Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Coming in Fast and Furious (3 NEW NAMES Below!)


Connor Spears


I've written a few times in the past about how 6-6 WR Joe Splendorio was, hands down, Pete Mangurian's best player in his three years as head coach at Cornell.

Splendorio was all over the field for the Big Red. He made a huge impact as a receiver of course, but he was a terror on special teams too. He was named to the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

Why do I mention Splendorio? Because when you look at the things Mangurian has said and written about Splendorio in the past, you can see that he wouldn't mind find another player of his stature and skill... and soon.

And who could blame him?

Perhaps this new pickup for the Lions 2013 recruiting class will be that man.

Connor Spears is a 6-6, (some say 6-7), 205 pound WR from Sioux City, Iowa's Bishop Heelan HS.

Spears visited the CU campus this past weekend and sent out a Tweet on Sunday announcing his commitment to CU.

Spears would be the first documented high school grad from Bishop Heelan to play football for the Lions, but  Lion basketball team member John Daniels is also a Heelan grad.

That makes TWO big "gets" perhaps in some part thanks to our basketball team, as starter Brian Barbour at least helped to plant the idea of transferring to Columbia in Brent Nottingham's head.

And getting Spears is also a nice feat considering his dad and grandfather both were student athletes at Dartmouth.

You can see his highlight video here:


And here's a special treat! You can watch and hear Spears singing the national anthem from October, 2011, (hint: he sings better than that other Spears person who sometimes appears in the tabloids):






Nathan Gibbs


Hickory Lion

Also joining the fast growing Lion list is Nathan Gibbs, a 6-4 285 lbs. OL from Hickory HS in Hickory, NC

You can learn more about Nathan by reading what I think is a very nice personal statement and by watching his highlight video here.

Gibbs made the North Carolina All State team.

And if you're already not impressed enough, read this touching story about how Gibbs looked after a teammate who was actually homeless and living in a shelter.

Gibbs will be the first Hickory HS grad to play for the Lions.



Parker Tobia reaches in for a stop


Bergen Leader

New Jersey football bloggers are reporting that top Bergen Catholic LB Parker Tobia has committed to Columbia.

The 6-1, 200 lbs. Tobia is credited with being one of Bergen's best outside LB's in recent years, which is saying something at the linebacker factory that BC truly is.

Tobia made MSG Varsity All Metro Area Honorable Mention, which is not an easy thing to do when you consider the Metro Area includes much of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. A lot of very good players on Ivy teams will not make that list this year and in years to come.

Tobia is the latest in a long line of Bergen Catholic grads to play for the Lions.

So here's our new list of unofficial commits as of 3:38pm on Tuesday:


1. Tony Bonadies, OL 6-5 315 lbs. Leonia HS, Leonia, NJ
2. Keith Brady, LB 6-2 205 lbs. Lakota East HS, Liberty Township, OH
3. Toure Douglas, WR 6-4 188 lbs. Vineland HS, Vineland, NJ
4. Cameron Dunn, WR 6-3 210 lbs. St. Xavier HS, Cincinnati, OH
5. Nathan Gibbs, OL 6-4, 285 lbs. Hickory HS, Hickory, NC
6. Kelly Hilinski, QB 6-6 220 lbs. Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, CA
7. Tyler Kwiatkowski, LB 6-3 220 lbs. Mount Carmel HS, Mount Carmel, PA
8. Charles Melka, DL 6-4 238 lbs. Benet Academy, Lisle, IL
9. Eric Mourkakos, OL/DL 6-3, 235 lbs. Dwight-Englewood HS, Englewood, NJ
10. Cameron Nizialek, K/P 6-3 195 lbs. Freedom HS, South Riding, VA
*11. Brett Nottingham, QB 6-4 212 lbs. Monte Vista HS, Danville, CA
12. Kendall Pace, OL 6-5 250 lbs. Bishop McNamara HS, Forestville, MD 
13. Will Peoples, S 6-1 190 lbs. Buckingham, Browne & Nichols, Cambridge, MA
14. Gianmarco Rea, FB/LB 6-2 215 lbs. Detroit Country Day, Beverly Hills, MI
15. Connor Spears, WR 6-6 205 lbs. Bishop Heelan HS, Sioux City, IA
16. Parker Tobia, LB 6-1 200 lbs. Bergen Catholic HS, Oradell, NJ
17. Richard Wolff, OL 6-3 254 lbs. Crespi HS Encino, CA




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

If Connor Spears can harmonize with his fellow Lions like he does with his quartet, we're in for a good show. Have a listen, everybody, best version ever of our National Anthem!

Anonymous said...

Connor Spears ended his senior year with 42 catches, 10 TDs, 2nd Team All-State Iowa at TE, can also play WR, talented savvy player, could be a gamer for us. Nice description of his abilities below:

http://sportspresstv.com/zz-conner-spears-f13.php

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