Named Mr. Football by most, if not all media outlets, Lakeville North senior Wade Sullivan was a touchdown machine. Sullivan would finish the regular season with 26 rushing touchdowns and would help the Panthers to the state tournament. With Sullivan…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inNamed Mr. Football by most, if not all media outlets, Lakeville North senior Wade Sullivan was a touchdown machine. Sullivan would finish the regular season with 26 rushing touchdowns and would help the Panthers to the state tournament. With Sullivan again in the mix for a state title in wrestling, he had plenty of options for college.
Sullivan would ultimately decide to play football for the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Bulldogs were on Sullivan early.
“It started in the middle of my junior year,” said Sullivan who averaged 167 yards rushing a game in the regular season. “I was getting letters and emails about camps. I went to the South Dakota State camp this summer, and UMD noticed me there. They invited me to go to their camp.”
The Bulldogs' coaching staff made an immediate impact on Sullivan.
“They are all genuine guys,” Sullivan said. “I really liked the coaching staff up there.”
Halfway through the season, UMD turned up the heat.
“They had me up for an unofficial visit for a game. After the season, I came up on an official visit.”
Along with UMD, Augustana, Mankato State and St. Thomas were the schools that Sullivan was considering.
“The coaching staff was the biggest reason I picked UMD, but I also liked the campus. They had a bunch of new stuff and felt like a place I wanted to be.”
Sullivan gave his verbal commitment in the middle of December – weeks before he had to decide.
“Out of all the schools Duluth was my number one pick for sure,” Sullivan said. “I just loved it up there. I talked it over with my family the next morning (after the official visit) in the hotel, and we decided ‘what is the point of waiting.' So, I just told them I was going to go there.”
Sullivan said the coaching staff likes his vision, his explosiveness and the ability to play multiple positions like running back, wide receiver, slot and kick returner.
While football was always the direction he wanted his career to go, the three-time state wrestling place winner and one-time state champion could have gone down the wrestling path.
“I had a lot of interest for wrestling,” said NFN’s 44th ranked senior. “In ninth and tenth grade I thought my path would be wrestling for college, but my junior and senior seasons for football sparked things, and during my junior year I decided I wanted to play football in college.”
Minnesota, South Dakota State, Augustana, and Augsburg all had Sullivan in for visits for wrestling.
The Bulldogs' coaches have not decided on Sullivan's role in year one. They have not told the three-sport athlete if they want him to compete for playing time right away or if they want to redshirt him.
