Story by
The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
Pancol making most of Colts training camp opportunities
- Story byThe Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
- Pancol making most of Colts training camp opportunities
WESTFIELD — Former Pendleton Heights wide receiver Eli Pancol is turning heads and getting attention at the highest of levels.
Indianapolis Colts fans previously unfamiliar with the talents of Pancol received an education during training camp Sunday morning at Grand Park in Westfield.
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During second-team reps, he flashed those electric talents so familiar to PHHS and Duke University fans with a big gain on a deep crossing pattern before hauling in a 50-50 ball on a corner route at the pylon for a touchdown.
Both throws came from former Blue Devils teammate Riley Leonard .
"I'm just going to do my job every day and if the ball is in the air, I'm going to go make a play. That's me right there," Pancol said. "All I can do is control what I can control, and I can let the rest happen.
"That (50-50 ball) is my ball right. Riley and I, we did that all the time at Duke. It was like the old days."
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Pancol was signed to the Colts practice squad in August of 2025 after his release from Jacksonville before signing a reserve/future contract last January.
Since then, he has battled back from injury and is relishing the opportunity he currently has with his hometown team at training camp, a site he visited as a youngster.
"It was dark when I got released from Jacksonville, I was just sitting at home," he said. "When the Colts called me, I almost started crying and my mom did start crying. For one, I didn't have to go too far and I was playing again. I love football so much, that was the best feeling in the world."
With injuries to veteran wide receivers Alec Pierce and Laquon Treadwell , Pancol is in a legitimate battle for a spot on the team's 53-man roster coming out of camp.
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Colts wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne says it is entirely up to Pancol to make the case that he should be on the depth chart when the team opens the season September 8 at home against the Baltimore Ravens .
"It's difficult always, you get close to all these guys," Wayne said after practice Sunday. "For Eli Pancol, it's a chance to come out here and show his talents. We got him last year midway through the season, came in and got the lay of the land and now he's starting fresh. For him, it's another opportunity. You don't want to see anybody hurt, but Alec's down, Eli plays X. Treadwell is down, Eli ought to be smiling.
"You hope they come back healthy, but until then, it's a chance for him to get more reps and go out there and show what he can do."
With both bachelor's and master's degrees from Duke University, the future off the football field will be full of opportunities for Pancol once his playing days have come to an end.
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But, for now, football has his full attention.
"Obviously, that was the main reason for going to Duke was the great education," he said. "I'm just grateful for the people that were there and made it easy for that decision. I was so blessed to get two degrees and finish my football career there with all the injuries."
In his two seasons for the Arabians, Pancol hauled in 72 passes for 1,416 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also averaged nearly 35 yards per kick return, had six interceptions and three fumble recoveries defensively, and added two touchdowns on kick returns and another on an interception. He parlayed that extraordinary two-year high school career into a scholarship at Duke.
He was honorable mention freshman All-American after scoring four touchdowns and caught 24 passes for 241 yards as a sophomore. The following year, he started six games, caught 17 passes, and scored a touchdown. In 2022, Pancol started the first eight games before an injury caused him to miss four games, but still managed 23 receptions for 347 yards.
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After missing 2023 due to an injury suffered during the preseason, Pancol returned in 2024 and earned third team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. He started all 13 games, grabbing 60 receptions for 798 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the team in yardage and scores.
Looking back on that decision to come out for football as a Pendleton Heights junior, Pancol said it never entered his mind how his career path would eventually unfold.
"It was so surreal my first day here because I hadn't been to a Colts camp since I was a little kid visiting camp," he said. "I was watching Reggie Wayne, now he's my coach."
Always grounded, the life as an NFL player has not changed Pancol. He still posts dance videos on Tik Tok and will not forget where he came from, remembering his days visiting Colts camp as a youth and asking for autographs from players like Wayne.
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He also never misses an opportunity to pay it forward.
"I'll stay out here all day, every day giving autographs," he said, smiling at a group of youngsters awaiting their own opportunity for a signature. "I mean, that was me."
