he's responded. The end result is a great example for his teammates.
Â
"My mom always wanted me to be well-rounded, be respectful and be polite to everyone," said Pelletier. "Those are the same values I carry with me every day. You never know what's going to happen with football, so having that education and that degree is important moving forward."
Â
Nowadays, it feels like whenever you hear about Pelletier, it's because he's breaking another school or league record. But Pelletier isn't worried about records. He knows with hard work, the results will take care of themselves.
Â
The same is true for the Lehigh football program, which finished with a 3-8 record in Pelletier's freshman season of 2014, but has responded in a big way.
Â
"I knew I wanted to stick with Lehigh and I knew something had to change for us to be successful," he said. "My class and the classes above me really wanted a ring, so we all came together and a lot more guys stayed in the summer. We put in a lot of extra work, which was key in developing a championship culture."
Â
Even though he's not a captain, Pelletier has developed as a leader and understands his role as a veteran for a Mountain Hawks' program that has responded by contending for, or winning, a championship in each of the last three seasons.
Â
"I've never wanted to be a captain, but being a senior and being one of the better players on the team, you have to step up, especially if you want guys around you to be focused and be on the right mission," said Pelletier.
Â
Over the past three years, the Mountain Hawks have been on a mission. Despite beginning this season 0-5, Pelletier has played a role in keeping the Mountain Hawks together and focused on their ultimate goals.
Â
One message from current offensive coordinator Scott Brisson has stuck with Pelletier to this day.
Â
"Freshman year, Coach Brisson drilled the process into my brain," he said. "I've been focused on the process my whole life, but I never really thought of it that way."
Â
The process includes putting in the work every day, even when the lights aren't shining. If you do that, you'll be in a strong position to succeed come gameday… and the results will come.
Â
"We've always had confidence in ourselves that good things are going to happen," said Pelletier. "You have to focus on getting better and you can't dwell on the past. You just have to take the next game, next play. Our (Patriot League opening) win at Colgate was huge in momentum and confidence moving forward the rest of the season."
Â
For now, Pelletier is focused on the end of his senior campaign, then will shift his attention to the NFL.
Â
"I'd like to play football as long as I can and ride that out, but I really don't see myself ever stepping away from the game - whether I'm playing, coaching, or working in player personnel of some sort," said Pelletier.
Â
Pelletier's love for the game has been a driving force of his success and that love should put him in strong position for success even beyond college football.
Â
"If you love the game, you're going to put in your best effort every day," he said. "A ton of kids have the same dream of playing in the NFL. You never know if it's possible or not, but you have to keep working, keep playing and hope for the best. I had a good junior season, people were calling and saying I might have a good chance to play at the next level. Then my senior season came around and scouts have shown up at practice."
Â
Pelletier's career has come full circle. Three years ago, Pelletier was looking to catch the attention of Lehigh coaches at practice. Today, he's looking to catch the attention of NFL scouts.
Â
All Pelletier wants is an opportunity. If history is any indication, when the opportunity comes, he'll be ready.Â
Â
Troy Pelletier was ready.
Â
Game two of Pelletier's freshman season, he took an opportunity and has turned it into a historic career.
Â
"I knew I could play at the college level right away and I was pretty confident in my abilities," he said. "When I got to college, I took advantage of a few opportunities early on in practice then at UNH, I was able to enter in the second half and make an impact."
Â
Pelletier's impact included making his first three career receptions, two for touchdowns, in a homecoming for the Deerfield, New Hampshire native.
Â
"From there, I got more and more opportunities to play and I just kept taking advantage of them," he said.
Â
Now a senior, Pelletier has transformed himself into arguably the most decorated wide receiver in school history for a Lehigh program that has featured plenty of All-American receivers. Watching one of those All-Americans succeed helped influence Pelletier's decision to choose Lehigh.
Â
"My goal was always to play in the National Football League," said Pelletier. "I wanted to give myself the best chance possible to make that come true. When I was being recruited, Lehigh was very good (top 10 in the nation). They threw the ball a lot, which really attracted me. Ryan Spadola was in the NFL combine and talking to teams, so I wanted to follow that same path and I thought Lehigh would give me a great opportunity to reach my goals."
Â
Lehigh has lived up to its expectations, as has Pelletier, and he's been accomplishing his goals - one by one.
Â
"My goals have always been the same since I was little," he said. "In seventh grade, we wrote a journal in in one of my classes. My goals were to earn a full Division I scholarship, start as a freshman and play in the NFL, which is still a dream today."
Â
Pelletier played multiple sports growing up, but was drawn to football for multiple reasons, including family ties.
Â
"Ever since I can remember, my brothers were playing football," he said. "I was three years old and my brothers were in sixth or seventh grade playing youth football. I was the mascot on their team, so they gave me a helmet, shoulder pads and a jersey that was all the way down to my ankles.
Â
"A few years later, I begged my mom to sign me up and I've been playing football ever since. I was also always an aggressive kid, so football is the right game for someone who's aggressive."
Â
After high school, Pelletier played a year at prep school Bridgton Academy, which helped him prepare for college football.
Â
"My transition to Lehigh on the field was actually pretty smooth," he said. "I thought the college game was going to be a lot faster. At prep school, I got used to the pace of game and physicality of the game at the college level."
Â
Three years after his collegiate debut at UNH, Pelletier holds a number of Lehigh and league records, including receptions in a game (Lehigh and Patriot League), receptions in a career (Lehigh and Patriot League), receiving yards in a career (Lehigh), touchdown receptions in a career (Patriot League) and more.
Â
Lehigh head coach Andy Coen expected big things from Pelletier, but it's safe to say those big expectations have been surpassed. Pelletier has turned himself into a complete wide receiver who steps up to challenges and does the little things.
Â
"Troy is a playmaker," said fellow wide receiver and classmate Gatlin Casey. "He is one of the most competitive players on our team and it shows. If someone tries to challenge him, he rises to the challenge."
Â
"Many times, wide receivers just want to run and catch, but Troy blocks really well," said Coen. "He does all the intangibles. He can run kicks and can play on special teams. He's everything you'd want from a player like him. He loves football and has done a really good job in his studies, which I'm proud of."
Â
Pelletier has understood the need to be successful not only on the field, but off it as well. Early in his Lehigh career, Pelletier struggled academically, but he's rebounded nicely.
Â
"I just had to grow," he said. "In high school, you have a lot more people holding your hand. College has made me grow up. I had to do a lot for myself, manage my time better and set my priorities straight because if you don't, you're going to end up in a bad situation."
Â
Whenever Pelletier has faced adversity in his career, he's responded. The end result is a great example for his teammates.
Â
"My mom always wanted me to be well-rounded, be respectful and be polite to everyone," said Pelletier. "Those are the same values I carry with me every day. You never know what's going to happen with football, so having that education and that degree is important moving forward."
Â
Nowadays, it feels like whenever you hear about Pelletier, it's because he's breaking another school or league record. But Pelletier isn't worried about records. He knows with hard work, the results will take care of themselves.
Â
The same is true for the Lehigh football program, which finished with a 3-8 record in Pelletier's freshman season of 2014, but has responded in a big way.
Â
"I knew I wanted to stick with Lehigh and I knew something had to change for us to be successful," he said. "My class and the classes above me really wanted a ring, so we all came together and a lot more guys stayed in the summer. We put in a lot of extra work, which was key in developing a championship culture."
Â
Even though he's not a captain, Pelletier has developed as a leader and understands his role as a veteran for a Mountain Hawks' program that has responded by contending for, or winning, a championship in each of the last three seasons.
Â
"I've never wanted to be a captain, but being a senior and being one of the better players on the team, you have to step up, especially if you want guys around you to be focused and be on the right mission," said Pelletier.
Â
Over the past three years, the Mountain Hawks have been on a mission. Despite beginning this season 0-5, Pelletier has played a role in keeping the Mountain Hawks together and focused on their ultimate goals.
Â
One message from current offensive coordinator Scott Brisson has stuck with Pelletier to this day.
Â
"Freshman year, Coach Brisson drilled the process into my brain," he said. "I've been focused on the process my whole life, but I never really thought of it that way."
Â
The process includes putting in the work every day, even when the lights aren't shining. If you do that, you'll be in a strong position to succeed come gameday… and the results will come.
Â
"We've always had confidence in ourselves that good things are going to happen," said Pelletier. "You have to focus on getting better and you can't dwell on the past. You just have to take the next game, next play. Our (Patriot League opening) win at Colgate was huge in momentum and confidence moving forward the rest of the season."
Â
For now, Pelletier is focused on the end of his senior campaign, then will shift his attention to the NFL.
Â
"I'd like to play football as long as I can and ride that out, but I really don't see myself ever stepping away from the game - whether I'm playing, coaching, or working in player personnel of some sort," said Pelletier.
Â
Pelletier's love for the game has been a driving force of his success and that love should put him in strong position for success even beyond college football.
Â
"If you love the game, you're going to put in your best effort every day," he said. "A ton of kids have the same dream of playing in the NFL. You never know if it's possible or not, but you have to keep working, keep playing and hope for the best. I had a good junior season, people were calling and saying I might have a good chance to play at the next level. Then my senior season came around and scouts have shown up at practice."
Â
Pelletier's career has come full circle. Three years ago, Pelletier was looking to catch the attention of Lehigh coaches at practice. Today, he's looking to catch the attention of NFL scouts.
Â
All Pelletier wants is an opportunity. If history is any indication, when the opportunity comes, he'll be ready.Â
Players Mentioned
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