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Seven minutes away from the football powerhouse Penn State University’s Beaver Stadium is State College Area High School’s Memorial Field.

There, nine-year NFL veteran Larry Johnson and Chicago Bears running back Matt Suhey — who rushed for over 4,500 yards with SC from 1973-75 — honed their skills. Following them, Syracuse’s offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon tallied 3,376 career rushing yards before coaching in college and the NFL.

But now, one name stands as the figurehead of 11-year head coach Matthew Lintal’s current setup. That name is D’Antae Sheffey.

Sheffey, a three-star class of 2026 recruit, rushed for 1,725 yards as a freshman in 2022 — the fourth-highest single-season total in State College history. On April 20, 2024, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound running back committed to Syracuse.

After a year at Harrisburg High School he is coming back to SC for his senior season. His goal is to lead it to its first PIAA state championship by surpassing Nixon’s career rushing record before joining him in central New York in 2026.

“We were just tapped in with each other,” Sheffey said about his relationship with Nixon. “It just made the commitment really easy for me.”

D’Antae Sheffey (right) poses with Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon (left) at SU’s Spring Game in April. Sheffey and Nixon both hail from State College Area High School, where they’ve both had dominant rushing seasons. Courtesy of D’Antae Sheffey

Lintal’s first look at Sheffey came during a middle school game between Park Forest and Mount Nittany Middle School in October 2021. Lintal, who was an offensive coach at Bucknell before returning to his alma mater, sat behind Sheffey for every snap. He noticed Sheffey’s patience, how he made cuts in space and could easily accelerate to make big plays.

“That night was really evident to me that he was ready to go,” Lintal said.

When he joins Syracuse, Sheffey will look to follow in now-Jacksonville Jaguar LeQuint Allen Jr.’s footsteps. But unlike Allen Jr.’s self-described lion and ape playing style, Sheffey’s approach is about making defenders miss.

During summer practice before his freshman year, Lintal tested the theory by running a swing route out of the backfield for Sheffey. The result? A simple catch and a subsequent shimmy that made “one of State College’s best tacklers” miss, Lintal said.

By the time the season began, Sheffey ran Lintal’s offense.

Aside from having the fourth most dominant season of any State College player on the ground, the freshman tallied 25 touchdowns (22 rushing, two receiving, one kickoff return) — the fourth most in a season in State College history.

“We’ve certainly had impact guys at that age,” Lintal said. “But I don’t think anybody had as much impact as a freshman on a football team than what (Sheffey) had.”

After his breakout year, Sheffey had offers from Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Kent State, Cincinnati, Temple and Akron. SU was the first one after Lintal sent Sheffey’s film to SU defensive line coach Chris Achuff, who grew up nearby in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

However, he faced significant changes his sophomore campaign. Quarterback Finn Furmanek graduated, and Lintal’s offensive line was entirely new. So, without a dual-threat quarterback and a dominant offensive line, State College transitioned to a pass-heavy offense, with Sheffey less involved.

As a result, Sheffey only totaled 608 all-purpose yards as the Little Lions went from a 13-1 record and No. 9 in Pennsylvania to a 7-4 clip and No. 73 in the state.

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Sheffey then decided to transfer to the three-time defending District 6A champions Harrisburg in January 2024.

On Nov. 19, 2023, before Sheffey moved to Harrisburg, Syracuse fired Babers after eight seasons and hired Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown to replace him nine days later.

The change would have resulted in SU revoking its offer to Sheffey. But similar to Brown’s relationship with former Syracuse quarterback and now-Philadelphia Eagle Kyle McCord, SU used past connections to instill a family environment, reassuring Sheffey his offer still stood.

Brown also has a connection with State College. Both he and Nixon worked with SC alum and Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule at Temple and with the Carolina Panthers, respectively.

“A lot of the time, those offers disappear with a new staff,” Lintal said. “They want to build their own relationships and start them from square one. So, I think it was a huge relief for all of us.”

Because of a broken hand Sheffey suffered in a 45-7 season-opening loss to La Salle, his lone year with Harrisburg got off to a rough start. He returned two weeks later, sporting a club on his left hand against his former school and his younger brother, Anthony Sheffey, who was Lintal’s starting right tackle as a sophomore.

“That was the one game on my schedule that I circled for a while because I really wanted to beat them because my older brother’s on the team,” Anthony said. “I just wanted to prove we’re the better team and I’m better.”

During the first half, Sheffey, in his new No. 4 jersey, approached Anthony and playfully smacked him on the helmet. If it wasn’t for Lintal telling the referees the two were brothers, a flag might’ve been thrown, Anthony said. Ultimately, a blocked State College field goal sealed a 7-6 Harrisburg victory.

Sheffey totaled 519 all-purpose yards with the Cougars as he split snaps with Nehemiah Ewell and Penn State commit Messiah Mickens at running back.

“We weren’t worried about no teams during preseason because we knew we could beat them during the regular season,” Sheffey said. “The motivation they already had weared off on me and I feel it helped me as a person and a football player.”

Anthony Sheffey (left) and D’Antae Sheffey (right) are interviewed after State College and Harrisburg’s matchup last year. D’Antae transferred to Harrisburg for his junior season, setting up the matchup. Courtesy of Anthony Sheffey

Still, after his committee role with Harrisburg and its loss to Central Catholic in the 2024 PIAA semifinal, rumors swirled around State College that Sheffey would return. Anthony would get asked questions every day in school: “Did he transfer? Where’s he going? Is Tae actually coming back? Is he back yet?”

His answer was always, “I don’t know.” He didn’t want to say anything he wasn’t supposed to.

“I thought that he was just gonna stay there until he goes to college, and I would never get to play with him,” Anthony said.

But Sheffey returned to State College a few months ago to reunite with Anthony. His return not only brings back one of SC’s best players in the last five years, but it also sets up the prospect of Sheffey running behind his younger brother for the first time since elementary school.

“The opportunity for those guys to be on the same field together is going to be extremely special,” Lintal said.

With one final year at State College, Sheffey will turn his sights to Syracuse. And he won’t have to think much to draw comparisons between the two.

Both have featured mobile quarterbacks, elusive running backs and commanding offensive linemen. But most importantly, they have a need to get back to where they once were.

While Nixon’s offense chases its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship and first College Football Playoff appearance in 2025, Sheffey pursues State College’s first PIAA state championship in his senior year while eclipsing 1,184 rushing yards to break his mentor’s career rushing record.

“I’m not gonna make it my main mission to do so. I just want us to win,” Sheffey said. “But hey, if it gets to that, it’s always a pleasure to make more records.”

Published on April 29, 2025 at 11:32 pm
Contact Quinn: qdpostma@syr.edu | @quinnpostman_