Seneca Valley Graduate Nick Hemer Lands with Ohio University Football After a Wild December

Nick Hemer was on a cruise with his family in the Caribbean when he got a phone call from the University of Texas San Antonio football team’s coaching staff. The NCAA announced on Dec. 23, 2024, that it was granting a blanket waiver to former junior college transfers whose eligibility would have exhausted during the 2024-25 season to play an extra year in 2025-26.

The trickle-down impact of the new rule would hit Hemer, a 2022 Seneca Valley (PA) graduate.

Hemer committed to play for the Roadrunners after spending a season with Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. However, UTSA’s long snapper was a former junior college player who now had another year of eligibility.

That left Hemer without an opportunity.

“I was upset,” Hemer said. “It was a little disappointing. In my mind, I thought it was a good situation to go on a scholarship, and I was excited to play high-level football. When I got the call, it was a punch to the gut.”

The rule change was put into effect after a federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction on Dec. 18, allowing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia to pursue another year of eligibility. Pavia sued the NCAA last November, claiming that the NCAA's rule of counting a player's time in junior college toward their NCAA eligibility violated antitrust law, unfairly limiting his ability to make money from his name, image and likeness.

The NCAA is appealing the federal judges ruling.

Hemer, who spent his first two years at the University of Buffalo, scrambled quickly to find another home. He reached out to a friend with connections within college coaching circles. Hemer's friend found him a way back to the Mid-America Conference.

Hemer signed to play with the defending MAC champion Ohio University last week. The Bobcats are coming off one of their best seasons in school history.

The Bobcats won the MAC for the first time since 1968. Ohio finished the season with a 10-3 record and beat Jacksonville State 30-27 in the Cure Bowl.

Being closer to home was important for Hemer.

“Geographics are a big deal to me,” Hemer said. “I’m only about 3.5 hours away from Pittsburgh. It’s nice to be able to go and visit my family whenever I want. .. Also, my career plan is to be an airline pilot. Ohio is one of the few universities that have an aviation program.”

Hemer left Buffalo after he lost the competition to be the Bulls’ starting long snapper and was taken off scholarship.

Hemer said it was past the window to enter the transfer portal, so his only option was the junior college route. It wasn’t one he wanted to take. Hemer’s only previous insight into what junior college life was like was what he saw on television.

Nick Hemer Seneca Valley football — Nick Hemer warms up before a game for Seneca Valley football. | Submitted

But Hutchinson exceeded his expectations.

“The expectations weren’t high thanks to ‘Last Chance U,’” Hemer said. “But the facilities were great, the coaches were great, and the staff in general was great.”

While Hemer was at Hutchinson, he was on a team that went 11-1 and won the NJCAA D1 Football Championship. The Blue Dragons beat Iowa Western Community College 28-23 Dec. 18 in Canyon, Texas.

“That was a great experience for me,” Hemer said. “I’ve never been in any championship at any level. It was great to be part of something like that. I enjoyed celebrating with my teammates afterward. That was special.”

Hemer said his time at Hutchinson helped improve his mental toughness. Being that far away from home wasn’t easy.

“I was in a small dorm with a roommate where our beds were like 5 feet apart,” Hemer said. “It’s not where I wanted to be, and it’s far from home. Everyone is fighting to get out. It was a mental challenge for me.”

--Josh Rizzo | rizzo42789@gmail.com | @J_oshrizzo