WPIAL Alum Q&A – Dante Nania

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, October 12, 2015 | 5:33 PM

Dante Nania enjoyed a prolific high school career as the quarterback for the Hempfield Area Spartans, and he has gone on to enjoy great success collegiately at both Youngstown State University and now Slippery Rock University. This week’s WPIAL Alum Q&A puts the senior signalcaller under the spotlight.

While at Hempfield, Nania was a four-year letterwinner and earned first-team all-conference recognition. In his senior campaign in 2010, he threw for more than 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns.

His impressive statistics, combined with his talents as a dual-threat quarterback, allowed him to earn a scholarship to join Youngstown State. After redshirting in 2011 and seeing very limited time in 2012, Nania took meaningful snaps for the Penguins during his sophomore campaign. The following season, he passed for nearly 800 yards and six scores in six games, but was limited by injury.

During the offseason, Nania transferred to Slippery Rock for his final year of eligibility. The move has been incredibly successful thus far, as he’s thrown for nearly 1,500 yards in just six contests.

Nania turned in perhaps his finest effort on Saturday, as he threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns, and scored two more on the ground in leading The Rock to a 56-21 victory against California University of Pennsylvania.

Dante took the time to provide some insight into his career on the gridiron, as well as his life in general.

Q: What was the top reason why you decided to conclude your collegiate career at Slippery Rock University this year?

A: When I was looking to transfer, Slippery Rock was always an option. When I went to visit the campus and meet the staff, it felt like a home away from home. Great family atmosphere, like a brotherhood.

 Q: Has there been any difficulties in adjusting to new coaches, teammates and opponents?

 A: There hasn’t been many adjustments with the coaches or teammates. The guys I play with are great. In the short time I was here, they took me in and under their wing and had confidence in me. The coaching staff was very patient with me and walked me along, learning the offense and we are finally starting to see what this offense is capable of doing.

Q: In what areas have you most improved as a quarterback since your time at Hempfield Area?

A: The most improved part of my game is the overall mental aspect. In high school, I really wasn’t sure how to read defenses, and understand what the defense was doing. At the college level, you really have no choice, especially at quarterback. You have to know what every position on the field is doing. And it wasn’t until college where I grasped it and the game started to really slow down for me.

Q: Do you still follow the Spartans or WPIAL football frequently?

A: I keep up with WPIAL football religiously. The WPIAL produces some of the best athletes in the state.

Q: What has been your best moment on the field in college?

A:  My best moment was my first start at the University of Illinois.

Q: Slippery Rock has several players who have transferred from DI schools, including several others from Youngstown State. Did you have anyone you reached out to during the transfer process for advice?

A: Our starting linebacker Teven Williams was a big factor in why I transferred to SRU. I played with Teven for three years at YSU and he led the team in tackles three consecutive years. He was transferring and already committed to SRU, and when he found out I was transferring, he basically told me we had one more chance to win a ring so we might as well do it together.

Q: You’ve had a chance to throw a lot this season, including more than 50 attempts twice already. How enjoyable is it to get those opportunities regularly?

A: Of course every quarterback would love to throw the ball 50-plus times a game, but our run game compliments our pass game very well and it opens a lot of things up for us which allows us to throw the ball that many times a game.

Q: For how long do you typically study before each game via film review, looking over the playbook etc.?

A: If I had to put a time limit on it, I would say a couple of hours a day. When I’m not in class, I’m usually meeting with our offensive coordinator Coach Patterson during the day.

Q: What’s your major and what is your ideal job after graduation?

A: My major is marketing and my ideal job would be an insurance sales rep.

Q: You were a state qualifier as a wrestler at Hempfield. Did you ever give consideration to wrestling at a higher level?

A: I considered the idea early in high school, but cutting weight on top of working out just isn’t for me. I can say that wrestling made me more of a competitor and I translate that mentality to football.

Q: Do you have a favorite song to get pumped up before a game?

A: Nightcrawler by Travis Scott

Q: What is your favorite meal?

A: Chicken, mashed potatoes and stuffing.

Q: Who is your favorite football player?

A: TEBOW

Q: What is the best advice you’d give to a high school quarterback who wants to play in college?

A: It’s the extra you do when your coaches aren’t watching that will get you to the next level.

Tags: Hempfield