Star QB Caleb Sanchez picks Columbia University
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José de Jesus Ortiz, Founder & Editor in Chief
- February 7, 2024
St. John Bosco gunslinger will be first Ivy Leaguer in his family
Academics have always been paramount for Caleb Sanchez. The St. John Bosco star quarterback knows football won’t last forever, which is why he picked the Ivy League’s Columbia University as his next school.
He’s proud to be on pace to be the first Ivy Leaguer in his family. Fordham University courted the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder. Northwestern, another of America’s top academic institutions, offered Sanchez a preferred walk-on position.
Ultimately, though, he chose to play football at Columbia with an eye on life after football.
Caleb Sanchez capitalizes on academics
“The Ivy League is no joke,” he said. “I look forward to learning things outside of football as well as playing football, of course. … It was really hard to beat Columbia because of what they offer, what I can do for my family.
“The degree I can get and the opportunities and connections and the networks that Columbia offers are great.”
Sanchez, who has Salvadoran roots from his father and Filipino roots from his mother, has taken care of business on and off the field. He maintained a 4.4 weighted grade point average while waiting patiently for his turn to start at the perennial national power.
After sitting behind two eventual Division I quarterbacks as a sophomore and junior, Sanchez finally claimed the starting nod as a senior. He made the best of it while guiding the Braves.
Sanchez completed 256 of his 362 passes for a 70.7 completion percentage as a senior. He threw for 3,341 yards and 35 touchdowns while playing one of the most difficult schedules in America.
‘Big relief’
Caleb Sanchez also was the Most Valuable Player in the Trinity League, which is arguably the best high school football conference in America.
“For me since I was a kid my dream was to play football and go to school for free,” he said. “It’s huge. It’s a big relief off my back. This is something I’ve looked forward to since I was a kid.”
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Caleb’s parents Armando and Maridel Sanchez set high educational standards for him early. Sanchez has been the epitome of a scholar athlete, posting an A average throughout his entire academic career.
“First, of course, was education. Caleb knows that,” Maridel Sanchez said a few months ago. “That’s why he’s maintained a GPA over 4 since elementary, middle and high school.”
The Our Esquina All-American led the Braves to the Trinity League title and the CIF Southern Section championship game.
Most of the 2023 Our Esquina High School Football All-Americans signed letters of intent during the early signing period in December. Sanchez is one of several who signed letters of intent Wednesday.
More Our Esquina All-Americans sign
Richard Muñoz, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound athlete from Bishop Amat in La Puente, Calif., signed with the Air Force Academy.
Sierra Canyon safety Ruben Gamboa signed with Western New Mexico University. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder is the second safety from his family to sign a letter of intent this school year. His cousin Marquis Gallegos signed with USC during the early signing period in December.
Jonathan Dimas is staying close to home. The Westfield High kicker signed with the University of Houston.
José de Jesus Ortiz
Founder & Editor in Chief
Award-winning writer José de Jesus Ortiz, a former lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has covered Major League Baseball since 1997 in Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, New York and Houston. He was the first Latino to serve as president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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