Here's why versatile Decatur Central standout Aycen Stevens picked Virginia Tech football

Sometimes, it pays to have an older brother to lean on for advice.

Decatur Central linebacker Aycen Stevens committed to Virginia Tech this week. Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry was the defensive coordinator at Penn State when Stevens’ older brother, Tommy, played for the Nittany Lions.

“Most of that staff was at Penn State with Tommy,” Aycen said. “And coach (Chris) Marve, the linebackers’ coach, was at Mississippi State with Tommy the one year he was there. So we have quite a few connections there. That’s one of the reasons I chose (Virginia Tech).”

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Stevens’ brother, Tommy, was a quarterback at Decatur Central before going on to Penn State and Mississippi State. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints and saw action for the Carolina Panthers that season. He’s now with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

“I definitely used Tommy’s advice,” Aycen said of the recruiting process. “He told me how the coaches are. He told me his perspective of (the Virginia Tech coaches) and that was basically my perspective of them, too. There’s no BS there.”

The 6-4, 230-pound Stevens picked the Hokies over Purdue, Iowa State and Nebraska. Stevens, rated a three-star prospect and the No. 9 in-state commit on the 247Sports composite, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Week 6 last season against Mooresville. He was officially cleared for full-go about four weeks ago.

“I’m feeling good on it,” he said. “I’m running, cutting and getting more comfortable. The first couple days were a little different because I wasn’t used to it yet. But I’m used to it now and hopefully in July I can start doing more contact stuff. There’s no point rushing back since we’re still about two months from the start of the season.”

Aycen has also played quarterback at Decatur Central and figures to see some time there again this season, though the Hawks do have a freshman, Bo Polston, who could be ready to step into that role. In his injury-shortened season last year, Stevens passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 299 yards and four TDs. On defense, he had 35 tackles, including eight behind the line of scrimmage.

Stevens said Virginia Tech sees him fitting in at weakside linebacker, though he could potentially move to defensive end depending on his growth. He is ranked as the No. 50 linebacker in the country on the 247Sports composite.

“They said they would give me a shot a linebacker first since that’s kind of what I’m natural at,” Stevens said. “But they did bring up the possibility of maybe playing defensive end.”

In high school, though, Stevens said he hopes to continue to play on both sides of the ball.

“I love playing quarterback,” he said. “I like making plays and having the ball in my hands and scoring touchdowns. I know my future is on the defensive side of the ball and maybe a package at tight end or something. We were always told by our dad that the more positions you can play, the easier it is to get on the field.”

No matter where he is lined up, Stevens said he is hungry to get back on the field this season.

“All kinds of hunger,” he said. “Part of me kind of wants to get back on some people. Right when it first happened, I was upset because we had a really good team last year. We had a state-caliber team. I feel like would have beat Cathedral if me and my buddy Cam (Renick), our other starting linebacker who tore his ACL, had been playing. I feel like we could have won a state championship. You can’t live in the past, but I think we’re both going to come back hungrier.”

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at 317-444-6649.