Published: October 09, 2008 11:58 pm         

Trojans tackle commits to Division I Florida Int.

Florida International University has a brand new stadium and a football program hoping to reach new heights.

That drew Greater Johnstown High School lineman Dave Istanich to the Miami campus last month.

But Istanich, a senior two-way tackle, verbally committed to FIU for another reason. This one has to do with the possibility of Istanich eventually making an impact in the skies above. He plans to major in aeronautical engineering.

“A lot of places don’t even have that major, and that was another reason I chose Florida International,” said Istanich, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound lineman.

Istanich is a leader on a 4-2 Trojans team that will play undefeated Bishop McCort tonight at Point Stadium.

As a defensive tackle, he has 26 solo stops and 41 tackles, a 6.8 per game average. Istanich also has 3.5 sacks. At offensive tackle, he’s helped Johnstown rush for 1,423 yards (237.2 a game) and pass for 517 more.

“He has size, strength, quickness and he’s smart,” Johnstown coach Kevin Marabito said. “He handles everything up front for us. He’s a leader that you want on the field. When you challenge him, he goes out and produces for you. He’s a super kid and he’s always looking to improve.”

Istanich isn’t one-dimensional as a student-athlete.

“He’s one of the top students in his class. He’s great academically,” Marabito said. “The biggest thing we talked about was what was best for his future. Florida International has everything he wants. They had him down for a visit in the middle of September and it seemed like the right fit for him.”

Istanich had attended various camps or clinics at Division I programs such as Pitt, Delaware and Penn State. He received interest from Connecticut, Rutgers, Indiana, Temple and Pitt.

Florida International, with its new stadium and commitment to additional facility and program upgrades, was attractive.

“A lot of people (at colleges) will say they’re getting stuff in a couple years and it never comes through,” Istanich said. “They’re rebuilding and they’re going through the process at Florida International. Everything is going up new.

“I went down there on my official visit and it was real nice,” he added. “The coaches treated me real well. A lot of places I went to, it was more of a business thing. They treated me a lot better down there. The program is rebuilding. It’s nice to say you have a part in helping rebuilding a program.”

Second-year Golden Panthers coach Mario Cristobal’s team is 2-3 with consecutive wins over North Texas and Toledo. FIU’s losses came against No. 14 Kansas, No. 12 South Florida and the Big Ten’s Iowa.

Istanich said playing in the LHAC has helped him prepare for the next level.

“There is a lot of good line competition in the area with (Bishop Carroll’s) Steve Greene and (Bishop McCort’s) Shane Rugg,” he said. “Playing against them made me better. I played against Greene last week. I’ll be playing against Rugg this week.”

He is the son of Gene and Janet Istanich of Riverside.

     

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.