Old Dominion quarterback Blake LaRussa has announced that he will not play for his senior year and will instead take up religious studies at seminary school.
LaRussa is set to graduate next spring and had one year of eligibility left, according to Bleacher Report.
The one-time walk-on released a statement saying he is “moving on from football.”
It has been an incredible journey with Old Dominion football, but I would like to announce that I will be moving on from football after I graduate this spring and will be going into full-time ministry. This fall (2019) I will be going to seminary school to start my Master’s of divinity. I am so grateful for all my coaches and teammates who I have grown so close with these past four years.
LaRussa had a surprising year finishing the season with 3,015 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. “He most notably threw 495 passing yards and four touchdowns off the bench in an upset win over Virginia Tech before keeping the job the rest of the season,” Bleacher Report noted.
He was a key member of the team for three of the last five wins with a 1-6 start.
LaRussa always defied the odds. He was deemed too small to play football in high school but won the job as starter for ODU as a walk-on player. He lost that top spot for a short time, but after his amazing performance upsetting No. 13 Hokies in a 49-35 final, he regained the honor.
Coach Bobby Wilder also released a statement saying, “Everyone associated with our program is very proud of Blake and the decision he has made for his future. From the moment he walked on campus he represented our program’s ‘aim high’ philosophy. He will always be a great representative of Old Dominion University and a future leader of our country.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.