Catholic Memorial's Ngobidi Commits to UMass on Signing Day

Catholic Memorial School's senior football captain Peter Ngobidi inked his commitment to play for the University of Massachusetts on Wednesday morning. As part of the national “Signing Day” ceremonies across the nation, Ngobidi joined a long line of Division-1 bound CM seniors who have gone on to compete at the next level.

The co-captain of this year's Knights squad, Ngobidi went to middle school in Roxbury and played Pop Warner football in Hyde Park before coming to CM. There, he immediately found role models, both on the field and off, and a mentor in Catholic Memorial coach Alex Campea.

"Peter has been a tough-nosed kid who's gotten better every year," said Coach Campea. "As a captain, he can be emotional and get his message across when the time comes, but his actions on the field are the way he leads."

Ngobidi will join the UMass roster as a defensive end, playing on the same squad as his former teammate A.J. Doyle, who played quarterback for the Minutemen this year.

For Ngobidi (DE, 6’3”, 220-lbs.), the decision was also an academic one. "It was a better fit for me," he said. "I hope to major in business, engineering or physical therapy, but if I didn't know right away what I wanted to do, I wanted to have the opportunity to figure it out."

Injuries plagued the team this season, but Ngobidi remained a healthy presence and force on both lines. 

This winter and spring, Ngobidi will ready himself for UMass, both by staying in shape on the track team and by studying his two favorite subjects, math and science. "They've always been my favorite," he said, "but this year, I'm leaning a little more towards math."