Bobcat Academic Story: John D'Agostino
10/10/2018 5:18:00 PM | Football, Student Services, Student-Athletes
Redshirt senior wide receiver John D’Agostino has been through it all during his time at Montana State. Starting off as a walk on, to earning a scholarship and being named a starter, the journey has been hectic and won’t stop at the end of the season
Redshirt senior wide receiver John D'Agostino has been through it all during his time at Montana State. Starting off as a walk on, to earning a scholarship and being named a starter, the journey has been hectic and won't stop at the end of the season.
D'Agostino grew up in Bozeman and was part of Bobcat-centric family. His father, Mark D'Agostino, was a standout football player at Montana State. Mark and his family decided to stay in the Bozeman area and John was able to grow up and attend Bobcat games. He always envisioned himself putting on the blue and gold.
"As a kid I went to all of the (MSU) games," said D'Agostino. "Going to MSU has always been a dream of mine, so it's been a dream come true."
D'Agostino went Bozeman High School where he started to get a sense of what his aspirations were. He came into MSU as a decorated high school athlete that needed to carve out his place in college. He knew he wanted to study business, but was unsure of which specific field. He also knew he wanted to play in big time moments on the football field, but would have to start off on the scout team.
After taking business classes his freshman year, D'Agostino started to narrow down what he wanted to study. His dad studied accounting at MSU and was pushing John to follow in his footsteps. After getting a 3.5 GPA his freshman year, D'Agostino decided to pursue that same path.
As a freshman, D'Agostino redshirted and most of his work competitively came on the practice field preparing the defense. D'Agostino was awarded MSU's top offensive scout team player for the year. It was a a testament to him coming into college ready to work.
D'Agostino spent the next two years working his way into the offensive rotation as a slot receiver. Going into his redshirt sophomore season, the team met at MSU President Waded Cruzado's home for a special team dinner. D'Agostino looking forward to the season, was in for quite the preseason surprise.
Cruzado presented the receiver with a student-athlete scholarship, rewarding him for his hard work in the classroom and on the football field.
"I didn't know (the scholarship) was coming," said D'Agostino. "It was a surprise to me, it was just a really special moment."
During his first year starting for the Bobcats in 2016, D'Agostino got off to a hot start. He was one of the team leaders with 19 catches through six games. His season came to an end after those six games, getting ruled out for the rest of the 2016 and 2017 seasons due to injury.
While he was off the field, D'Agostino needed to find an outlet to get his mind off of football. That outlet for the Bozeman native became his ability to excel in the classroom. Having more time on his hands and his major figured out, D'Agostino buckled down with academics.
"I definitely tried to focus up on the academics (after the injury)," said D'Agostino. "I didn't have to spend as much time with football, so that helped academically, for sure."
In line to graduate this spring with a GPA above 3.5, the senior is starting to think about his post-graduate degree plans. Without much accounting job experience or a specific idea on what to do with his accounting degree, D'Agostino is deciding to look into other options.
Graduate school is not for everyone. The student has to love his or her field, working hard and most importantly, learning. D'Agostino plans on furthering his education in accounting next fall.
"I'm planning on doing graduate school here," said D'Agostino. "They have a program here I'll be sticking around for."
The Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers the opportunity for students to pursue a master's degree in accounting, among other business options. D'Agostino plans on attending the JJCBE at MSU to work on his CPA and master's degree.
Looking back on his undergraduate career in academics and athletics, his main advice on going through hard times and still excelling in what you can control is to keep working.
"Keep your head down and work," said D'Agostino. "You can accomplish a lot of things just by putting your head down. Adversity's going to hit you, but if you keep your head down, you'll make it through."
D'Agostino grew up in Bozeman and was part of Bobcat-centric family. His father, Mark D'Agostino, was a standout football player at Montana State. Mark and his family decided to stay in the Bozeman area and John was able to grow up and attend Bobcat games. He always envisioned himself putting on the blue and gold.
"As a kid I went to all of the (MSU) games," said D'Agostino. "Going to MSU has always been a dream of mine, so it's been a dream come true."
D'Agostino went Bozeman High School where he started to get a sense of what his aspirations were. He came into MSU as a decorated high school athlete that needed to carve out his place in college. He knew he wanted to study business, but was unsure of which specific field. He also knew he wanted to play in big time moments on the football field, but would have to start off on the scout team.
After taking business classes his freshman year, D'Agostino started to narrow down what he wanted to study. His dad studied accounting at MSU and was pushing John to follow in his footsteps. After getting a 3.5 GPA his freshman year, D'Agostino decided to pursue that same path.
As a freshman, D'Agostino redshirted and most of his work competitively came on the practice field preparing the defense. D'Agostino was awarded MSU's top offensive scout team player for the year. It was a a testament to him coming into college ready to work.
D'Agostino spent the next two years working his way into the offensive rotation as a slot receiver. Going into his redshirt sophomore season, the team met at MSU President Waded Cruzado's home for a special team dinner. D'Agostino looking forward to the season, was in for quite the preseason surprise.
Cruzado presented the receiver with a student-athlete scholarship, rewarding him for his hard work in the classroom and on the football field.
"I didn't know (the scholarship) was coming," said D'Agostino. "It was a surprise to me, it was just a really special moment."
During his first year starting for the Bobcats in 2016, D'Agostino got off to a hot start. He was one of the team leaders with 19 catches through six games. His season came to an end after those six games, getting ruled out for the rest of the 2016 and 2017 seasons due to injury.
While he was off the field, D'Agostino needed to find an outlet to get his mind off of football. That outlet for the Bozeman native became his ability to excel in the classroom. Having more time on his hands and his major figured out, D'Agostino buckled down with academics.
"I definitely tried to focus up on the academics (after the injury)," said D'Agostino. "I didn't have to spend as much time with football, so that helped academically, for sure."
In line to graduate this spring with a GPA above 3.5, the senior is starting to think about his post-graduate degree plans. Without much accounting job experience or a specific idea on what to do with his accounting degree, D'Agostino is deciding to look into other options.
Graduate school is not for everyone. The student has to love his or her field, working hard and most importantly, learning. D'Agostino plans on furthering his education in accounting next fall.
"I'm planning on doing graduate school here," said D'Agostino. "They have a program here I'll be sticking around for."
The Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers the opportunity for students to pursue a master's degree in accounting, among other business options. D'Agostino plans on attending the JJCBE at MSU to work on his CPA and master's degree.
Looking back on his undergraduate career in academics and athletics, his main advice on going through hard times and still excelling in what you can control is to keep working.
"Keep your head down and work," said D'Agostino. "You can accomplish a lot of things just by putting your head down. Adversity's going to hit you, but if you keep your head down, you'll make it through."
Players Mentioned
WR
/ FootballWBB - Montana State vs Portland - Behind the Mic
Friday, March 27
Spring Football Preview Press Conference
Friday, March 13
WBB - #2 Montana State vs #1 Idaho - Behind the Mic
Thursday, March 12
2026 Rodeo Teaser
Thursday, March 12
