CA’s Arjun Banerjee Is On Track To Break New Ground For Indian Americans In College Football

By REENA RATHORE

SAN RAMON, CA – California High School quarterback Arjun Banerjee is closing in on a milestone rarely seen in American football: becoming the first Indian American to be recruited to play college football after a record-setting high school career in San Ramon.

Banerjee’s football journey began at age six in Fremont, where he first played flag football before discovering a love for the tackle game that would define his adolescence. When his family moved to San Ramon, the game changed, literally.

“I tried other sports, didn’t really like it, thought it was boring…Then my dad wanted me to try football, and I liked it a lot,” Banerjee told India-West. “Then we moved to San Ramon, and I started playing real football, American football.”

The adjustment to full-contact play wasn’t easy, Banerjee said, but his passion for the sport grew quickly. He tried multiple positions and faced early adversity but by sixth grade, he had found his calling.

“I started playing quarterback,” he said. “And I loved it. I love throwing a ball, throwing a football.”

That enthusiasm carried through middle school, where he remained at quarterback and continued to develop his command of the game and the leadership the position demands.

The transition to high school only accelerated his rise. As a freshman at California High School, Banerjee began the season on the junior varsity team, playing up a level against sophomores and juniors, and starting at quarterback for most of the JV schedule.

Then he was called up to varsity. “I ended up playing on varsity as a freshman, which has never been done in my school’s history,” he said.

Banerjee went on to start the remainder of the season and has remained a varsity quarterback every year since, returning as a starter in his sophomore season and continuing through his junior and senior years.

Along the way, he has earned first-team all-league honors and now holds multiple school records in passing yards and touchdowns.

For his father, Abhishek Banerjee, those milestones carry weight beyond the stat sheet. Football, he believes, shaped his son’s personality as much as his résumé.

“Indian American kids don’t really excel in sports at the highest level in high school athletics,” he told India-West. “It’s a very violent, very physical sport, but football helped elevate his overall growth. When he was younger, he was shy. Through football, he learned leadership, resilience, and playing hard, things that are important in the chase for excellence.”

At home, the message was consistent: ignore stereotypes, stay focused, stay grounded, and “be the best you can be.”

“We had a lot of naysayers, even family friends,” Abhishek told India-West. “I always told him, ignore the noise. Chase your passion with everything you’ve got. Leave everything on the field. Don’t read your press clippings too much. Stay humble. Always be in learning mode. There’s always someone bigger and better than you.”

For Banerjee, the broader significance didn’t register at first. Asked about being a representative figure, Banerjee said he never approached the game thinking about identity or stereotypes, but now embraces the opportunity to show what’s possible.

“I didn’t go into it thinking that I was bearing that weight … but I always noticed there weren’t many others like me playing this sport,” he said. “I’m just happy to be one of the first to show that anyone can do it. It’s not impossible … even being a quarterback, being the leader of a team.”

Banerjee’s football journey has reached a new stage: recruitment interest from colleges. Whitworth University in Washington State has offered him a spot on its football team as a quarterback.

“There has probably never been a recruited Indian American to play college football,” his father said, underscoring the rarity of Banerjee’s potential achievement. “As soon as he finished his visit, they offered him a spot.”

Banerjee’s discipline extends off the field as well. He maintains a 3.8 GPA while balancing a challenging academic schedule that includes AP Computer Science, economics courses, AP psychology, calculus, engineering principles, and business classes.

“It’s been a fight balancing both,” said Abhishek “He’s running two tracks at once. He’s stumbled, and that’s part of growing up.”

Now, with college plans taking shape, Banerjee’s goal remains clear: to play quarterback at the next level and win the starting job.

Engineering and finance are both on the table but football, for now, remains the immediate focus.   

“Our goal is simple,” his father said. “To be QB1 in college football and hopefully, NFL after that.”

For younger kids watching from the stands or from communities where football still feels out of reach, the 18-year-old has a message.

“The moment’s never too big for you,” he said. “Put your head down, work hard, give a hundred percent. There’s no limit to what you can do.”