EXETER — Because several Everett (Mass.) High School football players have made a one-year stop at Phillips Exeter Academy before entering college, Everett coach John DiBiaso and Phillips Exeter coach Bill Glennon have developed a good relationship over the last 20 years.

When DiBiaso has a player who he thinks would be a good fit at Phillips Exeter, he doesn't hesitate to call Glennon. The latest call came last year.

“John always calls me up and says, 'Bill, I got a kid for you,'” Glennon explained. “He called me up in either late October or early November, and he said, 'Billy, I got one.'

“I told him, 'I hope you're calling about your son.' And he goes, 'I absolutely am.' I said, 'Well that's great.'

“I follow high school sports in New England. I knew what we were getting.”

Jonathan DiBiaso put together an impressive resume during his four-year varsity career at Everett, which has been one of the premier high school programs in New England during the last decade.

Jonathan became Everett's starting quarterback late in his freshman season and went on to set the state record for touchdown passes in a season (44), career touchdown passes (103) and career passing yardage (7,052).

He guided the Crimson Tide to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Everett won the Division I title in 2010, and the Division IA championship last year.

“Playing for his dad all these years, he gets it,” Glennon said. “His first 10 days here, the only thing slowing him down was terminology.

“He's a much better athlete than I expected. I knew he was a great quarterback. I knew he could throw the ball, but he runs very well.

“Puts the ball on the money. If he makes a bad pass it's because it's because he's made the right read, and the receiver hasn't made the right adjustment.”

Jonathan, who throws left-handed, took official recruiting visits to four colleges: Dartmouth, Harvard, Holy Cross and Pennsylvania. He narrowed his choices to Dartmouth and Harvard before selecting Dartmouth.

“I really, really like coach Teevens (Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens),” Jonathan said. “From the start they had a plan for me, and he's been straightforward with me. All the kids I stayed with said he's a great guy. He helps you graduate. He had experience at Stanford, Florida, Tulane — he's a big-time coach.

“There was just so much there that really appealed to me. Once I went on my official visit there I was pretty much sold.”

Although he could have gone straight to Dartmouth out of high school, Jonathan and his family decided he would spend a year at Phillips Exeter before entering college. Glennon described it as “a good buffer year.”

Jonathan said the primary reason he's at Phillips Exeter is to prepare for college academically. He lives in an on-campus house with 11 other athletes — the first time he's lived anywhere other than Everett.

“I pretty much knew I was going to come here since my junior year,” Jonathan said. “My parents wanted me to be prepared when I hit college. They see the Everett students go to college not prepared. My sister went straight to college and she wasn't prepared. They thought this would be good for me.”

Jonathan said he misses his dog (Lola), and that his biggest challenge since enrolling at Phillips Exeter hasn't been on the football field or in the classroom.

“I didn't know how to put on a tie,” he said. “On the first day of class I had to have my roommate put on my tie.”

Jonathan has passed for 411 yards in Phillips Exeter's first two games, victories over Avon Old Farms (28-6) and Worcester Academy (34-13). Phillips Exeter will play its first home game Saturday (4:30 p.m.), when it meets a Choate Rosemary Hall team led by former Salem High School running back Jerickson Fedrick.

Glennon said he expects Jonathan to be Dartmouth's starting quarterback. Maybe not next year, but soon thereafter.

“Sophomore year,” Glennon said. “If he plays as a freshman I think it will be because Dartmouth might have an injury or two. I would like to see him have that freshman year as a learning experience. Don't get under fire too soon, and make sure when he steps on the field he understands every aspect of Dartmouth's offense.

“Talent-wise, he'll play sooner rather than later. If he picks up the nuances of Dartmouth's offense — the coverages and the different disguises in the coverages — he'll be fine.”

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Roger Brown may be reached at rbrown@unionleader.com.