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A tall man with slicked back black hair and diamond earrings approached Alan Bowman after his first day of practice. It was 2021, and Bowman was preparing for his first season as a quarterback at Michigan after transferring from Texas Tech. All nine rostered quarterbacks were throwing, and it was hard to miss Dan Villari’s “Italian-esque physique” and friendly nature. 

After redshirting his freshman year, Villari was trying to climb an 11-man quarterback room, helmed by J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara.

Villari and Bowman grew close while battling for the third-string job. The two received limited playing time, each appearing in less than five games. Because the room was so deep, Michigan head coach John Harbaugh allowed quarterbacks to be hit, which most programs outlawed during practice.

Later that season during a scrimmage, Villari led his team to the 20-yard line. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore called a read option that Villari pulled in, setting up a one-on-one with a safety downfield. Villari hurdled the safety and took off for the end zone. Bowman said the sideline went “nuts.” From then on, Villari was always eligible to be hit.

“Dan is a football junkie,” Bowman said. “Dan was always running through people’s faces. He was looking for contact.”

Despite being a three-star dual-threat quarterback out of Plainedge (N.Y.) High School who won a Class III State Championship in 2019, Villari couldn’t break through the depth chart. Syracuse provided an opportunity to break through as a starting quarterback and allowed him to move closer to his family just outside of Long Island. But after another year buried on the depth chart, he switched positions, first as a wide receiver and now as a tight end.

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Plainedge head coach Robert Shaver knew Villari could be a Power Five-level player when he was in 10th grade. Over the last 30 years, Shaver’s told parents that if their child can be picked out among a group of other players, they have the framework to be a high-level athlete. Villari easily stood out after a growth spurt between ninth and 10th grade that filled out his frame by nearly 50 pounds. He was a three-sport athlete, starting for Plainedge’s lacrosse and basketball teams.

In 10th grade, Villari backed up an All-state quarterback. There, Villari first found himself buried on a quarterback depth chart. Shaver said Villari came in on short yardage run plays as someone who could power through the line of scrimmage. He didn’t play quarterback until freshman year, switching from running back when quarterback Dion Kuinlan was pulled up to varsity. There was a void, and a chance for Villari to play consistently.

Once opponents saw Villari’s film from the wildcat, Shaver worked in a few passing plays for him. While playing behind a pass-heavy starter his sophomore year, Villari began showcasing his dual-threat ability.

“One of the best things he could do is when we had passing concepts that were vertical and they weren’t open right away, he could take off,” Shaver said. “If he got in the open field it was over.”

But he was still competing with the All-State quarterback and Kuinlan. Villari knew he wanted to play at the Power Five level and began training himself to reach that level. He started taking a “holistic” approach to his health so he could recover faster. Plainedge had ice baths and a sauna that Villari frequently used. 

Villari started acupuncture and saw a chiropractor to loosen his muscles and become more flexible on the field. He tried red light therapy and stayed away from preservatives. “Whatever’s on the Joe Rogan show,” Shaver said Villari tried.  

He won the starting job, using his scrambling ability to extend plays. Villari led Plainedge to a 12-0 start and the Long Island Championship. Plainedge lost 34-6, but Villari exited early after breaking the growth plate in his arm. Shaver said if Villari got to finish, the Red Devils would have won. 

.@Dan2Villari :triumph::triumph:

The TE eludes several defenders for his first career touchdown!

:movie_camera: @CuseFootball | @ABCNetwork

pic.twitter.com/42zkiQm5a5

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 30, 2023

Villari impressed in a camp at Syracuse before his senior season, causing recruiters to flock to him. First came Buffalo, but it offered four other quarterbacks and told Villari he’d need to accept in a matter of days. Fordham was also interested. Shaver advised its staff to get Villari now because “he’s a big time football player.” Then, Massachusetts came down and offered him after watching three warm-up plays.

“If Dan lived down in North Georgia, he would have (had a Power Five offer) right away,” Shaver said.

In 2019, Shaver was accused of running up the score on South Shore, getting suspended for the final regular season game. The story gained national attention, drawing schools like Michigan in. The Wolverines were one of the teams that saw film of the 61-13 win. They liked what they saw out of Villari.

Within a matter of weeks, Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh was in the Plainedge High School gym watching Villari throw. Harbaugh offered Villari right away, and he accepted a few days later.

Villari was in the Power Five, but it didn’t work out. He redshirted in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, and hardly saw the field in 2021. Still, he continued his workout routines with Bowman. The pair did yoga to stretch out their hips, relaxed their leg muscles with a vibrating pad and frequently used a rumble roll. 

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Villari and Bowman always roomed together before games. The pair would stay up talking until 2 or 3 a.m. about their futures. Villari contested he could be the starting quarterback at Michigan. Bowman said Villari was content with the Wolverines, but told him that transferring would allow him to showcase his skills.

“You can’t look like that and not play college football,” Bowman said.

It was hard for Villari, but he finally entered the transfer portal and found the Orange offering him the best chance to play at the Power Five level. But yet again, Villari wasn’t a starter. Garrett Shrader had the starting job locked up, while Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Justin Lamson cemented themselves as the backups.

Villari said in October that he wasn’t meshing well with offensive coordinator Jason Beck’s offense. Beck approached Villari a week before the 2022 season and asked if he wanted to move to a wide receiver-tight end role. They wanted to get Villari on the field, and despite struggling at first on the scout team, he gradually carved out a role for himself. 

When Oronde Gadsden II suffered a season-ending injury against Western Michigan, a role opened up — the starting role Villari had been searching for for three years.

“What’s happening right now is what we talked about in those hotel rooms two years ago, him playing, him scoring touchdowns, him playing at a high level,” Bowman said.

Published on October 19, 2023 at 12:47 am

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt