Bellefontaine football standout Collin Deitsch signed his letter of intent with Division II Ashland University Friday afternoon.

The wide receiver chose AU after visiting the campus.

He was impressed with the academics along with the coaches and athletic facilities.

Deitsch also considered the University of Toledo.

The lanky receiver was a three-year contributor to the Chieftain attack.

Despite playing through a shoulder injury, Deitsch had 43 catches for 460 yards and 5 touchdowns last fall.

He helped the Chiefs earn a CBC Kenton Trail Division co-championship in '22.

Deitsch was selected Second Team CBC the last two years.

He also played cornerback and safety at BHS.

Deitsch starred in high school track as a high jumper.

He has maintained a 3.75 grade point average at BHS.

Deitsch plans on studying chemistry at Ashland.

He reflected on his signing, “I really liked the family atmosphere at Ashland. The coaches cared for the person more than the player. They also valued academics. My goal is to make the travel squad as a freshman at AU.”

Deitsch said playing college football has been a goal since junior high.

He'll be joined by three former Chiefs in the fall.

Ryan Pool, Ethan Yoder, and Dezmin Lyburtus also play for AU.

Bellefontaine football coach Jason Brown added, “Collin has an amazing catch radius. He makes the easy catches all the time, then makes the tough catches look easy. He's very driven and pushed himself to be a college athlete."

Photos: Deitsch is flanked by his parents Jason and Emily Boy.

Deitsch is joined by his family.

Deitsch is joined by his coaches.

Deitsch is joined by his teammates.