Rare call: Tight end reverse

It'll be Georgia, not BC for Lynch-Fontaine

DARTMOUTH - The shirt is so tattered the Salvation Army likely would pass on it. Once gray, it's now a shade of yellow, which the owner admits, "doesn't make much sense." It's a cut-off shirt, too, so it looks particularly funny hanging on the frame of a 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound football player.

But these are the least of the problems facing Dartmouth High School senior Arthur Lynch-Fontaine, who superstitiously wears this same undershirt on game days. The practice is set to receive its stiffest challenge since a pivotal matchup last year when Lynch-Fontaine realized only moments before kickoff that he had forgotten to put on his lucky T (he changed on the sideline).

The trouble lies in the words on the front of the shirt: "Boston College." That wouldn't be a problem if Lynch-Fontaine were pulling a matching Eagles jersey over the shirt next fall, which was the plan in May when he verbally committed to the school. But the highly sought tight end, who recently was ranked fourth in the nation at his position by USA Today, had a change of heart and instead committed to top-ranked Georgia earlier this month.

"I don't think they're going to let me wear this at Georgia," Lynch-Fontaine said.

The shirt has sentimental value because it came from Ricky Brown, the former BC linebacker now in his third year with the Oakland Raiders. The two met in late 2004 when Brown began dating Lynch-Fontaine's older sister, Frances, who ran track at The Heights (which explains, in part, where Lynch-Fontaine got the speed to run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds).

Brown joked that he'd come to visit the Fontaine family around the holidays and ended up spending the majority of his time with the kid everyone calls Artie. The two spent countless hours playing NCAA Football on PlayStation2, and while Lynch-Fontaine reports the gaming console since has broken, his relationship with Brown has prospered.

In fact, it was Brown's ties to BC, along with the fact that his sister and mother, Carline Lynch, both had graduated from the Chestnut Hill school, that ultimately led Lynch-Fontaine to commit to the Eagles, even if he remained truly undecided about the entire process.

Informed decision

"I don't think he realized how, once he [committed] to BC, the other schools would back off recruiting him," said Dartmouth football coach Richard White. "I think he simply wanted to do his homework, make an informed decision. I think seeing places like Georgia really opened his eyes to what was out there."

Added Lynch-Fontaine: "[Brown] was probably the reason I wanted to go to BC. I actually called him right before I committed [to Georgia] . . . and he was supportive of the decision."

Rarely has a product of a Massachusetts public school reached such, well, heights. East Boston's Jermaine Wiggins played two seasons for Georgia, but only after transferring from Marshall. Great Massachusetts high school players typically end up in Chestnut Hill, so how did this small-town boy end up at a big-time college football program in Georgia?

"Want to see my cellphone bills?" deadpanned White. "I think Jordan [two-time Globe Division 1 Player of the Year Jordan Todman, now at UConn] had a lot to do with it. Coaches were coming in from all over the country to see him and they'd say, 'Do you have anyone else?' "

In fact, White did. And one glimpse of Lynch-Fontaine sent coaches scrambling for their cellphones.

At the time he committed to BC, Fontaine had only visited three other schools: UConn, Penn State, and Maryland. Once he began having second thoughts, he pulled his commitment with the idea that he'd visit as many as 11 other schools that had shown interest.

A visit to Athens in late June left him smitten. But it had little to do with football.

"I told him that on the first play of practice his freshman year, he could get injured and never play again," said Brown. "Would he still be happy? You can lose everything on the football field, but they can't take away an education or the experiences with the people you meet at college. Artie had all these things in mind.

"Well, that and a good dining hall. He's got a passion for chicken fingers."

Joining TE fraternity

At Georgia, Lynch-Fontaine will join a fraternity of talented tight ends past and present. Call it Nu Phi Lambda (the greek letters for NFL) and rush chairman Benjamin Watson of the Patriots said an alumni association that includes Randy McMichael of the St. Louis Rams, Martrez Milner of the Atlanta Falcons, and Leonard Pope of the Arizona Cardinals, will welcome Lynch-Fontaine with open arms and lofty expectations.

"He has to keep it up," said Watson. "Hopefully that's one of the reasons why he went. We like to say that we have a little string going of tight ends moving on to the next level, and playing well while they're in college. It's definitely kind of like a fraternity, we all keep in touch, and he'll definitely be part of that."

The NFL is the farthest thing from Lynch-Fontaine's mind. In fact, he's not even thinking about college. Confident in his decision to commit to Georgia (he can sign officially in February), he made it public this month so he could focus on every last second of his high school career.

Lynch-Fontaine and his childhood best friends that make up much of the Dartmouth football team have big plans for 2008. They've already helped resuscitate a program that had been down on its luck since Lynch-Fontaine's grandfather, Carlin Lynch, coached the program to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1983-84 as part of a distinguished 36-year career that featured more than 200 wins.

The Indians fell to Everett in overtime, 36-28, during last year's Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium to cap a successful 11-2 campaign. Lynch-Fontaine caught only 10 passes for 160 yards last season, but he thrived as a run blocker, paving the way for Todman's 1,970 yards and 35 touchdowns. Expect the Indians to go to the air more this fall, utilizing the athleticism of quarterback Sean Sylvia, along with star wide receiver Justin Mello (two players now earning Division 1 looks thanks to all the interest surrounding Lynch-Fontaine).

The Indians open the 2008 campaign Sept. 12 at Mansfield.

A social side

Away from the field, Lynch-Fontaine - the senior class president and a freshmen counselor - has an unhealthy obsession with Air Jordans and ABC Family's "The Secret Life of an American Teenager." Both can be blamed on his three older sisters, who spoil him with fresh Nikes on Christmas and birthdays, and also introduced him to what he calls "chick shows" like "One Tree Hill" and "The OC."

Lynch-Fontaine is also a thriving businessman, serving as the official team barber for the Indians (and alumni like Todman have even stopped home to get their locks trimmed). His coach calls him a politician, and Lynch-Fontaine admits he's a social butterfly. He aspires to be a teacher and a coach, just like his grandfather, saying, "He impacted so many people in a positive way, if I could be half the man he is, I'll be a good person."

But Lynch-Fontaine is most proud of earning that college scholarship for his mother (even if he didn't chose her alma mater). It's his way of giving back for all she's done for him. He'd give the shirt off his back to help her.

Even his lucky BC shirt.

Mike Reiss of the Globe staff contributed to this report; Chris Forsberg can be reached at cforsberg@boston.com.