Jaelon Blandburg '16 commits to Brown

Since he was a child, Wilbraham & Monson Academy's Jaelon Blandburg '16 has wanted to attend an Ivy League school for college.

In six months, Jaelon will be attending one of the most elite colleges in the world.

Jaelon, an All-New England selection, has committed to play football at Division I Brown University, a member of the elite Ivy League.

"This is a dream come true, honestly," said Jaelon, a 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound wide receiver. "Playing at a high academic school, that was the goal since I was a little kid, even before I started playing football. I just wanted to go to an Ivy League school. It was a long, tough ride, but it definitely was worth it."

"We're all extremely excited for Jaelon and the opportunity he has at Brown," Coach Jeff Vartabedian said. "They showed a high interest early on, and other schools were in the mix, but he loved the visit to Brown and got a spot. I think he's going to have a tremendous career athletically and academically."

After his stellar season at WMA, Jaelon was contacted by every Ivy League school. An official visit to Providence, R.I., quickly convinced him he wanted to become a Brown Bear.

"It felt like a family atmosphere," Jaelon said. "They were into me being the best person, student and football player I could be. The coaches were very inviting; the campus was amazing. Academically, I like their open curriculum. Overall, it felt like the right place to be."

And WMA was the right place for a post-graduate year for Jaelon, who caught 52 passes for 589 yards and seven touchdowns to help the Titans to a 5-3 record.

"I wanted the season to be better, but you can always do better," he said. "I think I had a solid season and one of the better seasons I've had. I loved the offense we ran. It was great to be in a spread offense, coming from a triple-option. This was great.