Super Test

Pete Mangurian coaching the offensive line at Tampa Bay




To be clear, the five players who have left the team are QB Percee Goings, WR James Burrell, DL Anthony Villamagna, OL Xander Frantz and LB Mark McClain.

McClain is remaining with the team as a student volunteer, he has been forced off the field by injury. 

Losing Burrell is not the biggest surprise, as he has had personal issues almost from day one. But I still consider him a loss because he had the physical tools to play a big role in this new offensive scheme. 

Goings will be missed too, as he had a lot of personality and overall physical ability. But I think Head Coach Pete Mangurian is leaning toward a more pass-centered QB system and that makes a running QB like Goings less of a commodity.

Villamagna was always kind of a project, coming from a high school in Texas that had just started playing football during his time there. But after three years of not getting any real playing time with the varsity, I don't think it was going to happen.

The real head scratcher is Frantz. His departure now leaves the Lions with just NINE returning offensive linemen for the fall. 

In other words, that means at least one freshman is guaranteed to make the two-deep on the offensive line right off the bat in week one against Marist! 

Now I know Coach Mangurian coached offensive line in the pros, and I do feell confident he will get the most out of who's left. 

But again, there's just NINE veteran OL's coming back! And only Scott Ward is a proven All-Ivy caliber player right now. 

This looks like a tailor made opportunity for one of Columbia's top-rated incoming freshmen, Austin Stock. Stock was cited very early on in the recruiting process as a real gem for the Lions. The problem is, Stock primarily plays center and the idea of a freshmen playing that position is very dicey. But I wouldn't be surprised if he makes a big splash in training camp.

Keith Ramljak from California may also be pressed into service early as well as Marshall Markman from the talent-rich Kinkaid School in Houston, (where Wells Childress went to high school). 

And there's always a chance one of the 2-3 incoming recruits we don't yet know about will be a top-notch OL ready to play right away.

Does Columbia's lack of depth and experience on the O-line spell certain disaster for the Lions? It's certainly a cause for serious concern. I'm not doubting Mangurian's abilities as a miracle worker, but there are miracles and there are MIRACLES.

The template for succeeding in the Ivies without a great or experience O-line was created in 2006 by the Princeton Tigers. That year, the Tigers basically started five brand new offensive linemen every week. And all they did was end up winning the Ivy championship! 

But a big asterisk has to go up on that title, because Princeton's QB that season was a perfect fit for a sketchy offensive line. Jeff Terrell was a master of the quick release that helped cut down considerably on the amount of protection time he needed in the pocket. 

Sean Brackett's talents are many, and Lion fans are very eager to see what he'll be able to do this fall after last year's injury-riddled season. But quick release is not something he's shown much of over the past three years. He is a great scrambler and runner and that's an obvious asset, but I think it's clear Mangurian wants him to stay in the pocket more this year. 

Mangurian has no shortage of challenges ahead of him, but patching together an effective offensive line for this coming season will be the toughest. But if he succeeds there, there's no telling how much more this team will be able to do in 2012 and beyond.