St. Paul's Quarterback Orion Yates Turns Vermont Success Into Ivy League and Division I Attention

Orion Yates is a 6'3, 230-pound quarterback. Yates began his high school career at Champlain Valley Union under coaches Chris Destito and Rahn Fleming before transferring to St. Paul's in New Hampshire. It was during that time that he began to realize his potential as a high-level quarterback.

Although Yates didn't get the opportunity to play at quarterback until his sophomore year, he still excelled when given the chance. During his freshman season, Yates earned 2024-25 Vermont Gatorade Player of the Year honors. On top of that, Champlain Valley and Yates won the Division 1 State Championship.

For Yates, this was only the beginning of his journey.

A Move Designed for the Future

While the start of Yates' football journey was successful, he had always planned on transferring to play prep football.

"Transferring to play prep football was always something that I was planning on in the back of my head, but it became the the obvious path after that championship season due to the fact that we lost 22 seniors and some coaches from the program," said Yates. "I reclassified into the class of 2028 and repeated my sophomore year at SPS. Now I’m heading into my junior year.

Yates now has a few years of high school football under his belt. What he has accomplished so far has been enough to receive offers from the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell.

Dreaming Bigger Than Vermont

Like many high school athletes, playing in college is the goal. For Orion, he set the expectation even higher. He wanted to play at a Division 1 school. When asked how it felt his first three offers came from Ivy League schools, and to have UConn recently offer, here is what Yates said.

"The feeling is absolutely surreal. Receiving the high-level D1 offers is something I’ve always dreamed of. I come from a football family, and it’s always been what I’ve set my sights on since I was a baby," said Yates. "Although I’m still a long way away from playing college ball, these offers and recognition would have made my younger self very proud."

Orion has already experienced recruiting success, but he views it as only the beginning.

Vermont Gatorade Player of the Year

Athletes from smaller states often face challenges attracting national attention. One way for a player to stand out is to win awards. That is exactly what Orion did. In his sophomore year playing football, he received the Vermont Gatorade Player of the Year award. Although Yates outperformed every other football player in Vermont, he was quick to credit his teammates for why he won the award.

"I had the best O-line in Vermont that gave me time to throw to the most athletic receivers in Vermont, and all I had to do was read the coverage and put the ball in the air for my guys," said Yates.

Gatorade gives this award to one athlete in each sport in each state. Yates earned the respect from recruiters and coaches to get this award. This was just another hurdle for him en route to becoming a sought-after arm in a place where many scouts forget to look.

Building a Name in New England

New England football is primarily known for the Patriots, but the talent doesn't stop there. All across the region, high school athletes are working to fulfill a goal. It may not be the easiest and Orion serves as an example of what can be achieved.

While Orion tells me he was bound to attend Mount Abraham High School, a Division III school in Vermont, he emphasized it was always his goal to end up at Champlain Valley.

"I think I firstly owe a great deal of thanks to my parents for putting me in places, and specifically schools, where I could succeed," said Orion. "Technically, I should have gone to Mt. Aberham High School, which is a much smaller D3 High School in Vermont due to where we live, but I made it clear to my parents that I wanted to go to CVU with dreams of big-time football, and I was lucky enough to get in due to the lottery process

Orion was adamant about how helpful his family has been throughout this whole process. He knows that growing up in Vermont won't give him the recognition he deserves, but he still finds ways to stand out.

"Unfortunately, as a Vermont athlete, you are automatically overlooked, but the ISL has serious talent and is gaining more attention each season from high-level college programs. SPS has created so many opportunities for me, and Coach Vandersea, specifically, has greatly helped me in my recruiting process, along with on-field coaching," said Yates.

Football Runs in the Family

Putting Yates' recruitment aside, it was written in stone that Yates would succeed on the field. His motivation comes from his grandfather, who played for Syracuse and was part of their undefeated, Orange Bowl Championship team in 1959, and played professionally for the Patriots from 1960 to 1965.

While Yates' father was also successful, he threw shot put and discus at Maryland and was ranked third in the nation.

Yates uses his family's background as motivation on the field.

"My dad never pushed me to play football or forced me to be anything, but when I’m on the field, there's no doubt I feel my grandpa with me, and I have an inner goal to make him proud. I’m lucky to have football in my blood," said Yates.

The Work Behind the Success

"Everything in life is a trade-off," Orion said. "To be successful, you have to sacrifice the things you enjoy sometimes for work."

That is exactly what he did. Orion briefly described what he has done to improve his game, and it began bright and early.

He begins many days in the weight room before school, allowing time for practice and other responsibilities later in the day. He highlighted how important sleep is to him, and how it allows him to conquer each day. Orion hasn't taken the opportunity of prep school for granted. While the homework and responsibilities have piled up, Orion keeps climbing.

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