Mike Vukovcan Hopewell Vikings standout defensive end Aris Haniotes is preparing hard for what he’s hoping to be a standout senior season.
The playmaking defensive end is coming off a season in which led the Vikings defense with 13.5 sacks.
Haniotes’ top off-season priority has been to add good weight to his 6’3″ frame and so far, so good as he’s currently up to 230 lbs.
Coming off that spectacular junior season, it’s no surprise that Haniotes has piqued the interest of D-1 football programs having received interest from Michigan State, Boston College along with serious interest from Villanova, Monmouth, Bowling Green, Georgetown and Temple.
This morning, Haniotes traveled to Pittsburgh in order to take in Pitt’s 3rd spring practice of the season. Receiving an invite to a Power Four programs is a big deal especially for a player that aspires to be a D-1 player one day.
Vikings Sports Now caught up this evening with Haniotes and asked him about his impressions of the day and what stood out.
“Going to Pitt for their spring practice was a really cool experience,” Haniotes told VSN. “It means a lot to be in this position and have the chance to go through the process of playing football at the next level. I’m really grateful for opportunities like this and getting to learn more about different programs and how they run things. Every program does things a little differently, so being able to see practices, meet coaches, and understand how teams operate has been a great experience for me.”
“It’s helped me learn what different schools value and what kind of environments they create for their players. Watching Pitt’s practice and seeing how their defense runs was awesome. The scheme is something I could definitely see myself playing in, and it was easy to picture myself out there. Chris LaSala was also really nice and welcoming to me during the visit, which I really appreciated. Overall, it was a great experience, and Pitt is definitely one that stands out to me.”
