Jerry Kapp has been quite a catch for Kutztown University
Jerry Kapp grew up in a basketball family; he always imagined he’d play that sport in college.
His father, Jerry, was a top player at King’s College and played for the Washington Generals (foils for the Harlem Globetrotters).
Older sister Abby was a two-time all-Patriot League pick at Bucknell who led Boyertown to a PIAA championship in 2017.
Jerry was one of the greatest shooters in Boyertown history — his 221 3-pointers are third-most in Berks history. He was Berks’ leading scorer as a junior, when he averaged 22.5 points (four more than Lonnie Walker IV).
Football got in the way of Kapp’s basketball plans.
He had a breakout senior year with the Bears, intercepting a state-leading (and Berks-record) 11 passes (in 11 games). He was an All-State cornerback and college football coaches took notice.
“I was basketball all the way until my senior year,” said Kapp, now a redshirt sophomore receiver at Kutztown University, preparing for the season-opener Saturday vs. Assumption at 12:05 at Andre Reed Stadium.
“I never really thought I could play football at the next level,” Kapp said, “(then) schools started coming in (to talk). Once these schools expressed interest, I was open to playing. Football gave me an opportunity to play at the next level, and I ran with it.”
Kapp accepted a partial scholarship to play at Seton Hill, outside of Pittsburgh; he broke his foot during training camp, spent the season in a boot or on crutches, and was miserable. He couldn’t wait to get home.
He entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal, visited Kutztown Dec. 7 and committed the next day.
He made a big impact his first season with the Golden Bears, catching 32 passes and helping them reach the second round of the 2019 NCAA Division II playoffs.
He didn’t play in 2020 because the season was scrapped due to COVID but has spent the 22 months since that playoff loss to Notre Dame College positioning himself as a leader on the team and on campus.
Kapp was named president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from every sport, and was selected by his football teammates as one of three captains this season.
“He’s a phenomenal guy,” said Kutztown head coach Jim Clements. “He’s a leader, in the weight room, in the morning workouts, off the field.”
“He’s been a godsend for us,” said Golden Bears receivers coach Steve Heck. “Jerry’s out at practice 40 minutes before we start. He’s one of our best players, so if you’re third on the depth chart, how do you pass him? He’s already out-working you and he’s better than you. The last two semesters he had a 4.0 GPA. I don’t how you beat that.”
Kapp is modest about his physical skills but he gives the Golden Bears an undeniable edge at wide receiver. He’s 6-3 and strong at 200 pounds; there’s not a cornerback in the Pennsylvania Conference who is going to take away a fade or out-jump him on a 50-50 ball.
“We feel he can win a lot of match-ups,” Clements said. “He’s got a long stride, a really good catch radius, really good hands. He may be covered but he’s a guy who can go up and be uncovered; he has that 50-50 ball skill set that’s really good.”
Kapp had an impressive debut season at KU. He didn’t start but was second among wide receivers in receptions and tied among wide receivers with five TD catches — all this with a cast on his hand the first half of the season after breaking a thumb just before the season opener.
“When I got my snaps I tried to make the most of it,” said Kapp, who was part of a deep outside receiver rotation. “(Quarterback) Collin (DiGalbo) trusted me with it, and I trusted myself with it.”
He’s expected to do even more this season. The Bears will have a new quarterback in Eric Nickel but they’re still deep at receiver and Kapp figures to be one of the key targets.
He split his time at Boyertown between wide receiver and quarterback, though his passion has always been to catch the ball.
“I use my measurables to my advantage, and I don’t try to stray from a game that’s not mine,” he said. “A lot of guys on our team are shifty, have side-to-side quickness, and that’s something that I tried to add to my game, but it’s not something I rely heavily on.
“I use my strength, my size, my speed all to my advantage and just try to put myself in an opportunity to get open for my quarterback, and if he goes my way then I try to make the best play that I can on the ball. If he doesn’t, I try to block for my teammates.”
Kapp will do much more than just catch the ball for the Golden Bears. He’ll cover punts and kickoffs and is working to develop long-snapper skills. He was freshman Special Teams Player of the Year in 2019.
“Even when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands he does a lot of good things,” Clements said. “He’s a really good blocker, an intelligent guy, and he’s one of our better special teams players.”
Kapp is thrilled with the way things have worked out at Kutztown.
“When I transferred in, I was a nobody, and every guy on this team welcomed me with open arms,” he said, “they gave me a fair shot. My best friends now are my teammates. I would never trade that for the world.”
