BRADENTON, Fla. — Lakewood Ranch rising senior Dalin Koscielski is known for his versatility.

What You Need To Know

  • Lakewood Ranch senior Dalin Koscielski is looking to build on his breakout season

  • Koscielski is a versatile athlete, playing on offense and defense for the Mustangs

  • Head Coach Scott Paravicin expects him to be a crucial playmaker in the upcoming season

That's something football head coach Scott Paravicini noticed right away.

“Big play guy, one thing that I really like as a defensive coordinator when he’s at corner. He’s physical, he’s not afraid of contact, he can transition to all over the field,” Paravicini said.

“He can play free safety, he can come down and play our overhangs, and on the offensive side of the ball he can use his explosiveness once he catches the ball, I’m looking for him to be a part of our success of offense and on defense.”

Paravicini plans to move him all over the field this fall, utilizing him as a defensive back and wide receiver.

“I just expect him to be name that’s talked about a lot coming out of the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs,” Paravicini said.

Koscielski is coming off a breakout season with the Mustangs and has big goals for the fall season ahead.

“I want to get a couple touchdowns because I’ll be playing offense this year, on defense, I want to break 25 tackles, I want to get 30, I had five picks last season and I want to get anywhere above five,” Koscielski said.

His skillset on the field is impressive, but he’s also grown in his leadership. Quarterback Sebastian Mejia says he brings a sense of balance to the team. 

“He’s pretty funny, he’s always joking, but then when it’s time to be serious, he’s serious. He’s a funny person to be around,” Mejia said.

Coach Paravicini says when it comes to work ethic, Koscielski sets the standard. 

“Dalin is going to be one of our guys this year, he’s the first one to show up, he comes every day, he puts his work in,” Paravicini said. “He’s a natural leader, he really doesn’t have to go out of his way to lead, he just does things the right way. And our team kind of rallies around him, and the way he holds himself and the way that he conducts the things that he does.”

Koscielski’a goal is to play college football and his coach says the sky is the limit.

“If he continues to work the way he’s been working, I would say he’s one of the hardest working guys in our room, and that says a lot because one thing here we do have is some hard working guys. And Dalin is right there at the top of them.”