Josh Thomson

jthomson@lohud.com

Four years ago, Anthony DiMarsico had basically given up on football. This weekend, the Suffern High School graduate will wear a Jets uniform.

Thanks to his NFL-ready speed, DiMarsico earned an invitation to Jets minicamp, which begins Friday at the team's facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, and will end Sunday. He will be among many hopefuls trying to stick with the organization through the offseason and beyond.

DiMarsico, who graduated from Suffern in 2010, is undoubtedly among the least likely participants. He redshirted one season at Lackawanna College before dropping football altogether. He then played a season of baseball at Rockland Community College and didn't return to football until enrolling at Division III William Paterson University in 2014.

"When I step back and look where he is now, it’s really amazing," said DiMarsico's father, Anthony. "It reflects the type of person he is. He’s a hard worker."

One of DiMarsico's former Suffern coaches, James Hickey, urged DiMarsico to join him when he became the quarterbacks coach at William Paterson in 2013. Beginning the next season, DiMarsico starred at both wide receiver and quarterback. After just three seasons, he climbed into the program's Top 10 in seven career categories, including receptions, receiving yards and scoring.

DiMarsico was given an opportunity to work out for NFL teams when he was invited to pro days at Fordham University and Wagner College. At Wagner on March 24, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, which would've ranked eighth among all players at this year's NFL Draft combine. In fact, only two wide receivers ran a faster time.

With the NFL's need for speed, DiMarsico might not be such a long shot after all.

"We say it all the time: I can’t believe it. But I also look at it a totally different way," Anthony Sr. said. "I look at it as now, you’re here now, now go beyond this. We’re not going to settle. I tell him, yes, it’s great, but don’t settle."

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