Noah Crutchfield has the build and credentials that a lot of coaches look for in an edge rusher, and the way the game is played today, no coach can have too many pass rushing threats.
After having a big impact at Western Albemarle, including earning second team All-Scrimmage Play honors as a senior last fall for the Warriors, he’ll head to Shepherd University in West Virginia to suit up for the Rams.
“I’m very excited, I can’t wait to get out there and start,” Crutchfield said.
Crutchfield had seven sacks last year despite drawing a ton of attention from opposing offensive linemen. That gave him 15.5 sacks for his career as well as another 123 career tackles. Crutchfield didn’t just run down quarterbacks and running backs either, he also had a knack for tracking down punts, blocking eight in his career.
Now he’ll take that skillset to Shepherd. It’s the second year in a row that a Crutchfield has earned a football scholarship. His brother Osiris headed to UVa after a productive career for the Warriors and redshirted this season.
“I kind of saw how the recruiting process goes and what I should look for in colleges,” Crutchfield said.
Shepherd won a Mountain East Conference title and made a run to the NCAA Division II semifinals last season. Blue Ridge school alum Chad Byers is an assistant coach on staff for the Rams, who have a strong footprint in Virginia with multiple players from powerhouse Stonebridge on the roster.
“I’d like to see more guys from around here go up there, it’s a great place,” Crutchfield said.
