Stoneman Douglas QB Tyler Goodman commits to Nichols College

DUDLEY, Mass. -- A quarterback from the Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people has committed to play football for a Massachusetts college because of the bond he formed with a coach and administrator during the shooting.

Tyler Goodman, a quarterback at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, committed to Nichols College on Feb. 23.

Goodman told WFXT-TV in Boston that the Division III school in Dudley, Massachusetts, hadn't been one of his top choices, but during the Feb. 14 shooting, he hid in a room with Nichols dean of admissions Paul Brower and assistant football coach St. Clair Ryan.

Goodman said they "went into father mode and protected us," and "we kind of formed a bond."

He hopes to wear No. 17 in college as a tribute to the 17 victims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.