JEFFERSON TWP — Talk about landing on your feet.

Knoch senior Jake Herrit had verbally committed to West Point last winter after being one of four boys selected from a baseball tryout camp.

Since then, however, every assistant coach has left that program, including the one who spearheaded the recruiting of Herrit.

“The baseball situation there felt a little strange to me with all of those coaches leaving,” Herrit said. “The assistant who recruited me wound up at the University of Dayton and I looked into going there.

“Dayton had already signed 20-plus recruits, so there was no room.”

All of a sudden, Herrit was on the open market.

He visited Seton Hill and liked what he saw. He also had Knoch football teammate Ivan Stapchuk, committed to Gannon, look into the possibilities up there.

Herrit liked that opportunity a lot better, recently signing a letter of intent to play football and baseball for the Golden Knights.

“No way I could pass that up,” he said.

A double-threat as a runner and passer as quarterback of Knoch's triple-option last fall, Herrit combined for more than 1,500 yards of offense for the Knights.

Down the stretch, he threw for 182 yards and rushed for 55 and two touchdowns against Indiana, threw for 100 and rushed for two scores against Ambridge, rushed for 141 and threw a touchdown pass against Mars — all wins.

“Jake is a very versatile player,” Knoch football coach Frank Whalen said. “They like him as a quarterback up there, but they'll move him to outside linebacker if that doesn't work out.

“Jake and Ivan are going to room together, too, so that worked out for both of them.”

Herrit told the football coaches he could play running back, receiver, safety or outside linebacker. Gannon is coming off a 5-6 season and has a junior, two red-shirt freshmen and another incoming freshman on the roster at quarterback.

“They told me my quickest way on the field is as a quarterback. We'll see how it works out,” Herrit said.

Gannon's baseball team was 19-24 a year ago and is off to an 8-6 start this season. Herrit will be joining that team as an outfielder.

“The three starting outfielders next year will all be seniors. Those positions will be wide open after that,” Herrit said.

After hitting .300 as a sophomore and seeing some playing time as a freshman on Knoch's state championship team, Herrit ran into some hard luck at the plate last spring.

“It was almost laughable,” Knoch baseball coach Sean O'Donnell said. “Jake continually hit the ball on the nose, hit it hard, right at people.

“I'm not worried about his bat at all. That kid can play the game.”

Herrit plans to major in exercise science. He plans to study to be a physician's assistant.

He is also looking to receive a national scholarship for ROTC.

“I still want to join the military down the road,” he said. “When I graduate four years from now, I'll be prepared to go for my master's in P.A.”

He may even have a year of eligibility left in football and/or baseball at that time.

“I'm going to push myself to see playing time as a freshman in both sports,” Herrit emphasized.”But if it turns out to be best for me and best for the team if I red-shirt, then I'll red-shirt.

“Football has been my favorite sport since I could walk. Baseball is the sport I'm likely to go the farthest in.

“To have the chance to keep playing both? I feel good about it.”