Marcus Lenhardt had no idea where football would take him when he started playing in the fourth grade.

His dedication to the sport paid off Monday when he signed a letter of intent during a morning ceremony at Eagle High.

The College of Idaho reinstated football last summer after disbanding the sport in 1977. New coach Mike Moroski and his NAIA program begin play in the Frontier Conference in the fall of 2014.

"I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play for a new football program," Lenhardt said. "And I would have never thought that I would be the first one. It's really exciting for me and I couldn't pass up on the opportunity."

Lenhardt also had offers from Carroll College, Montana Tech and Western Oregon, he said.

"I never thought I would end up playing college football," said Lenhardt, who has a 3.6 GPA and plans to major in business. "That became more of a reality my senior year. I started getting talked to, but for the longest time I've always dreamt of playing college football and worked for it, but I never really thought it would have happened."

Lenhardt, who also plays varsity basketball at Eagle, comes from an athletic family. His dad played college basketball at Oregon Tech, his mom played softball and basketball in high school and his sister, Lauren, is a senior on the Boise State women's basketball team.

"Marcus is an excellent receiver but he is also a very physical blocker," Eagle football coach Paul Peterson said. "He has a unique set of skills that allow a lot of flexibility to an offense."

Said Lenhardt: "I plan on doing the best I can with whatever I am told to do. ... I know in a couple years when we actually start playing games, hopefully I can help the team win and be successful."

Rachel Roberts: 377-6422,Twitter: @IDS_VarsityX