SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — Notre Dame College in northeast Ohio announced Thursday that it is closing its doors after this academic year.

Freshman Komari Frye is among the students affected by this decision.

“I didn’t expect this at all,” he said.

Frye came to the school to play football, and he was a red shirt this past season. Now, he won’t ever get to play in a game here.

“Plan was to red shirt, then next year you know just start and take over you know just have fun at the school, but yeah it’s disappointing for sure,” he said.

Notre Dame College said it is partnering with nine colleges in the area so that students in good standing will be able to transfer to those schools. Frye, who is from Georgia, said he’s not sure if he will stay in the area.

“It was overwhelming because you know I’m not from here, but you know I know God got a plan,” he said.

The effect it’s having on Frye and all the other students begs the question of why the school made this decision. The school said that it was due in part to rising debt and a shrinking pool of applicants.

C. Todd Jones, the president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio, said a small school like Notre Dame College isn’t getting the game-changing donations from alumni like other schools are.

“Many of the students who graduated went on to find careers in teaching and other professions, but they are not ones that minted lots of multi-millionaire entrepreneurs and in comparison to other institutions, Notre Dame College simply did not have the endowment, the debt free buildings that one gets when your economics are in that much stronger position,” he said.

Frye said he will miss the people the most when the doors close for good.