The road to playing college football has not been an easy one for former New York Player of the Year Quendel Ellison.

The former Auburn running back had to deal with naysayers in high school that told him that he wasn't good enough to play Division I ball.

Then, once he got the chance, he had to accept that his SAT scores just didn't make the cut to play at the nation's highest collegiate level.

This summer, however, all the pieces fell into place.

After ruling out Wagner and UMass, Ellison will suit up for Albany this fall and play for one of the top teams in the Northeast Conference.

“When I got out of high school I didn't know what was going to happen because things weren't working out because of SAT scores,” he said. “I didn't think I was going to be here, so now I'm just glad to be here.”

Albany is in the FCS, previously known as Division I-AA. The Great Danes have a powerful program coached by Bob Ford, who has over 220 wins under his belt.

Auburn coach Dave Moskov, along with brothers Matt and John, each played under the 35-year veteran.

“They really were interested in Quendel from the beginning,” Moskov said.

“To go to a school of that caliber and to be able to play for a team in that conference - they're always one of the top teams.

“I think for him it's a tremendous opportunity. It's a great city, great school and a great program. He really gets the triple thumbs up.”

It's no surprise that the Great Danes have had their eye on Ellison, who led the Maroons to a Class AA state championship in 2006.

He rushed for 2,111 yards and 24 touchdowns that season, and ended up with a whopping 4,427 yards rushing and 45 touchdowns in his career.

After high school, Ellison had more success at his prep school, Trinity-Pawling.

He led the team to a NEPSAC Class A Eton Estey Bowl win, scoring five touchdowns in three quarters. Ellison added another 1,369 yards and 23 touchdowns to his resume. Though he is on a roll, Ellison will have to wait a little longer to prove himself to Ford and the rest of Albany's staff. The Great Danes have no shortage of capable backs, so he will be red-shirted this year and spend the majority of his time conditioning and learning the playbook.

“I'm just trying to watch these guys and get a feel for the speed of the game,” he said.

He does have lofty goals for his future when he finally gets his shot.

“The first day we met up with our coach - it was only the freshmen here, and he asked us our goals,” Ellison said. “I told him I wanted to be the best running back to come out of the university.

“I know it's a lot of pressure because they have a good football program, but I'm just going to stay humble and work hard and see where that takes me.”

Moskov is optimistic.

“I've talked to the coaches and I know they're very excited about him in terms of having him there,” he said. “If he pans out the way they think he will, he could be a great ball player for Albany.”