By: Dana Hathaway

Public Relations Manager

Although senior Sam Pearman’s roots are on the soccer field, Helm Field is his high school home. The starting kicker recently committed to Columbia University after a lengthy recruiting process, and looks forward to the rest of his senior year and only one college application.

Pearman wore cleats long before touching a football. He explained, “I grew up in Kentucky, and played for one of the top teams there. I was also captain. When I moved in the summer of 2018, I joined Santa Clara Sporting and played center back at a really high level. I also played high school soccer, and I’ve been on varsity the past two years.” He credits his dad for “suggesting I be a kicker, since I played soccer my whole life. We went out, bought a football and a tee, and I kicked a 45 yard field goal.” He recalls, “I wanted to play football freshman year…then I decided to play sophomore football after kicking with my dad and it pretty much took off from there.” 

The recruiting process was lengthy, but ultimately worth it for the Ivy-bound player. A longtime dream, Pearman mentions, “When I decided to go into football I wanted to be recruited and play at the next level. I really enjoy kicking, and I’ve improved a lot over time.” National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules restrict recruiting, making it so that coaches can only reach out to players after their sophomore year. Many players, including Pearman, begin the process by emailing coaches in their junior year. Once off season hits, he sent recruiters film from his season. However, the real test of skill is camps in the summer. Pearman said, “I was basically traveling all over the country, doing camps at Cal Poly SLO, Wesleyan, Minnesota, Yale, Columbia, UC Davis. I met a lot of different coaches and ended up with a bunch of offers at the D3 level and some opportunities at the D1 level.” During his college search, he emphasized academics and looked for schools with a “solid pre-med track and high level of football.” The future doctor took AP Chemistry last year and is currently enrolled in AP Biology. He states, “I just want to help people…the ability to help others figure out what’s wrong with them and help them is something that really sparks my interest.”

After Pearman’s experience at the Columbia camp, he stayed in contact with the special teams coordinator. He explains, “I sent him films after each game, and sent a first four games highlight reel. On [Oct. 7] I flew to New York after the homecoming game…we listened to the recruiting pitch, got a tour of the facility, and after that we watched their game against Marist. We went back to the coach’s office and then he offered me.” Pearman called the offer the, “opportunity of a lifetime.”

This year, the athlete looks forward to finishing off senior year with his football and soccer teams before moving across the country to New York City. Pearman explains, “We want to go out and win the league championship…I know we can do it!”