When Mark Conroy thinks about one of his star football players, two words spring to mind: reliability and unselfishness.

George “Curt” McLeod ’15 never missed a practice. He never missed a game. When his Williston Northampton team needed an offensive guard and tackle, he switched from his position as tight end.

Curt McLeod could be counted on—in the classroom, on the field, and in the community.

No wonder, then, that Cornell University also selected Mr. Mcleod to be among their “best and brightest.” On Monday, Mr. McLeod committed to the Big Red during a special ceremony in the Reed Campus Center.

Coach Conroy, who was on hand for the ceremony, said that Mr. McLeod’s was “an excellent two-way player,” whose dependability make him that much more valuable.

“His ‘team first’ attitude was a huge part of our success,” wrote Coach Conroy in an email. “He also was one of the most unselfish players I have coached.”

During the ceremony, Mr. McLeod was cheered on by his football teammates, many of whom have made similar commitments for next year: Marshall Rizzuto signed a National Letter of Intent with Edinboro University on Tuesday, while Alex Ganter committed to the University of Rhode Island and John Kay to the University of Maine in March.

For Mr. McLeod, Cornell was always a dream school.

“I visited the campus over the summer and thought it was the perfect place,” he wrote in an email. “I’m the only recruit from Massachusetts so I’m excited to see some players from outside of Mass.”

The Big Red are a Division 1 team with a 1-9 (1-6 Ivy) record. Mr. Mcleod said he found the coach, David Archer, the nation’s youngest D1 head football coach, to be “an extremely relatable guy” and that he was excited to return to the tight end position.

As for Williston, he said he would particularly miss the football coaches, who felt like family—particularly Brian Crockett, in whose memory the fall season was dedicated.

“When I met him he kind of told me that I can go anywhere I want,” Mr. Mcleod said of Mr. Crockett. “I never really believed in myself until he kinda made me…and now I’m going to the school of my dreams.”