College Bound: Class of 2025

The 189 members of Jesuit High School’s Class of 2025 earned more than $29 million in scholarships, and this summer/fall they are headed to many of the nation’s finest universities, from Florida’s top-rated public institutions to highly selective private schools across the country, prestigious military academies, renowned Catholic schools, and major universities throughout the southeast.

As has been the case for many years, the most popular destinations for Jesuit graduates remain Florida State and the University of Florida. Those two universities produced the most applications, acceptances, and enrollments from Jesuit students.

At FSU, 82 of 129 Jesuit applicants were accepted (63.5%), more than double FSU’s admission rate this year of 25%. Of those 82 accepted, 48 are headed to Tallahassee, including 32 direct-enrolled and another 16 entering via FSU’s Pathways program. Among those matriculating at FSU this fall are Robby Dyer, who was one of Jesuit’s four valedictorians; Fr. Hartnett English Award recipient Jake Taylor; award-winning artist and 4-year Masque standout Diego Garcia; fellow Masque standout and Theatre Arts award winner David Miranda; Altar Server of the Year Noah Choe; peer ministry leader Nicholas Huska; 4-year straight-A student Brian Rodriguez; 4-year basketball team manager L.J. Fishman; and Alex Nocco, who will join Jesuit alumni A.J. Cottrill ’22 and Willy Suarez ’24 on the Seminoles’ football team.

The University of Florida is welcoming 25 Jesuit Tigers from the Class of 2025 to Gainesville this year. All totaled, 48 of 119 UF applicants (40.3%) from Jesuit were accepted, well above the school’s low-20s acceptance rate this year. Among those enrolling at Florida are Jesuit Robotics/Engineering standouts Hendrix Bromberg, Christian Theobald, Kelley Martin, and Daniel Odio, who was also a National Merit Scholar; valedictorian and National Merit Scholar Oscar Olivera; 2024 Anne Frank Award winner Gage Holeman; National Merit Scholar Jake Judson; the recipient of the highest honor Jesuit confers on a graduating senior, the Lashley Award, Colin Shembekar; and Musician of the Year and Zipoli Scholar Jason Thrower.

Two Jesuit students accepted appointments to the U.S. Military Academy. Joseph DeLucia and Draven McCall are continuing the rich annual tradition of Jesuit alumni matriculating at West Point. DeLucia was part of Jesuit’s nationally ranked baseball program, and McCall, who captured three wrestling State Championships, will join Jesuit alumnus Braden Basile ’22 in the West Point wrestling program. In addition, two others are attending military institutions: State Champion wrestler Malachi Ortiz has joined the Virginia Military Institute wrestling program, and Jack Rozance is headed to Georgia Military College.

The University of Notre Dame is a popular annual destination for top Jesuit students, and this year is no exception as five Tigers are enrolling at ND: Elliot Award winner and National Merit Scholar Logan Hardin; Brady Kiser, whose brother Dawson Kiser ’21 was Notre Dame’s student body president in 2024-25; valedictorian Landen Lee; award-winning artist Ben Smith; and Arrupe Award winner and National Merit Scholar Will Stanton.

Notre Dame is one of many highly regarded Catholic institutions where Jesuit students are matriculating. Two Tigers, violinists Sean O’Leary and Daniel Dewey, who was also a 4-year straight-A student, have enrolled at Georgetown, the nation’s top Jesuit university. (Valedictorian and soccer standout Keegan Clamp initially enrolled at Georgetown but has opted for a gap year and will join the soccer program at Bucknell University in 2026, where he will be a student-athlete along with Class of 2025 baseball pitcher Brady Hoar.) National Merit Scholar Ryan Rooth and Gus Louk are matriculating at Benedictine College in Kansas, that region’s top Catholic institution.

Two talented Tigers are headed to highly selective schools in Chicago. Pitcher and National Merit Commended Student Nick Deakin signed with the University of Chicago baseball program and joins football player Houston Weathers ’23 as a UC student-athlete. Award-winning artist Peter Serdiuk, voted Most Talented in the Class of 2025 by his classmates, will matriculate at the renowned School of the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the nation's top visual arts colleges.

Numerous Tigers are enrolling at leading schools in the southeast, including many at premier universities in the ACC and SEC conferences. In the ACC, in addition to the huge contingent headed to Florida State, are two who will be attending one of the nation’s elite engineering schools, Georgia Tech: National Merit Scholar and 4-year straight-A student Ethan Wall, and OIiver Hund, another 4-year straight-A student and the top senior in Class Achievement in 2024-25. Others attending ACC schools include Landon Cannaday at Wake Forest, William Poyner at the University of Miami, and baseball standout Vincent DeCarlo, who signed to play at North Carolina State.

In addition to the 25 who are attending Florida, many more Tigers are enrolling at SEC schools. A total of 12 are headed to the two SEC schools in Alabama. Seven, including Eagle Scout Jacob Sakre and tennis Heart of the Tiger recipient Davis Wash, are bound for Auburn, and another five, including Ignatius Scholar and Engineering standout Camden Haywood, are headed to the University of Alabama.

The University of Tennessee provides to a Jesuit student annually perhaps the most valuable of the more than $29 million in scholarships earned by the Class of 2025, the Schellman Scholarship to UT's Haslam Business School. Brendan O’Connor, who graduated Summa Cum Laude, was this year’s recipient of the extraordinary, comprehensive four-year full ride plus benefits. Also headed to Tennessee are Cannon Cool and Colton Langbehn, who earned the Volunteer Scholarship to UT. Other SEC-bound Tigers include guitar virtuoso Jake Garcia (South Carolina), Jesuit Summer Bridge alum Carter Gore (Kentucky), and Bronson Carter (Missouri).

Every year, more than two dozen Jesuit seniors sign to play college athletics. In addition to the aforementioned baseball players Deakin (Univ. of Chicago), DeCarlo (N.C. State), and Hoar (Bucknell), wrestlers McCall (Army West Point) and Ortiz (VMI), soccer player Clamp (Bucknell), and football player Nocco (FSU), this year’s signees include: Aiden Eriksen (lacrosse – Providence College), S.J. Green (football – North Dakota State), 4-year straight-A student Keane Hyer (baseball - Richmond), Gavan Award recipient Dutch Iavarone (soccer – Loyola Maryland), O’Connell Award recipient Trent Teeling (football – Seton Hill), Ryan Thompson (baseball - Florida Gulf Coast), Class of 2025 “Best Athlete” winner Justin Thurman (football - Kansas), and Minahan Award recipient Tucker Witte (football - The Citadel).

Many Tigers are staying in-state at top schools in addition to FSU, UF, and Miami. Among them are National Merit Scholar Garrett Boyes, Faculty Memorial Growth Award recipient Ryan Burriesci, and Eagle Scout Chris Keating, who are among seven enrolling at Central Florida, and Engineering standout and Eagle Scout Nicolas Bush, who is attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical. Many more are opting to remain in the Tampa Bay area at local institutions, including nine at the University of South Florida and five at the University of Tampa. Other in-state schools where Tigers are matriculating include Florida Polytechnic, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Florida A&M, Florida Southern, and Jacksonville University.

UTampa is among the highly selective private institutions around the country chosen by members of the Class of 2025 for their next four years of education, including track/cross country standout Brody Thurston at Emory University, Benjamin Withers at Tulane University, St. Peter Claver Service Award winner Alexander Finch at Northeastern University, and Carlos Lamoutte, an accomplished musician, philanthropist, and founder of the renowned Jesuit Trio, is heading to music mecca Nashville and Lipscomb University.

These are just a fraction of the college destinations for the Class of 2025. The event program from graduation has much more information about all of the amazing Jesuit graduates, including scholarships earned and honors received. Click here to view the program.

Jesuit’s newest alumni are pursuing the best college fit for their unique talents, goals, and callings. From major state universities to Catholic colleges, military academies, and top-tier national institutions, the Class of 2025 is poised to make a profound impact as Jesuit Men for Others.

Congratulations to the 189 graduates of Jesuit High School's Class of 2025 as they “Go forth and set the world on fire.”

Pictured on the homepage and in the top photo below are L-R Robby Dyer (FSU), Logan Hardin (Notre Dame), Nick Deakin (Chicago), Joseph DeLucia (Army West Point), and Cooper Vattamattam (UF).