Question about 5th year eligibility

/\ I can't answer that question but it actually arose last year. Some of the seniors returned to HC as undergraduates and you see them playing on the field for us this year (Mike Pizziketti, John Brekki, etc), some of the seniors graduated and spent their 5th Covid year playing football elsewhere, and some of the seniors graduated and moved on with their lives.

It certainly would be nice to know who is returning for a 5th year but I don't even know if the kids/coaches themselves know at this point. 

Oliver will have another season of eligibility, and while he hasn’t made a final decision yet, he said he is definitely thinking of coming back for a fifth year.

Harvard and Princeton were among the other schools that recruited Oliver, who rushed for 721 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior at St. John’s, but he chose Holy Cross, where he spent much of his childhood on the Fitton Field sidelines.

‘The world is just a little bit different for Pete Oliver,’ Holy Cross’ well-rounded senior RB and former St. John’s high star shines
Former St. John's star is averaging over six yards per carry for Crusaders

Over the last four years, as Holy Cross senior Peter Oliver has evolved from short-yardage back to the featured piece in HC’s downhill attack, coach Bob Chesney and his offensive staff have impressed upon Oliver to bring his pad level down and, when there is contact low, being able to drive his knees.

Chesney suggested Oliver watch some old clips of running back Roger Craig, one of the stars of the Joe Montana-led San Francisco 49ers teams known for his distinctive high-knee running style.

So, last year, during the COVID lockdown, Oliver headed to YouTube to see some of Craig’s highlights, and he has continued to watch every week before games.

“I try to emulate what he did in the games,” Oliver said. “It’s been helping me. The way he runs really low and gets under people and kind of digs out and keeps his knees driving no matter what. He overemphasizes getting his knees up.”

In last week’s win over Colgate at Polar Park, Chesney loved what he saw on Oliver’s 22-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

MORE: Victory at Polar Park: Holy Cross turns back Colgate at home of WooSox

“He was almost kicking his way to the end zone to get people off his legs,” Chesney said.

The 6-foot, 225-pound Oliver, an Auburn resident and former St. John’s High standout, is averaging 6.2 yards per carry this season and a Patriot League-best 74.8 yards per game.

He had a breakthrough performance against Colgate, rushing for a career-high 153 yards on 14 carries.

“That was so fun to watch,” HC senior linebacker Liam Doran, one of Oliver’s former St. John’s teammates, said. “I was yelling for him the entire time.”

Oliver helped the Crusaders rack up a season-high 359 rushing yards.

“Our offensive line, and also our tight ends and receivers were making running lanes all night,” Oliver said, “and that was super exciting. Personally, it was a career high, but it was a product of all my teammates coming together to get the job done.”

Oliver was a senior on St. John’s 2017 state championship team and played in all 11 games and rushed 62 times for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns as a Holy Cross freshman.

In helping Holy Cross to the 2019 Patriot League title, Oliver thrived in short-yardage and goal-line situations while complementing lead back Dom Cozier. Following Cozier’s graduation, Oliver took on an expanded role in the spring and that has continued this fall.

“The physical nature of how we want to play in the run game is what he brings,” Chesney said.

Oliver’s awesome lower-body strength has continued to develop in the weight room under HC assistant strength and conditioning coach Chris Grautski, who works primarily with the football team.

“Props to Coach Grautski,” Oliver said.

Oliver’s dad, Jeff, is in his 25th season as Holy Cross’ head strength and conditioning coach, and father and son shared a special moment coming off the Polar Park field last Saturday night.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that I’m at Holy Cross and he’s on the sideline,” Oliver said of his dad. “He really is an inspiration to me, not just with football, but in life as well. He’s one of the most humble and kind people that I know. He’s a positive person to talk to, not just for me, but for a lot of athletes here he’s been a shoulder to lean on. He’s just always there.”

Peter is the oldest of Jeff and Kate Oliver’s four children. Corinne, who captained the Auburn High soccer team, is a junior at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, Lydia is a freshman and member of the field hockey team at Holy Cross, and Keating is a junior at Auburn High, where he plays football. Oliver’s brother is already 6-1 and 245, and may reach their dad’s stature (6-foot-4).

Jeff played football at Boston College and Kate softball for the Eagles, so athletics is obviously a huge part of the Oliver family, but academics even more so.

Peter, who is working toward a double major in chemistry and Spanish, is an outstanding student who carries a 3.95 GPA. He was a semifinalist for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award, presented by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

“Growing up, we didn’t have TV or video games,” said Oliver, a member of the National Honor Society at St. John’s. “We read books. If we got in trouble, we would get reading taken away. That’s what it was like when I was a kid and I grew up loving to read. School was something my parents placed a huge emphasis on and I took that on as well, and I’m kind of competitive, too, so I always try to do my best.”

In his very limited spare time, Oliver continues to be an avid reader and he just finished “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho.

Oliver is an accomplished violinist, who plays with HC’s Chapel Choir at the 7 p.m. Sunday Mass in Mary Chapel.

“He is so well versed in so much subject matter that the world is just a little bit different for Pete Oliver,” Chesney said. “I think that opens and broadens his horizons a little bit, where he sees things in just a very different picture. It helps him in meeting rooms and other avenues and it comes from him seeing the bigger picture and understanding he’s not just a football player. I imagine that’s very freeing in a way and, at the same time, exciting because it allows him to see football in a very different light than others.”

Oliver is inherently quiet, but Chesney has seen him blossom as a team leader, too.

“Before,” Chesney said, “he just fell in line. Now, I think he has a voice, and it’s pretty cool to watch him express himself. He displays many different emotions that show up at the right time and right place and people gravitate toward him. He’s very confident in who he is and it’s awesome to watch him personally grow on this journey, not just on the field.”

Last year, Oliver did an internship with Cutco Corp., selling knives and other kitchen accessories.

“It was a really good experience for me,” Oliver said. “Stepping outside of my comfort zone in college has been so beneficial for me, I decided to try it and see what happens. I loved it. It helped with my time management and gave me a ton of confidence. The momentum I got from it carried into spring semester and coming into this season.”

Harvard and Princeton were among the other schools that recruited Oliver, who rushed for 721 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior at St. John’s, but he chose Holy Cross, where he spent much of his childhood on the Fitton Field sidelines.

“I wrote (the reasons) down on a list because I used to get asked that a lot,” Oliver said, “but one of the biggest factors was the people at Holy Cross. Also, it’s a smaller school and it’s close to home and I liked that my dad is on campus. I love the facilities. There are a lot of things.”

Oliver will have another season of eligibility, and while he hasn’t made a final decision yet, he said he is definitely thinking of coming back for a fifth year.