KENT, OHIO – Being 6’4” in the sixth grade certainly had to be awkward for Clearfield native, Oliver Billotte. But today, there’s nothing awkward about this 6’5”, 254 pound beast on the Kent State University defensive line. In fact, Billotte is as mainstream as ever.
(Photos courtesy of Kent State University Athletic Communications)
In recent weeks, Billotte has gotten the chance to see himself and even control his player on the new NCAA College Football 25 video game that was relaunched by EA Sports. He even had the chance to visualize himself near his old stomping grounds as the Kent State Golden Flashes were taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions in a video clip that was sent around friends and family. But bigger than video games, Billotte was also one of two representatives from Kent State football selected to attend the Mid-American Conference (MAC) football media day to represent the program. The word is out beyond his roots in central Pennsylvania; Oliver Billotte can play some ball.
The former two-way star for the Clearfield Bison football program was quarterback one (QB1) for almost his entire life prior to college. If he really wanted to, there’s no doubt he could have pursued continuing the position in college. But really what he was and continues to be after, is maximizing his potential as a football player. “I won’t even deny that every day I miss it,” noted Billotte about playing quarterback. “But if I was a quarterback, I’d miss playing defensive line. I truly consider myself a football player first. I’ve always loved the game and I’ve always loved every position that I’ve played. I’m blessed that I got that opportunity to play quarterback because I think it’s made me a much better ballplayer overall to this day.”
Billotte racked up a laundry list of achievements and awards playing football and wrestling for the Clearfield Bison. He graduated as a three-time Mountain Athletic Conference All-Star; scored 34 touchdowns between rushing and throwing as a senior; and recorded 99 tackles, 11 sacks, and nine-and-a-half tackles-for-loss in his senior campaign. He also helped the Bison to four District 9 championships during his high school football career. While football was his favorite sport, he also was a standout in wrestling and finished his career with 107 wins, 66 pins, four trips to regionals, three trips to states, two state medals (eighth in 2020 and fourth in 2022), and a District 9 individual title in 2020. He also was a part of four District 9 team titles in Class AAA. “I can’t even explain how much the town of Clearfield has given me. From athletics to academics to lifestyle to lessons playing for the two programs I did, it has meant everything to me. The amount of friends I’ve made and the amount of lessons I’ve learned from my coaches throughout my career has been unbelievable.”
While Clearfield has certainly proven to have a collection of high-level athletes, it certainly is still a tough place to start in order to reach the pinnacle of athletics. The lack of resources in much of central Pennsylvania is prevalent; especially for the most rural of communities in this part of the state. But despite those odds, Billotte never let naysayers nor the statistical odds he was aware of deter him from reaching the highest level of football he could. While there were a good amount of options on where he could play football, he decided Kent State University provided the best opportunity both on and off the field. The institution has a strong exercise science program and plays in one of the top mid-major conferences in the country in the MAC. “There was just something about Kent State when I got on campus. I attended a camp and no one really knew who I was there, none of the coaches or anything like that. I had a solid performance at the camp. They asked me to stay overnight and things kind of clicked. When I was on campus, it kind of gave me that home type of feeling. And I’ve grown to love the place and the culture. I really want to take this program to the next level.”
The Golden Flashes football program has not played up to their expectations in the two seasons Billotte has been with the program. The team has gone 6-18 overall, including 1-11 in the 2023 season. However, Billotte believes the program is headed in the right direction and is hopeful and optimistic postseason play and a MAC title could be something the program experiences in the near future. “Our motto this year has been ‘putting all our chips in one basket’. It’s something myself and Coach (Kenni) Burns have talked about at length. We are doing everything we possibly can to fine tune every step and detail. We’re putting our heads down and going to work to try to outwork everybody else. There will be times where we may not have the most talented team or the most resources, but we know if we can be the most united team and the hardest working team, we have a shot at this thing. We have big goals and aspirations as a team and I have even bigger goals and aspirations for myself going forward.”
The former Bison standout has played in every game for the Golden Flashes during the last two seasons. Over 24 career college games, he has recorded 41 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, two pass deflections, and a sack. He also started in every game in the 2023 campaign for Kent State and will serve as a defensive captain for the program in the 2024 campaign. “I have so many people to thank, but it all starts with God. The man above has blessed me this entire way. He’s given me two amazing parents (Rob and Abigail) and an amazing sister (Lucy). I couldn’t do what I’m doing without the support of time and money they’ve given me. It’s pretty incredible what they’re willing to do for me and I give all the things in the world to them.”
He continued, “On top of my family and my amazing friend group from back home, my high school coaches were incredible. From Tim Janocko in football to Jeff Aveni in wrestling to Myles Caragein in both sports, they all helped me a tremendous amount. Coach Caragein was my wrestling partner during practices in high school and I have especially grown a great relationship throughout this journey for me, too. I also have to credit my head coach here at Kent State, Kenni Burns. I appreciate his belief in me and the relationship we have built over time.”
In order to get to this stage, it’s taken incredible sacrifice and taking it upon himself to do drills and the little things that others were unwilling to do. Even at 12 and being a standout in baseball, Billotte was thinking and stepped away from what was his best sport at the time because he knew the spring and summer would be critical times for him to improve as a football player.
During these moments of working on his abilities, he found that new gear that ensures he’s pushing himself to the max. It’s sometimes a level that people have a difficult time unlocking, but it’s a level where the best competitors or the top in any industry unlock to be among the top few. Being able to push yourself to the max even when working by yourself or with a small group is the biggest piece of advice Billotte has for younger athletes in the area. “Sometimes you may think you’re giving 100 percent, but often, there’s another gear you can reach to accomplish your goals. Being able to recognize that and digging deep is my biggest advice for younger athletes that I always like to share. You also have to be patient and realize that this is a day-by-day grind and overall process. There will be days where you will want to throw it all away; even if you love your sport with every bone in your body. If you can look at yourself in the mirror every single day and say that was everything I had, then I promise you’ll get places and can reach a level that you may not believe,” he said.
The Kent State Golden Flashes football program will play twice in Pennsylvania during the 2024 campaign. The program kicks off their season on Saturday, August 31 at noon as they travel to face the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. Billotte and company will head to central Pennsylvania for game number four on their schedule as they take on the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, September 21, with a kickoff time to be determined.
