Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

(Note: A version of this story also appeared on ESPN.com)

Some players don't want to attend a college that's too close to home, but if Winnacunnet High School quarterback Steve Cronan has his way there's a good chance he'll be playing college football about 20 miles from his front door.

Cronan has drawn interest from a six-pack of Division I schools. That list includes Holy Cross, Brown, Pennsylvania, Central Connecticut State and Marist. Cronan said he's also heard from the University of New Hampshire, which is about a 30-minute ride from Hampton

"Those are pretty much the six D1 schools I've heard from, and UNH is one of my top options," Cronan said. "They're one of the top (FCS) teams in the country. I like their offense. It would be great to play there."

New Hampshire, which competes in the Colonial Athletic Association, has qualified for the FCS playoffs in each of the last six years, and is 5-0 in its last five games against FBS opponents.

Cronan, a 6-foot-2, 202-pound junior, was a Division II All-State selection at quarterback last season, when he passed for 1,343 yards and rushed for another 1,313. His brother, Ryan, was also a quarterback at Winnacunnet, but is now playing linebacker at Marist.

"He loves it there," Cronan said. "He's having a good time. (Marist) coach (Jim) Parady said I can definitely play there. It's definitely an option for me, but I kind of want to take my own separate path. I just want to see how things play out in my senior season."

Cronan said he plans to attend camps at Boston College and Connecticut later this month.

"(Division II) St. Anselm is all over him, but he's definitely a Division I kid," Winnacunnet coach Ron Auffant said. "Right now I'd say schools in the Patriot League and the Colonial (CAA) have shown the most interest. By the end of next season he'll have a lot of options."