Our Pitch, Our Story

We sell New York. New York sells us

The Columbia football coaching staff is preparing to head across the country next week to seek out new 2017 recruits and solidify relationships with the many players we’ve already offered.

I’ve seen a number of totally questionable assessments of our 2016 class ranking it very high compared to all other FCS schools. I say questionable because it’s such a stretch to rank classes before any of the players even hit the field.

What I like best about our staff is that they have really chosen to be at Columbia and are true believers in the program and New York City. I wrote about that last year and I think whatever successes we will see from the 2016 class are a result of the staff’s unique experiences.

I think this year, the basic pitch has to be a little different. I would emphasize that Columbia was probably one of the worst college football teams of all time in 2013 and 2014 and it immediately became at least competitive in almost every game last season. I think Head Coach Al Bagnoli and the new staff have proven they can squeeze out a lot more from the existing personnel, but they’re just now building the talent to become a winning program.

Also, if I were on the staff I’d include a lot of positive personal stories about what it’s been like for them living in New York City during this first year on the job. This is a VERY important mutual experience they will share with all the recruits who decide to commit to Columbia. New York City and the area around Columbia overall has improved so massively since I was a student from 1988-92, that it really has to be seen to be believed. It’s a great place to be a young person right now. The question should be asked about why Columbia’s Ivy rivals, especially the rivals in urban areas like Harvard, Penn, and Yale, never seem to tout their home cities very much. It’s not that those cities are bad, (although New Haven is one of my least favorite places), it’s that those schools don’t look at their cities as essential educational tools for their respective college experiences. “Columbia is where you’ll learn to be a student, New York City is where you’ll learn to be a man.” Just try inserting the words “Boston,” “Philadelphia,” or “New Haven” at the end of that sentence and listen to how flat and out of place it sounds.

That said, there has to be a realization that for some recruits and their families New York will be a negative factor and nothing will change their minds about that. It’s important that our recruiters recognize that quickly and move on.

I like our chances of grabbing some very good players in the coming weeks and months. But there’s a lot of work ahead.