Wagner began his high school career as a tight end but was moved to outside linebacker for two seasons before returning to tight end his senior year. So he had one season of tape there for schools to evaluate.
He was fortunate to be on high school teams with some Power Four-level talent. That included defensive lineman Kellan Wyatt, who transferred from Maryland to Indiana; Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley; and Penn State offensive lineman Jim Fitzgerald. Colleges knew to stop by Archbishop Spalding.
“It was pretty late in my recruiting, senior year, and still weighing options after the season ended,“ Wagner said. “And, luckily, one of the [St. Thomas] coaches came out and introduced himself. I’d never heard of St Thomas before, but I think that was the beauty of it. I wanted a new change, something different, so came out on a visit and absolutely loved it. I mean, just the people in the community here.
“And it’s just a little bit cold, that’s the only thing.”
It was during the recruitment that Tommies coach Glenn Caruso discovered he was pursuing a musician as well as a tight end.
“Absolutely,” Caruso said. “In recruiting. On Zoom. How do you not love that about our players? The guy is one of the better tight ends in the country. And he really is one of our best players.