Pescitelli Signs with SCAD
Prep angler, social media star to headline all-new collegiate fishing program
High school angler and social media butterfly Noah Pescitelli recently signed on to receive an athletic scholarship from Savannah College of Art and Design, making him the school’s first recruit for the new Bees Men’s Fishing Program.
Pescitelli, a senior at Mill Creek High School in Georgia, signed the letter of intent to fish for the renowned art college on the evening of Nov. 2. The team is coached by university alum Isaac Payne.
The 17-year-old recruit is not new to being the first member of an infant team. Pescitelli founded the Mill Creek High School Fishing Team, and throughout his high school years has accumulated an impressive fishing resume. In 2013, Pescitelli was ranked second in a statewide high school fishing league and was one of 10 high school anglers to fish the 2015 Bassmaster High School Classic.
Off the water, Pescitelli has proven his ability to market his passion to fans of the sport through his popular social media platforms, marketed as Kickin Their Bass TV.
With more than 188,000 combined likes, followers and subscribers gained through Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, which he accumulated in about two and a half years, Pescitelli’s social media reach is comparable to that of seasoned bass fishing pros and other industry media. His reach is also appealing to sponsors, including the likes of Ranger Boats, Ridged Industries, Abu Gargia and Under Armour.
“The reason I started it [Kickin Their Bass TV] was there are a lot of fishing channels out there, but I wanted to do something a little bit different, and I wanted to create myself more of a personality,” says Pescitelli. “My main goal of Kickin Their Bass TV is to spread the word of high school and college fishing and to try to get more people into fishing”.
Pescitelli is scheduled to begin competing for the program in fall 2016, and his college study plans include majoring in advertising and minoring in entrepreneurship and marketing.
Pescitelli is still undecided if he wants to pursue being a pro fisherman, but his commitment to the renowned art school is another example of the model and script that is developing for young anglers. That is to fish through high school and college to learn the industry and fine tune skills before deciding to take the road of becoming a pro or seeking other opportunities within or outside the industry.