Senior defensive back Shiloh Means poses with his helmet on Oct. 27.
Credit: Sonali ChandyUnder the Friday night lights in late September, the hours upon hours of film watched and the pages upon pages of painstakingly detailed notes taken all paid off in one moment for fifth year safety Shiloh Means.
As Means watched running back Trey Flowers tumble into the end zone to seal an upset victory for the Quakers in 2022, he relished the moment as the Quakers claimed victory over Dartmouth in a grueling double-overtime battle. It was a magical moment — one that Means still calls the highlight of his Penn football career.
But Means was hungry for more. In 2023, that hunger wasn’t satisfied. This year, in his final season, Means wants the ultimate prize more than ever. And he’s shown that he’s more than willing to put in the work to get it.
“That was my most focused game,” Means explained of why the 2022 Dartmouth thriller still remains his favorite Penn football moment.
That game more than any other exemplifies Means’ inner drive as a player — the laser focus maintained over four quarters and two overtimes of football, the ability to grind through snap after exhausting snap, the hours of seemingly endless preparation required to take down Dartmouth as double-digit underdogs.
That insatiable drive has been present throughout the entirety of Means’ career as a football player, even when he started playing flag football as a five year old.
He played not out of pressure to follow in the footsteps of his Division I defensive lineman father, as many might expect, but out of a deeply held love of the game.
“I loved football, so it wasn’t him pushing me, but if he did push me it was to be the best that I can be,” he said.
That love of football that fueled a young Shiloh Means only grew. As it did, so did his unparalleled work ethic, which comes with an extraordinary ability to put his head down and push through adversity.
When he broke his collarbone during his sophomore year of high school, Means had no complaints coming back to play as a wide receiver after spending the beginning of the season at his more comfortable position of safety. When his coach asked him to return to the starting safety position right before the playoffs, Means seamlessly switched back.
“I got thrown right into the playoffs,” he mused. “I stood up to the challenge, though.”
The next big challenge came at the end of Means’ time in high school, as he faced the greatest crossroads of his football career — one that would determine his future with the sport to which he had devoted so much of his life.
As offers poured in, the question of where Means’ next chapter would unfold loomed over his head.
“At first, I didn’t even consider the Ivy League,” Means said, explaining that it wasn’t a prospect he thought of seriously until his father prompted him to take visits. But on those visits, he found a school he fell in love with.
“I visited Princeton, I visited Yale, I visited Penn, and Penn had the most new feel to me,” he said.
Looking for a change of scenery from his hometown of Indianapolis, Means was drawn by the big-city feel of Philadelphia. For some, moving from Indiana to the bustling City of Brotherly Love would be a tremendous shift, but Means had no problem adjusting. With the big city comes a big spotlight, and there’s no question that Means has a natural ability to fill that spotlight with big plays.
But the future didn’t always seem so bright.
Means was disappointed when his freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he took the setback in stride, explaining that he is now grateful for the extra time it gave him to adjust.
“I look at the freshmen now and how difficult it is to come in during the fall,” Means said. “It was a great opportunity for me to learn the playbook, get my feet wet into college football, the speed of the game — everyone’s bigger, stronger, faster.”
Four years later, each difficult decision faced and each arduous adversity conquered have clearly paid off. Not just in his defensive skills — as Means was named to the All-Ivy first team last season — but in his leadership on and off the field as one of Penn football’s three captains as well.
“He’s the quarterback of this defense,” defensive coordinator Bob Benson said. “He watches hours of film, and he takes the best notes I’ve ever seen in my career. His notebook is remarkably detailed.”
Meticulous notes and lengthy film sessions haven’t made up half the work put in off the field by Means this season, who still seeks the elusive Ivy League title that has dodged him the past three years.
“I’m doing a lot of extra things outside practice, just to make sure that I can step up to the challenge of being a captain and that I’m not getting complacent,” he said.
“Just extra field work,” he said, jokingly adding, “I don’t want to reveal my secrets.”
As the quest for an Ivy League title intensifies, Means will continue to lead in the way he does best, reinforced by the unquenchable drive that has fueled him for so long.
“The only thing we can do now is come here every day and try to persevere, because we haven’t persevered yet. We’ve only gotten close,” he said. “We haven’t come out the other side victorious, and that’s the next step for this team.”
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