Penn sprint football's Jimmy Lengyel is not your average College junior

Looking at Jimmy Lengyel, one could easily mistake him for a ball boy or a manager. An hour before the game, he is excited, smiling in a Penn sprint football windbreaker.

“This is a make-or-break game,” he says.

The players are stretching, and Penn sprint football is preparing for its Oct. 4 game against Navy, a traditional powerhouse in the CSFL. Heading into the game, Penn and Navy both stand at 2-0, meaning one team will head home disappointed.

Coach Bill Wagner walks over to Lengyel, a former staff member of the Daily Pennsylvanian, and they converse for a minute — but ball boys don’t talk to the head coach before the game. Only a College junior , Lengyel, a former Daily Pennsylvanian staff member, is the head video coordinator for the sprint football program.

Originally from Pensacola, Fla., where he says “football is king,” Lengyel played on the offensive line of his high school team.

Last year, he decided to approach Wagner about a possible coaching position on the sprint football team.

“He came up to me and said, ‘Look I’m a football guy ... I’d love to play, but I can’t make weight ... and I can help you out,’” Wagner said. “I said, ‘Well, we already have our coaches, but what do you know about computers?’”

“I mentioned Hudl [a type of sports video software], and he understood Hudl right away. His high school team used Hudl, and he started talking, and I realized he knew more about Hudl than I did,” Wagner continued. “And I said to him, ‘We have a spot for you. You’ll be in charge of our Hudl system. We’ll get you two cameras and an iPad, and you’ll be able to work on the sideline.’”

And like that, Lengyel became Penn sprint football’s video coordinator.

While his job title suggests he would be up high working a camera, Lengyel stays on the sidelines during the game, tracking plays on an iPad. He will later upload them and create relevant statistics such as play calling tendencies, sometimes staying up as late as 4 a.m.

“[The CSFL] has taken the Hudl system as part of the exchanging of game film, instead of scouting,” Wagner said. “Jimmy puts all our stuff in order, and he’s a lifesaver because it’s such a time-consuming thing.”

“Last year, all the assistants did my job in parts, so I’m just taking a little off their plates,” Lengyel added.

Lengyel hopes this is just the first stop in a long football career. His dream job? “A big-time college football coach. But I love football, and I’ll be happy doing anything.”

Lengyel is confident that his dedication will prove its worth and that he has found his calling. While coaching is a full-time job, he still manages to stay active in one of his other passions, the Mask and Wig Club . Currently a cast member and the club’s external social chair , Lengyel is appreciative of Wagner’s flexibility when it comes to missing practices or games for Mask and Wig .

Still in college, Lengyel has plenty of time to hone his craft. He went to a seminar for the Hudl technology this past summer, and has a year and a half left as a Penn undergraduate.

Now known as Jimmy, it’s only so long before he’ll be known as Coach.

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