A two-sport athlete, Paul Lang made his mind up awhile ago about which sport he would pursue in college.

Lang, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior at Mt. Lebanon, is a standout football and basketball player. And even though basketball holds a special place in his heart, football is where his skills and talents will mesh the best at the collegiate level.

"I knew pretty early in my career I wanted to play college football," Lang said. "I knew that high school was going to be the end of my competitive basketball career. I tried to get that through to myself pretty early so it wouldn't hit me as hard when it actually does happen."

Lang might have only one season of competitive basketball left to play, but he's got plenty to look forward to on the gridiron. Earlier this summer, Lang committed to Michigan State, where he had a scholarship offer. He was recruited to be a tight end for the Big Ten school.

"I'm so happy about my decision, and I'm really glad I made it as early as I did because now I can focus on my senior season and the rest of high school," Lang said.

Lang chose the Spartans over another scholarship offer from Toledo, and Wisconsin had offered him the opportunity to "grayshirt" (meaning he would not enroll until the spring after he graduated high school). Boston College, Duke and Virginia were also all showing interest.

"Right when summer started, I began traveling, looking at schools, and when I went and saw Michigan State, I liked everything about it," Lang said. "The coaches really stood out to me and made me feel comfortable, and that was another one of the things that made my decision come so quickly and easily."

Lang will be a starter for the third season when he plays tight end and defensive end again for Mt. Lebanon this fall. Those are the same positions he played last season, and as a sophomore, Lang played outside linebacker and H-back.

"He combined size and speed with a good mind for the game," Blue Devils coach Chris Haering said. "He's just a diligent worker who does a lot of the little things that good players do, and he works hard. He pays attention to details, and he has really developed into a good leader for us as well."

Lang is one of three brothers, and late last month he became the third to commit to being a Division I college athlete. Each specialized in a different sport -- oldest brother Eric briefly played basketball for the Air Force Academy, and Ryan attended Furman after being recruited as a left-handed pitcher to the baseball team.

Their father, Mike, played football at Penn State, and their uncle, Mark, was a standout basketball player in high school and at Carnegie Mellon in the late 1960s.

Paul Lang had some interest from some smaller schools for basketball -- Blue Devils basketball coach Joe David said that he received some calls from Ivy League coaches about him. Lang was the second-leading scorer (13.6 points per game) on the Mt. Lebanon basketball team that last season won the WPIAL Class AAAA title and was ranked nationally by several media outlets during the season.

He very well could end up being Mt. Lebanon's go-to guy as a senior in basketball.

"I'm happy for Paul," David said of Lang's commitment to football. "As long as he's happy, I'm happy. He's a great young man, and he's absolutely going to succeed wherever he goes."

It's clear that Lang made quite the positive impression on his high school coaches. Haering joins David in praising Lang's work ethic and in proclaiming he will excel at the next level. Each said Lang was committed to their team and in getting better.

"Paul is really a driven athlete," Haering said. "He goes above and beyond in every way in terms of how he works and with everything we do. He's just a super kid, and I think he'll have success."

Lang has added almost 20 pounds of muscle since last season, and Haering said he has worked to improve his speed, too, in a quest to prepare for Big Ten football.

"He's a good natural athlete," Haering said. "But what sets him apart is that he is a hard-working young man."

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