PRIOR TO TUFTS: Attended Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore, Maryland, where he competed in football and track & field for the Gaels...A senior co-captain of the football team and a three-year captain of the track & field program, he excelled as a wide receiver and defensive back while also competing in the 400 meters and hurdles...He earned All-MIAA honors in track & field during his junior and senior seasons and was named All-NEPSAC as a postgraduate athlete...On the football field, he finished his career with 32 receptions for 634 yards, 857 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns while recording 43 tackles and one interception...He helped lead Mount St. Joseph to MIAA Indoor and Outdoor Track regular season championships in 2025...In the classroom, he was recognized as a NFF Scholar Athlete, earned a Business Scholastic Certificate and received the Suffield Academy Henry Thevenin '10 Award.

PERSONAL: Parents Cynthia Erich and Jason Pappas...has one sibling, Eric...dad Jason played football for the 1989 Ivy League champion Yale Bulldogs...chose "Tufts for a variety of reasons. When I first got my offer, Coach Civetti talked to me for almost an hour before offering me to find out more about myself which I really appreciated. Its proximity to Boston and its elite academics were also a major factor for me. I also was given the opportunity to both play Football and run Track which played a major role as well."