Next Step For DelVal's Wilmer Takes Him North

By Matt Leon

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Aaron Wilmer spent the past four seasons putting together a phenomenal college football career as the starting quarterback for the Division III Delaware Valley University Aggies.

The success he had in Doylestown opened the eyes of pro scouts and recently the George Washington High product signed a deal with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League.

"It's a real gratifying moment that I'm finally making my dreams come true," Wilmer tells KYW Newsradio, "and this is just the first step along that process. So I'm looking forward to going up there and competing."

Listen: Aaron Wilmer with KYW's Matt Leon

The Aggies went 34-9 with Wilmer triggering the offense during his four years on campus and he finished his career as just the 26th player in college football history, at any level, to pass for 10,000 yards (10,157) and rush for 1,000 yards (1,638). His ability to throw and run the ball at a high level will serve him very well in the CFL where the field is bigger and possessions are based on three downs instead of the four we are used to here in the states.

"The one thing I'm going to have to work on in the CFL game is throwing those comeback routes on the bigger field because it's much further," Wilmer says. "But I think me going in there right now, I think I can compete with anybody in terms of learning an offense and going out there and competing, knowing what to do on first, second down. Obviously, in the CFL it's only three downs so it's a little bit different. But I'm just going to go out there and compete, play my game and I'm pretty sure the coaches will notice and I'm just happy to be with the BC Lions and I couldn't be with a better organization."

Wilmer is not the only Aggie getting a shot at pro football. Wide receiver Rasheed Bailey signed on as a rookie free agent with the Eagles soon after the draft. That's pretty impressive for a Division III program, even one that has been as successful as DelVal has been in recent years, to have not one, but two players getting a shot at the pros. Wilmer talks about whether he has given a lot of thought to the stamp he and Bailey put on DelVal football.

"I think me and Rasheed, we're so busy with the pro game right now that we haven't really had a chance to sit back and look back at what we did," Wilmer says. "But I'm sure that the coaches and the fans and other people like that, they sure recognize the success that, not only me and Rasheed had, but the whole DelVal team. So we're just a product of what we did at DelVal. Me and Rasheed, you can ask him too, we're thankful and happy that we started off at DelVal and we're at the places where we're at right now because of DelVal."

Wilmer will begin training camp with the Lions later this month.

You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.