Jonathan Elkins is Big East-bound.
The 18-year-old South Deerfield resident announced his commitment to play collegiate golf at Villanova University this week, a decision he was happy to make before entering his senior year at Taft School in Watertown, Conn. this fall.
Elkins, who has shined on the PGA Junior Golf Association circuit over the past few years, said the decision to attend Villanova came together rather quickly.
“It was kind of a perfect storm where everything just fell into place,” he explained. “It’s a great coach, great program and a great school. They reached out to me, we scheduled a visit last month and it just kind of happened quickly.”
Elkins chose Villanova over fellow Division 1 programs Boston College and Richmond, saying he wants to help build a Wildcats program that has struggled a bit in recent years. Villanova finished eighth out of nine teams at the 2019 Big East Championship in Okatie, S.C. back in April.
“They’ve struggled and I asked their coach about it,” began Elkins. “I love this school, but why is your program struggling? He was dead honest with me. And he told me that I fit their timeline for building toward the end of my collegiate career. I felt it was a program that I could help build instead of being just an additional piece. I feel we can build something great there.”
Elkins earned admission to the Villanova School of Business, an important part of the decision, he said. The school is also upgrading its golf facilities.
“I think they’re taking the right steps,” he said. “They’re building a new indoor facility, improving their schedule. They’re doing a lot of things that interested me but Coach (James) Wilkes, his honesty and appreciation toward me really helped sell me on the school and the program.”
Elkins’ win in the Challenge Cup’s Computer Merchant Cup at Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield, Conn. back in June helped jumpstart his summer on the recruiting trail, but it was his advancement to the 2017 U.S. Open Sectional qualifier that really helped his stock rise.
“(Sectionals) propelled me to a Junior Golf path where I was exempt to play in some big tournaments,” he said. “You can’t really shy away from college programs. If you play well, they’ll find you. When coaches started following me, the summer after my freshman year that’s when I knew I had a chance to play (Division 1) golf.”
Elkins said he followed Villanova on the basketball front in years’ past, but wasn’t all that familiar with the institution before their mutual interest this summer.
“The only thing I knew about Villanova before I visited was they’ve come up big for me in March Madness and it’s in Philadelphia,” he said with a laugh. “Obviously I did some research and on my visit, I fell in love with the look and feel of the campus. I was looking for a school where sports mattered and wasn’t in the middle of nowhere.”
UConn will join the Big East just in time for Elkins’ freshman year in the fall of 2020, giving the conference a relatively local connection. Marquette is the class of the Big East, winning the conference tournament this spring by healthy margin.
“I’m excited,” he said of the expected caliber of play. “It’s great competition year in and year out (in the Big East).”
Elkins attended Bement School and Eaglebrook School before Taft. He’s looking forward to a final year of high school life, with the stress of making a college decision now behind him.
“Having the ability to be at Taft, live at Taft, learn at Taft, it’s been really helpful,” he said. “I’ve matured so much since I’ve been there.”
Earlier this month, Elkins made his second appearance in the Massachusetts Amateur Championship. His busy summer continues next week, when he’s in the field at the Junior PGA Championship at Keney Park Golf Course in Hartford. He said having the decision behind him will hopefully help his play entering the late-summer schedule.
“To be in the spot to not have to play golf to get into college anymore, that takes that weight off my shoulders,” he said. “I think it’s going to be different and hopefully more enjoyable now.”