Tuesday, December 29, 2015

A Touch of Class

I



While recruiting is still 99.9% of the focus right now for Ivy League football programs, this is also the time when fans start taking a closer look at which players are coming back for next season.

There was once a time when the team with the biggest number of returning seniors was assured of at least being a serious contender for the title. That's changed for a number of reasons. First, in the years before they got rid of freshman football in 1993 the incoming freshmen classes were huge. They needed to be to make sure a full team could be fielded for the six-game freshmen schedule. A lot of players on those freshmen team weren't even close to being good enough to play for the varsity, let alone last all four years. So... if you were a program that recruited enough durable and decent freshmen who stuck around through senior year, you were probably a very good program.

Much of that is still true, but since recruiting has become a bigger, costlier, and much more national affair, there's a lot less attrition than there used to be in Ivy football. Players are screened a lot more carefully these days and every slot in a given recruiting year isn't given until reasonable assurances are made that the player will stick with the program for his entire college career.

But there's still something to be said for a large and healthy senior class in Ivy football. One reason is that you often get late-bloomer players who finally get to show what they can do after years of nursing injuries or getting buried behind better players on the depth chart. I thought Hunter Little and Hank Trumbull fit that mold this past fall. But there are many other advantages to fielding lots of seniors. 

For the record, Columbia had 20 seniors on the roster in 2015. It was more like 19 because Willie Peoples was injured for the entire season. That's not a bad number by Columbia standards, but usually the sweet spot for returning seniors making a definite impact is about 25 players. 

In 2016, Columbia is going to have a senior football class of probably 25 or 26 players. There are 24 returning juniors and I believe we will get one or two 5th year seniors at least. I know of one who, paperwork pending, I can't mention here but I can say he is an important impact player on offense.

Is this a good omen? Yes. And not for the old reasons Columbia fans used to cling to when we had senior classes of more than 20 players. In the old days, we were just happy to avoid severe attrition, but now we can be reasonably optimistic that these 25+ seniors will make up a decent core of good players.  

Friday, December 25, 2015

Indiana End

What are the chances that while I was driving through Indiana early yesterday, I should learn of a new Columbia football commitment from Indiana?

Well it happened in the person of DE/TE Drew Schoeberl, a 6-5 250 pound player from Columbus North HS in Columbus, IN. http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1648820/drew-schoeberl

Schoeberl had some interest from some Big 10 schools and he earned a mention or two from the websites that cover the Notre Dame summer camps. 

Schoeberl would be the first Columbus North grad to come to Columbia football. 

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

More Recruiting Targets

Here are three more players Columbia is looking to grab in the recruitment battle:



1) Michael Weinstein is a 6-1 290 pound Center from Saguaro HS in Scottsdale, AZ. He also has an offer to U. San Diego and is reportedly visiting there in January. I'm not sure if he's taking an official visit to CU. His academic commitment was highlighted in this article from October.


2) Jordan Jackson is a 6-5 240 pound DE from Bolles HS in Jacksonville, FL. He is probably a bit of a stretch for any Ivy school trying to nab him. He also has offers from Navy and Tulane. But if he could be persuaded that the Ivy path is the best path for his overall future, Jackson would be a big "get" and the first Bolles grad to come to Columbia.


3) Josh Fink is a 6-0 180 pound WR from Coppell HS in Coppell, Texas. He also has offers from Colgate and Eastern Michigan, among others.

Rams in the Rear View


Andrew Breiner


Fordham decided to promote its 31-year-old offensive coordinator Andrew Breiner as its new head football coach.

Breiner has done an excellent job with the Rams offense over the past few years, in marked contrast to the Fordham defense which has relatively under-performed.

But this is all a bit academic for Columbia which will indeed drop Fordham from its schedule beginning this coming fall. Stay tuned for the name of the school replacing the Rams, which will be announced soon.

For the record, the recommendation to "drop" Fordham was not to eliminate the Rams from the schedule entirely but to move the game to later in the season. At least for now, it appears that move wasn't possible but it may be in the future. I would be surprised if we don't see Columbia and Fordham playing again 5-10 years from now.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Petlansky is Perfect

Incoming QB Hunter Petlansky passed for two TDs and ran for another in Central Catholic's 56-21win over San Marino in the California Open Division Small School State Bowl last night. http://www.modbee.com/sports/high-school/prep-football/article50731535.html

Petlansky and Central Catholic finish the season 16-0. 

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

3 More Coveted Guys


Hunter Hayes and friend



(I realize I posted WR prospect Reed Klubnik twice over the past week, and I apologize for that).

But here are three new names of recruits in high demand right now: (Remember, these are just guys we're TRYING to get)


Hunter Hayes is 6-1 195 pounds, and can play multiple positions including LB and RB. He also has offers from Army, New Hampshire, Penn, Cornell, Colgate and many others.



Merrick Sims


Merrick Sims is a 5-11 185 pound hard-hitting, ball-hawking strong safety from Hapeville Charter School in Atlanta. It sounds like he'd like to be pre-med or at least major in the hard sciences.



Eric Cal


Eric Cal is a 6-3 291 pound OT from North Carolina. He also has offers from Army, Navy, Air Force and Joe Moglia's Coastal Carolina.

Monday, December 14, 2015

BREAKING: Levi McQuinn Commits

6-0 205 pond DB/LB William Levi McQuinn has just officially committed to Columbia.


McQuinn has an interesting history, after starting basic training at Air Force last year: http://m.gazette.com/air-force-football-recruit-says-knee-issue-knocked-him-out-of-basic-training/article/1556371

McQuinn will be the first Fort Myers High School grad to come to Columbia football. 

He's in, but will he play?



Christian Boujaoude


Sometimes we get so caught up in the "blue chip" recruiting wars that we forget that so many of the young men involved in this process.

One of them is Christian Boujaoude, a WR from Monmouth Regional HS in Eatontown, NJ. I have to say up front that I have no idea if Boujaoude is going to play football at Columbia; it appears he had the grades and the amazing resume, (more on that in a second), to get in without any help or attention from athletics.

On the same day he was chosen as Shore Sport Zone Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Boujaoude was accepted to Columbia. In addition to great grades, Boujaoude is a special kid for his work on behalf of stopping human trafficking across the globe. He launched RUAWARE.net and it's a site worth visiting.

His highlight video is here.

I am going to go ahead and put Boujaoude on our reported list of incoming players, both because he's such an outstanding young man and it appears at least one of our coaches is following him on Twitter... so there's a chance he's very much on their radar.

Boujaoude would be the first Monmouth Regional grad to come to Columbia football

1) Kyle Baskin WR/DB 6-4 210 lbs. Quakertown HS Quakertown, PA

2) Christian Boujaoude WR 5-11 165 lbs. Monmouth Regional HS Eatontown, NJ

3) Parker Coogan OL/DT 6-2 270 lbs. Kingwood HS Houston, TX

4) Matt Dame QB 6-2 185 lbs. Suncoast HS Riviera Beach, FL

5) Chris Everett WR 6-2 200 lbs. Whitney Young HS Chicago, IL

6) Danny De Lorenzi LB 6-3 230 lbs. Bergen Catholic HS, Oradell, NJ 

7) John Fischer OL 6-3 290 lbs. Sacred Heart-Griffin HS Springfield, IL

8) Alex Gibson RB 5-10 195 lbs. Central Bucks High School East Doylestown, PA

9) LinDon Harris DE 6-2 215 lbs. Sidwell Friends Washington, DC

10) Ben Hill TE/DE 6-3 230 lbs. Christian Brothers HS Memphis, TN

11) Tyler Houston DE/TE 6-3 245 lbs. Olentangy HS Lewis Center, OH

12) Hogan Irwin RB 5-10 180 lbs. Central Cathedral HS San Diego, CA

13) Ben McKeighan WR/DB 6-0 187 lbs. Scottsdale Prep/Cheshire Academy (PG year) Scottsdale, AZ

14) Max Mullaney LB 6-2 225 lbs. Colts Neck HS Colts Neck, NJ

15) Michael Murphy LB 5-11 194 lbs. Plant HS Tampa, FL

16) Van Neils RB 6-0 210 lbs. Mankato East HS Mankato, MN

17) Lamine Nouck-A-Nwal DE/OL  6-4 250 lbs. Central Bucks High School East Doylestown, PA

18) Will Ontiveros WR/DB 6-2 175 lbs. Assumption HS Davenport, IA

19) Hunter Petlansky QB 6-2 225 lbs. Modesto Central Catholic HS Modesto, CA 

20) Alex Robin DT 6-0 260 lbs. Vestavia Hills HS Vestavia Hills, AL 

21) Arman Samouk DT 6-2 270 lbs. Copley HS Copley, OH

22) Joseph Scowden OL 6-4 290 lbs. Montgomery Bell HS Nashville, TN

23) Tanner Thomas RB 5-10 183 lbs. Farragut HS Knoxville, TN 

24) Matt Tofano LB 6-2 217 lbs. Archibishop Mitty HS San Jose, CA

25) Jonathon Webster DB  6-0 180 lbs. Eastside Catholic HS Sammamish, WA

26) Taylor Weldon DE/TE 6-2 240 lbs. Soutland Academy Americus, GA

27) Jalen Williams LB 6-0 215 lbs. Hewitt-Trussville HS, Trussville, AL


Fordham Move

A big story you might have missed this weekend was the news that Fordham Head Coach Joe Moorhead has left to become the new Offensive Coordinator at Penn State.

Moorhead is very much the #1 person responsible for the Rams' ascent in football, and it's certainly fair to ask if Fordham will be able to maintain its strengths in his absence. 

As of now, Columbia is still scheduled to open the next two seasons against Fordham so the Lions will find out soon enough.




I Told You This was Crazy Time!

About 12 years ago, I was working at CNN with the parent of a kid being recruited by a number of Ivy football teams.

He told me the official visit his son took to Penn was unique because the coaches really showed the most effort to get the kids to commit right then and there. 

I'm not sure how much of that strategy and style has migrated with Head Coach Al Bagnoli to Columbia but if it has, get ready for a flurry of commitments in the coming days. 

I'm going to get back to featuring some of the most sought-after recruits below, but first, let's check our reported list of committed recruits for now:

1) Kyle Baskin WR/DB 6-4 210 lbs. Quakertown HS Quakertown, PA

2) Parker Coogan OL/DT 6-2 270 lbs. Kingwood HS Houston, TX

3) Matt Dame QB 6-2 185 lbs. Suncoast HS Riviera Beach, FL

4) Chris Everett WR 6-2 200 lbs. Whitney Young HS Chicago, IL

5) Danny De Lorenzi LB 6-3 230 lbs. Bergen Catholic HS, Oradell, NJ 

6) John Fischer OL 6-3 290 lbs. Sacred Heart-Griffin HS Springfield, IL

7) Alex Gibson RB 5-10 195 lbs. Central Bucks High School East Doylestown, PA

8) LinDon Harris DE 6-2 215 lbs. Sidwell Friends Washington, DC

9) Ben Hill TE/DE 6-3 230 lbs. Christian Brothers HS Memphis, TN

10) Tyler Houston DE/TE 6-3 245 lbs. Olentangy HS Lewis Center, OH

11) Hogan Irwin RB 5-10 180 lbs. Central Cathedral HS San Diego, CA

12) Ben McKeighan WR/DB 6-0 187 lbs. Scottsdale Prep/Cheshire Academy (PG year) Scottsdale, AZ

13) Max Mullaney LB 6-2 225 lbs. Colts Neck HS Colts Neck, NJ

14) Michael Murphy LB 5-11 194 lbs. Plant HS Tampa, FL

15) Van Neils RB 6-0 210 lbs. Mankato East HS Mankato, MN

16) Lamine Nouck-A-Nwal DE/OL  6-4 250 lbs. Central Bucks High School East Doylestown, PA

17) Will Ontiveros WR/DB 6-2 175 lbs. Assumption HS Davenport, IA

18) Hunter Petlansky QB 6-2 225 lbs. Modesto Central Catholic HS Modesto, CA 

19) Alex Robin DT 6-0 260 lbs. Vestavia Hills HS Vestavia Hills, AL 

20) Arman Samouk DT 6-2 270 lbs. Copley HS Copley, OH

21) Joseph Scowden OL 6-4 290 lbs. Montgomery Bell HS Nashville, TN

22) Tanner Thomas RB 5-10 183 lbs. Farragut HS Knoxville, TN 

23) Matt Tofano LB 6-2 217 lbs. Archibishop Mitty HS San Jose, CA

24) Jonathon Webster DB  6-0 180 lbs. Eastside Catholic HS Sammamish, WA

25) Taylor Weldon DE/TE 6-2 240 lbs. Soutland Academy Americus, GA

26) Jalen Williams LB 6-0 215 lbs. Hewitt-Trussville HS, Trussville, AL


Coveted Names, part 2:

Reed Klubnik is a 6-3 180 pound WR from Austin, TX with offers from most of the Ivies and Kansas among others. 

Klubnik didn't visit Columbia this past weekend because his high school team is still in the Texas state playoffs.



Rayshawn McCall is a 5-8 161 pound DB from Athens, GA. Looks like he has offers from Army and Davidson. He did take an official visit to Columbia this past weekend.


Ryan Boehm is a tall LB from Temecula, CA. He took an official visit to Brown last week, but could still be in play. He also has offers from Navy, Air Force, and Cal Poly.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Down on the Farm

QB Hunter Petlansky passed for a TD and ran for another in Central Catholic's 49-14 state playoff win over Marin Catholic. http://www.modbee.com/sports/high-school/prep-football/article49546165.html


Saturday, December 12, 2015

Breaking: Neils Commits

RB Van Neils from Mankato West HS in Minnesota has committed to Columbia. 

His highlight reel is one of the best I've seen in a while: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1680741/highlights/285931486/v2

He is the first documented Mankato West player to come the Columbia. 

Friday, December 11, 2015

New Commit: Matt Tofano

A few readers have pointed out a new commitment to me this morning: 

Early admission letters and emails went out yestrday and one went to Matt Tofano, a 6-2, 217 pound inside linebacker/fullback from Archbishop Mitty HS in San Jose. 

Tofano also had an offer from Navy. 


Tofano will be the second Archbishop Mitty grad to come to Columbia football, and the first since Glen Smith '75. 

Thursday, December 10, 2015

The Chips are Down



In the Ivy recruiting game, this is crunch time.

The key campus visits are happening now, and the final/best offers to the most sought-after recruits are being made. The clock does not officially run out this month or even next month, but this is when the hardest recruiting battles are being fought, won, and lost.

Over the next few days, I want to post about a few of the higher-ranked recruits Columbia is reportedly going after with a lot of competition for each. Here are three for today:


Justin Berry

This dual threat QB has offers from Arizona State, Temple and a few others in addition to Columbia. He goes to West Ashley HS in Charleston, SC.

Running QB's in the mode of Billy Ragone, Dalyn Williams, and, (when he was healthy), M.A Olawale are all the rage in the Ivies now. It feels like every recruiting class should include one potential player who could become the next star running QB.


Reed Klubnik

A talented WR with an offer from Air Force and a lot of the Ivies. He goes to Westlake HS in Austin, TX where current player Zach Dansby came from and recent grad Roy Schwartz also played.

We all know that Columbia needs help right away at wide receiver, so I don't I need to write much more.


Matthew Gutwald

A 6-4, 275 pound guard also with offers from Oregon, Washington State, Air Force and a lot of other Ivies.

This is someone who seems like he would be a real "get" for any Ivy.  

Monday, December 7, 2015

More on Trey: UPDATED

K

Trey Page


Reported commit Trey Page from Bishop Moore is now definitely not confirmed. It's possible his coach jumped the gun saying he had. So he's off the list for now. 

But Bishop Moore is a very strong HS program in Florida, and Columbia has never scored a commit from that school before.

Page is coming off an injury that kept him out of some games, but he's back in the mix now.

I'm not sure he will play fullback in college, but it does appear he's going that way. He'll need to put on some weight and muscle first.

According to one recruiting site, Page also had offers from Cornell and Mississippi Valley State. I like Columbia's recruiting odds vs. those schools any day of the week.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Down on the Farm

QB Hunter Petlansky and his clutch passing were the difference in the game as Central Catholic beat Oakdale 21-7 for the Division III section title. http://www.modbee.com/sports/high-school/prep-football/article48160570.html


New Commit: Trey Page?

Trey Page, a FB from Florida HS power Bishop Moore, is now saying he HASN'T committed to Columbia... at least not yet. 

Folks, this is why all these lists are unofficial. 

But Hus highlights are still here: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1387708/trey-page

His team just clinched a spot in Florida's 5A state championship game next week. 

MORE LATER

Friday, December 4, 2015

On the Road

As some readers have already mentioned, there is indeed a good article about the recruiting process in today's Columbia Spectator.

No new names emerged in the piece, of course, but it was interesting to learn just how much Head Coach Al Bagnoli himself is travelling and how many schools are essentially are going after the same recruits.

I also liked the fact that the year-round nature of running an Ivy League football program is getting more attention.

And my favorite part of the entire equation is that it's now Bagnoli making these pitches and visits for Columbia. Don't tell me that's not a huge upgrade for Columbia.

Happy hunting.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

New List and Norries Now UPDATED

A little more on newly-reported commit Tyler Houston:

He would be the first Olentangy HS grad to come to Columbia football.

His HS team made it to the Ohio state quarterfinals before losing on Nov. 21st. 

Here's our new list of an incredible 24 reported incoming freshmen so far:

1) Kyle Baskin WR/DB 6-4 210 lbs. Quakertown HS Quakertown, PA

2) Parker Coogan OL/DT 6-2 270 lbs. Kingwood HS Houston, TX

3) Matt Dame QB 6-2 185 lbs. Suncoast HS Riviera Beach, FL

4) Chris Everett WR 6-2 200 lbs. Whitney Young HS Chicago, IL

5) Danny De Lorenzi LB 6-3 230 lbs. Bergen Catholic HS, Oradell, NJ 

6) John Fischer OL 6-3 290 lbs. Sacred Heart-Griffin HS Springfield, IL

7) Alex Gibson RB 5-10 195 lbs. Central Bucks High School East Doylestown, PA

8) LinDon Harris DE 6-2 215 lbs. Sidwell Friends Washington, DC

9) Ben Hill TE/DE 6-3 230 lbs. Christian Brothers HS Memphis, TN

10) Tyler Houston DE/TE 6-3 245 lbs. Olentangy HS Lewis Center, OH

11) Hogan Irwin RB 5-10 180 lbs. Central Cathedral HS San Diego, CA

12) Ben McKeighan WR/DB 6-0 187 lbs. Scottsdale Prep/Cheshire Academy (PG year) Scottsdale, AZ

13) Max Mullaney LB 6-2 225 lbs. Colts Neck HS Colts Neck, NJ

14) Michael Murphy LB 5-11 194 lbs. Plant HS Tampa, FL

15) Lamine Nouck-A-Nwal DE/OL  6-4 250 lbs. Central Bucks High School East Doylestown, PA

16) Will Ontiveros WR/DB 6-2 175 lbs. Assumption HS Davenport, IA

17) Hunter Petlansky QB 6-2 225 lbs. Modesto Central Catholic HS Modesto, CA 

18) Alex Robin DT 6-0 260 lbs. Vestavia Hills HS Vestavia Hills, AL 

19) Arman Samouk DT 6-2 270 lbs. Copley HS Copley, OH

20) Joseph Scowden OL 6-4 290 lbs. Montgomery Bell HS Nashville, TN

21) Tanner Thomas RB 5-10 183 lbs. Farragut HS Knoxville, TN 


22) Jonathon Webster DB  6-0 180 lbs. Eastside Catholic HS Sammamish, WA

23) Taylor Weldon DE/TE 6-2 240 lbs. Soutland Academy Americus, GA

24) Jalen Williams LB 6-0 215 lbs. Hewitt-Trussville HS, Trussville, AL





Help Wanted: From Norries Wilson?

Now that the Rutgers football coaching staff has gotten the ax, I guess former Columbia Head Coach Norries Wilson is looking for a new job.

I don't know if there's any long-term agreements between Wilson and Columbia, but if there aren't I'd still like to see Norries paid to sit down with Head Coach Al Bagnoli and Recruiting Coordinator John Poppe and go through the finer points of how he recruited better talent to Columbia than just about any coach that came before him over a 30 year period. His recruits, including graduating seniors Chad Washington, Toba Akinleye, and Cameron Molina, were still making incredible impact this season. Norries' successor Pete Mangurian made the mistake of throwing everything Norries and his staff in the garbage when some of what they did was very good, especially recruiting. 

What did Norries and his guys do to snag us people like Austin Knowlin, Alex Gross, Sean Brackett, Josh Martin, etc.? 

If there was any method or formula to it, our current recruiters need to know.

UPDATE: Norries Wilson is still at Rutgers as "interim head coach" until a new staff can be hired. I don't think that will take too long and it's possible a discussion between Bagnoli and Norries can happen soon if that's what's in the cards.