A Certain Formula

Marcellus Wiley, Josh Martin, and several other standout Ivy football players who eventually made it into the NFL share a similar M.O.

They got into the sport of football or found their true role relatively late in the game.

Wiley actually played football from a young age, but he didn't really grow into his body until college and then he finally found his best role as a defensive end.

Martin didn't play organized football until high school, which is late in the Pop Warner-dominated world for college-bound players.

Current rising CU star Lord Hyeamang is another late-arriver to football and I expect him to show major strides in his final two years at Baker Field. 

 These are the kinds of NFL-caliber players who fly under the major FBS recruiting radar and often become stars in the Ivy League. 

Based on this article , incoming Columbia freshman Lamine Nouck-A-Nwal might be another player who fits this description. Nwal is a native of Cameroon who came to the US when he was in 5th grade and probably knew nothing of American football before that. He's already put on 30 pounds in preparation to play on the offensive line exclusively.

The article also mentions Nwal's high school teammate, RB Alex Gibson, who is also coming to Columbia and spurned offers from Princeton and Dartmouth.