Deciding to trade in his football cleats for a pair of baseball spikes, junior quarterback Keith Allan announced Tuesday that he is leaving the Georgetown football team in hopes of walking onto the university’s baseball squad.

“[It is] true that I am no longer playing football,” Allan said. “I have instead decided to try and walk on to the baseball team, which has always been my passion and I personally feel [it] is my greatest sport.”

In the preseason, Allan lost the starting quarterback position to fellow junior Nick Cangelosi. In the first two games this year, Allan did not see any action for the Hoyas.

While on the Georgetown football team Allan saw time at both quarterback and punter. In 2003, Allan was a punter for the Hoyas, taking 45 kicks with an average distance of 34.2 yards on the season.

Last year, Allan was the preseason favorite for starting quarterback, but injuries sidelined him for the season opener against St. Francis. He took over at quarterback in the second game and was the starter for four contests, but poor offensive production prompted the team to switch quarterbacks mid-season, and Drew Crawford (SFS ’05) took over as starter for the final six games of 2004.

In total, Allan saw action at quarterback in eight matches last year. He had 21 completions on 59 passing attempts for 187 yards, with seven interceptions and no touchdown passes.

In high school, Allan was an all-state, all-area, all-conference and all-county athlete in both football and baseball. He played three years of varsity in each sport.

The decision to leave the football program was a long and difficult one, according to Allan. After talking to Associate Head Coach John Perry, who works with the quarterbacks, about his role on the team – which, according to Allan, was said to be minimal as a backup quarterback – Allan said he “felt that it was time for [him] to go and pursue another dream that [he has].”

Allan said that he had talked to many of his teammates before making his decision, and he added that they were “all very supportive and encouraging.”

Football Head Coach Bob Benson declined comment.

Allan said that he has spoken to baseball Head Coach Pete Wilk and informed him of his intentions to try out for the team, although he did not consult with him before leaving the football program.

Wilk could not be reached for comment.

“In the end it just came down to where I want to be years from now and I know that I don’t want to be looking back on it all and be wishing that I had given baseball a chance,” Allan said. “Life, as we know, is full of tough decisions, and this was one I felt I needed to make.”