Latrobe’s Andy Tatsch chooses to play football at Lehigh

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, June 30, 2025 | 7:16 PM

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Once his older brother received a scholarship from an NCAA Division I program a couple of years ago, anything was possible for Andy Tatsch.

That is how the rising senior from Latrobe first became interested in the recruiting process, when he bought into the idea he also could play at the highest level of college football. That was when the light went on.

“It definitely opened my eyes to those possibilities, and I started chasing it from there,” Tatsch said Monday after announcing his verbal commitment to Lehigh. He was recruited to play safety.

“I’m glad to be finished with recruiting and to be settled down with a school that I love, so it feels great,” Tatsch said.

Recent Latrobe graduate Alex Tatsch is an incoming freshman at Penn State. With 20 big-school offers, the coveted recruit was able to shed a light on recruiting for Andy, who said he also considered Cornell and Buffalo.

The younger Tatsch also had offers from West Virginia, Dartmouth, Eastern Michigan, New Hampshire, Yale, Penn and Bucknell. He sided with the academic prowess of Lehigh over the natural lure of Group of 5 or Power 4 programs.

“I talked to (Alex) a lot about what I should think is important about the school,” Andy said, “and how to make the best possible decision for me.”

A rangy, 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, Andy Tatsch was Latrobe’s top pass catcher last season with 26 receptions for 438 yards and four touchdowns. He was an All-Class 5A Big East Conference First Team selection at defensive back, where he made 67 tackles, 47 solo, and notched a pick-6.

He will be a third-year starter and centerpiece type of talent this fall for the Wildcats.

“Lehigh has been a good fit for him from the start of the whole process,” Latrobe first-year coach Tom McIntyre said. “He has the speed and ball skills of a defensive back and the size and physicality of a linebacker. He could be an impact player at either position. He understands football at a very high level. He is always talking on the field and communicating to get all 11 players on the same page.”

Lehigh offered Tatsch in February, and he was impressed with his visit to the campus in Northhampton County, a four-plus-hour trip east across the state.

“I chose Lehigh because they are a great academic school, and their football team is on the rise,” Tatsch said. “Also, I think the coaches are great, and I love the player dynamics and how tight the team seems to be.”

McIntyre said Tatsch is an outstanding leader and team player.

“He’s been a part of the teams in which we’ve had success, and he knows what it takes to win,” McIntyre said. “He’s seen his brother, Alex’s, and John Wetzel’s work ethic and leadership and he has embraced that role since the first day he stepped into the weight room this spring as a senior.

“Offensively, he wants the ball and wants to be the go-to guy in any high-pressure situations.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Latrobe