INTRODUCTION: When he arrived as a first-year in 2018, Damon Yargeau wanted to find a position that would afford him a good chance to play. He wound up leading the team in rushing yardage. The Mechanical Engineering major has made strides in the classroom, too. He is a Teaching Assistant this semester.
 

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How early did you start playing football?
I was in first grade, I'm pretty sure my helmet weighed more than me at the time.
 
What made it attractive?
I grew up watching football with my family and I was drawn to it immediately. When I first told my mother that I wanted to play football she shot it down right away. She tried to put me in other things like soccer and karate but after about a year of begging, she finally let me give it a shot and I fell in love with the game immediately.
 
In addition to football at Sutton Memorial HS in Massachusetts, you also competed in track & field. What were your events?
I mainly focused on sprints, triple jump, and shot put. However, my favorite part of track was the decathlon. The 2-day event was a lot of fun and I was able to train and try new events I never had the opportunity to focus on.
 
When did you start thinking about playing sports in college?
 After about my freshman year of high school, I was asked if I thought about playing at the next level. I can count on one hand how many people from my high school program have gone on to play college football. Then as I got older I started to hear from colleges about the possibility of continuing. As high school started to come to an end I knew that football was something I couldn't walk away from just yet.
 
You were a quarterback, running back, and defensive back in HS. In your first season at Rochester, you led the team in rushing. How much of a challenge was it to transition from high school to college level ball?
It was a huge jump for sure. The speed is faster, the players are bigger, the playbook is thicker and the days are longer. I had experience playing a number of different positions so when I arrived for camp, I looked for the best opportunity to get myself on the field with no set position in mind. Playing in such a competitive division the quality of play was something I had never experienced before. There was a learning curve at first but as the year went on the nerves started to settle and my confidence grew.
 
When you are home, do you work with any youth programs – coaching, counseling, serving as an official or a timer? What do you like about doing that?
I have been able to help coach a charity flag football tournament. My town has never been big into football. Going into high school we had to fundraise just so we could start a program. I like having the opportunity to get the younger generation involved in such an amazing sport that they would have never been exposed to before. I also used to coach youth recreational basketball.
 
What led you to the University of Rochester?
 I had gotten a couple of calls from the coaching staff and once my family and I started to look into the school we were immediately blown away by the academics. However, this was near April and I had to have my decision by May 1st. The next weekend I went up for a visit and was able to meet with the coaching staff and learn more about the program and school. I loved that the coaching staff took a genuine interest in not only making me the best football player I can be but also the best student, and the best man I could be. I didn't honestly think that I would change my mind so late, but It just felt like the perfect opportunity and fit for me. Needless to say, I am very happy with my decision.
 
You are majoring in Mechanical Engineering. What drove your interest to that field?
I had always enjoyed math growing up. However, I wanted to be able to apply that math to real-life problems. Mechanical Engineering is a very broad major and I felt that it was a path that would give me a variety of different related fields to choose from for my professional career.
 
ME majors always have a senior project. When will you begin planning for that project?
I haven't given much thought to what direction I will be going for my project but I am extremely excited for next fall to get started
 
Are you involved in any campus groups tied to your studies? Will you join some in the future?
 I am a Teaching Assistant for an engineering class for the first time this semester, (Solid Mechanics). Pretty excited to get that started.
 
Trying to balance football with engineering studies. When do you have time for yourself?
It's not always easy, but balancing these two with my other responsibilities has taught me how to plan out my work in advance. Time management is just like any other skill, the more you practice the better you get. I think it's very important to mention the amazing friends that I have met here. When things get stressful it's so important to have a great circle of friends to turn to. We know how stressful things can get but we always find ways to hang out and unwind.