The Air Force Academy felt differently.

After receiving a formal scholarship offer earlier this month, MacArthur announced his decision to accept and play football for Air Force on Monday night.

"Nobody's ever believed I could play big-time Division I football," said MacArthur, who's listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds on Hart's roster. "I've always believed I could. They told me, ‘You're not a four- or five-star recruit.' I said, ‘Forget that, come watch me play."

MacArthur burst onto the radar this season as an offensive threat, catching 59 passes for a Foothill League-leading 1,097 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He was a first-team selection in the Foothill League and on The Signal's All-Santa Clarita Valley team.

"He was our MVP this year," said Hart head coach Mike Herrington. "He was big on both sides of the ball. He was all-league on defense as a junior and on offense as a senior. That just shows you how versatile he's been the past couple years."

Coming into the season, MacArthur was primarily known as a defensive back, though Air Force recruited him as a receiver.

Air Force is coming off an 8-5 season and a victory over favored Houston in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The Falcons went 5-3 in the Mountain West Conference, which is home to recent BCS bowl participants Texas Christian and Utah as well as Brigham Young.

MacArthur said he'll depart for five weeks of basic training on June 24 before coming back a week or so before school starts.

"It's been a dream of mine since I can remember," said MacArthur, who has a 3.7 grade point average. "I always wanted to be a part of one of the finest institutions in the nation with a great bunch of men and women who want to serve the country."

MacArthur said he also received scholarship offers from the University of San Diego and Stonehill College, which is based in Boston.

Air Force runs an option offense, which has traditionally relied on the ground game but has seen recent innovations to include more passes.

MacArthur said the Falcons will use him in a position called the "z-back," which he described as a variation of the slot receiver position.

"I'll be getting some reverses and catching some passes," MacArthur said.

MacArthur's older brother Johnny received an athletic scholarship to play golf at Pepperdine University, one of the most competitive programs in the country.

MacArthur will join SCV products A.J. Wallerstein and Desi Rodriguez at Air Force.

Herrington said he thinks the younger MacArthur will fit in well at Air Force.

"They get the overachievers," Herrington said. "They're definitely not the biggest team size-wise but they play hard every game."