INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Pendleton Heights alum and wide receiver Eli Pancol was signed to the Colts practice squad on Thursday.
Having the opportunity to come back and play for the team he grew up cheering for is special for Pancol.
“Being on the Colts is like a dream come true, for real,” Pancol said.
“Growing up being a Colts fan, now that I’m on the Colts, all my friends and family are going crazy, I can’t believe it,” Pancol said. “And Reggie Wayne as my coach, I looked up to him when I was a kid. He was one of my favorite receivers.”
Before he got the call that he was joining the Colts, he was getting ready to pack his bags to go to Pittsburgh for a workout with the Steelers. His mom was on her way to pick him up to go to the airport.
“While she was on the way, I got a call from my agent telling me you’re not going to Pittsburgh no more,” Pancol said. “You’re going to the Colts.”
When he told his mom, they were both jumping up and down with excitement. His mom would drive nine hours for his games at Duke, and Pancol said she’s happy to just have to drive down the road.
Pancol also thinks it means a lot for the Pendleton community.
“I used to do all the camps for them and seeing those kids grow up and they ask me to come to the high school and talk to them,” Pancol said. “I love doing that kind of thing because I know all the idols I used to look up to and how much they impacted me in my journey.”
Pancol went through training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in April.
Pancol had 1,710 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in his career at Duke.