... and Another!

Will Hamilton


We had a line on this several hours ago, but now it's "official" from the man himself.

6-2 270-pound OL Will Hamilton from North Gwinnett HS in Suwanee, GA has committed to the Lions.

Hamilton also had offers from Brown and Cornell.

Hamilton will be the first North Gwinnett grad to come to Columbia Football.

That brings our list of reportedly committed players for 2019 to eight:


1. Bryan Bell-Anderson 5"10 170 lbs. Dr. Phillips HS Orlando, FL

2. Dominic Dodson DB 5"11 185 lbs. Central Catholic HS Pittsburgh, PA

3. Alex Felkins K 6"4 170 lbs. Holland Hall HS Tulsa, OK 

4. Ryan Hamilton DB/RB 5"11 195 lbs. Coffman HS Dublin, OH

5. Will Hamilton 6"2 270 lbs. North Gwinnett HS Suwanee, GA

6. Mitch Moyer DE 6-4, 255 lbs. Archmere Academy Claymont, DE

7. Luke Painton TE 6-7 225 lbs. Berks Catholic HS, Reading, PA  

8. Scott Valentas DB 6-3, 198 lbs.  Kapaun Mount Carmel Catholic HS Wichita, KS

Tall Haul

Luke Painton


There's a lot of excitement at the Columbia Football offices about the latest commitment to the incoming 2019 freshman class.

6"7 225-pound TE Luke Painton from Berks Catholic HS in Reading, PA, (not to be confused with graduated CU punter Matthew Panton), announced his commitment over the weekend.

When Columbia made its offer to Painton, only the Lions and Cornell had offered him a spot. But in the last two months, Painton's stock rose fast. He then received offers from Dartmouth, Harvard, Albany, Lehigh, Lafayette, Colgate, UNH, Holy Cross, Sacred Heart, Fordham, Army, and Towson.

Painton's positives are pretty obvious. He's 6"7 with very good hands and can run very well too. His height is the biggest reason why he's playing DE in high school, but he'll be solely on the offensive side for Columbia.

Painton will be the first Berks Catholic grad to come to Columbia Football. BUT, since Berks came about from the combination of the former Holy Name HS and Reading Central Catholic HS, Painton does have some of the same pedigree as Reading Catholic grad Frank Furillo '70. 

Longtime CU fans will remember the last 6"7 TE we had was Wade Fletcher '05, who transferred to Columbia from Northern Colorado and made a huge impact. That included his catch of the jump ball Hail Mary TD pass that beat Princeton in the 2003 game in New Jersey. 


That brings our list of reportedly committed players for 2019 to seven:


1. Bryan Bell-Anderson 5"10 170 lbs. Dr. Phillips HS Orlando, FL

2. Dominic Dodson DB 5"11 185 lbs. Central Catholic HS Pittsburgh, PA

3. Alex Felkins K 6"4 170 lbs. Holland Hall HS Tulsa, OK 

4. Ryan Hamilton DB/RB 5"11 195 lbs. Coffman HS Dublin, OH

5. Mitch Moyer DE 6-4, 255 lbs. Archmere Academy Claymont, DE

6. Luke Painton TE 6-7 225 lbs. Berks Catholic HS, Reading, PA  

7. Scott Valentas DB 6-3, 198 lbs.  Kapaun Mount Carmel Catholic HS Wichita, KS

Linebacker U.

Michael Murphy


The consensus line on Columbia Football last year was that the team was expected to improve, but would likely be hampered by the loss of all three of its starting linebackers from 2016.

Perhaps you might recall that I was not one of those naysayers.

As it turned out the Lion linebackers of 2017 were far from a weakness; they were probably the best linebacking unit in the Ivies. And the best part about it was there wasn't a graduating senior among them.

One travesty is that only one CU linebacker, rising junior Michael Murphy, was given All Ivy honors. At the very least, rising senior Sean White should have been given an honorable mention.

Murphy tore his ACL in the Harvard game but is expected to be back at full strength this fall.

But I'd trade postseason honors for in-season results any day.

Murphy, White, and rising junior Jalen Williams, were dominant throughout the season as the regular starters.

Rising sophomore Justin Woodley was a revelation as an impact freshman and rising senior Cal Falkenhayn had a true step up season backing up Williams at middle linebacker and getting one start.

The fact that all five of these proven strong commodities are coming back for 2018 is really unprecedented for Columbia Football and extremely rare at the Ivy level.

But there's more.

Rising sophomore Carson Powell also made some noise as a freshman, especially in the season finale win over Brown. Not far behind him was fellow rising sophomore Cameren Carter.

But there's still more.

No fewer than three of my top 10 incoming freshmen happen to be linebackers: Cam Dillon, Marquis Hubbard, and Justin Smythe-Macaulay.

None of this should be surprising to longtime Ivy football watchers. During his 23 amazing years at Penn, Head Coach Al Bagnoli cranked out super linebackers season after season.

Considering the fact that linebackers really are the most important part of any defense, it's hard not to be very bullish about Columbia's chances this season based on so much returning talent at this crucial position.

Getting Defensive

Mike Hinton gets his star turn after his game-icing sack vs. Dartmouth last year


The first pleasant surprise of the Al Bagnoli era at Columbia on the field was the immediate upgrade in the play of the defensive line.

But since that 2015 campaign, Columbia's defensive strengths have come from the linebacking corps and the secondary. The D-line hasn't been a weakness the last two seasons, but that furious pass rush that defined the Lions three years ago seems to be a distant memory.

Now, there's a concern that the defensive line will indeed be a weakness in 2018 with the graduations of top 2017 players Lord Hyeamang and Connor Heeb.

But there is reason to believe this will be a positive year for the Lion DL.

The first reason is senior co-captain Mike Hinton is not only returning, but he started to show real improvement throughout his junior season and this past off season.

Another reason for optimism is the rise of junior DT Arman Samouk, who also improved last season and emerged as a fierce threat during the off season and spring game.

Fellow junior Daniel DeLorenzi is healthy again after missing parts of last season to injury. DeLorenzi has been nothing short of excellent when he's healthy.

Another junior who has been developing nicely but quietly is LinDon Harris. Harris could be about to have a breakthrough season.

But the most excitement may end up coming from the sophomore class. Cooper Wilson was a surprise contributor at DE last year as a freshman and he made a growing impact in the spring. His fellow sophomores Andrew Nichols and Oganna Oraedu looked very impressive to me in practice last year and I would be very surprised if at least one of them didn't crack the regular rotation and make an impact this season.

Like most seasons, the incoming freshmen crop of D-linemen are hard to figure as the position is usually very hard to play as a 1st year at the college level.

And like all Ivy teams, there's a dearth of 270-pound plus defensive tackles who look poised to play at an All Ivy level. But rising junior Alex Robin did start to contribute last season and could make some noise.

If the Lion linebackers and secondary play up to expectations, 2018 could be another year where the D-line simply develops and grows. But if the DL plays better than expectations, this could make Columbia's defense the best in the Ivies.

Crowded Field

Josh Wainwright


The improvement to the Columbia Football program that Head Coach Al Bagnoli and his staff have brought over these past three-and-a-half years is obvious in many ways.

But the most striking example is the talent and depth you now see in Columbia's wide receiving corps.

Note that I wrote "talent AND depth," because we've seen a lot of talented Lions over the years. Some of them were even the best in the Ivy League at their positions. But now, Columbia has more than one WR who is a top player in the league and decent backups to boot.

Of course, the leader of this very stellar group is still junior Josh Wainwright.

Wainwright followed up his impressive freshman season with a sophomore campaign that included breaking Columbia's 35-year-old single season receiving yards record, catching 78 passes, and scoring eight TD's including the most dramatic walkoff score perhaps in program history.

Hot on his heels for most of the year until he was injured against Penn was fellow junior Ronald Smith. Smith broke the 50-year-old Columbia single game receiving record with 236 yards on 10 catches at Princeton. That day included the second most dramatic play of the year for CU with his 63 yard catch and run for a TD in what would prove to be the game winning score. Smith missed most of the second half of 2017, but still finished with 31 receptions for 437 yards and four TD's.

There are a number of good WR's in the league, but the tandem of Wainwright and Smith is the best one-two punch in the Ivies. And it's not just about their stats. Wainwright gets so wide open and make so many acrobatic catches, that you have to keep your eyes on him throughout the game. Smith runs like a majestic gazelle after the catch and is positively lethal down the sideline even when tightly covered.

But wait, there's more... so much more.

Despite the prowess of Wainwright and Smith, no fewer than four other CU wide receivers managed to hit double-digits in receptions, led by senior Kyle Castner and sophomore Emerson Kabus, with 24 and 21 catches, respectively.

Sure-handed juniors Kaleb Pitts and Chris Everett were not far behind, each making spectacular catches from time to time.

Remember, each of the players mentioned above isn't just coming back this season, with the exception of Castner, they each have at least two more seasons at Columbia. And that's just the returning talent.

You can't discuss this unit without mentioning two very sought-after incoming freshmen wide receivers. First is Mozes Mooney from La Jolla, California who had so many quality offers, he might have been the toughest "get" for Columbia this year. Next is Trajen Johnson from Little Rock, Arkansas who was also offered by a massive number of top schools.

Yes, Columbia has a challenge this year in having to find a new starting QB. But there's no QB in the country who wouldn't want to be working with this group of wide receivers this season and beyond.

Wichita Star

Scott Valentas

6-3, 198 pound Safety Scott Valentas from Kapaun Mount Carmel Catholic HS in Wichita, Kansas has committed to Columbia.

Valentas recently made some serious noise at a University of Nebraska recruiting camp and seemed likely to get an offer any day from the Cornhuskers. But Valentas made the wiser decision to go the Ivy League route.

Valentas had more than 11 other offers from FCS schools, including one from Cornell. It does seem that at this very early stage, he is the top incoming player for the 2019 freshman class.

Valentas will be the first Kapaun grad to come to Columbia Football and the first Wichita native to join the program since Dennis Peterson '72.

That brings our list of reportedly committed players for 2019 to six:


1. Bryan Bell-Anderson 5"10 170 lbs. Dr. Phillips HS Orlando, FL

2. Dominic Dodson DB 5"11 185 lbs. Central Catholic HS Pittsburgh, PA

3. Alex Felkins K 6"4 170 lbs. Holland Hall HS Tulsa, OK 

4. Ryan Hamilton DB/RB 5"11 195 lbs. Coffman HS Dublin, OH

5. Mitch Moyer DE 6-4, 255 lbs. Archmere Academy Claymont, DE  

6. Scott Valentas DB 6-3, 198 lbs.  Kapaun Mount Carmel Catholic HS Wichita, KS

Tight Spot

Jackson Heath


If it seems like it's been a long time since Columbia has had a pass-catching threat at Tight End, that's because it has been a long time.

Hamilton Garner '14, was the last Columbia TE to make All Ivy after he became then-QB Sean Brackett's favorite target in the otherwise terrible 2011 season. That was after Andrew Kennedy '11 put in two stellar seasons at the position and also made All Ivy.

But since then... crickets.

For example, last year Columbia Tight Ends combined for a total of three, yes just three, receptions for 26 yards and one TD. That one TD was a actually a key score in the Penn game and the result of a wonderful scoop catch by returning junior Rory Schlageter. But you get the point about total production.

Now, one big reason for this is the fact that Columbia had and still has probably the deepest and most talented corps of wide receivers in the program's history. With so many receivers who can get open so often, why waste the value of an extra blocker up front just to throw a pass to a slower target?

But having at least an occasional Tight End option is a great weapon, and younger QB's typically tend to lean on them as a safety valve.

Coming back this season along with Schlageter is sophomore Cameron Lipton-Martinez, who's 255-pound frame has lots of fans hoping he'll get into the mix this year. Junior Ben Hill was one of the three TE's who had one of those three receptions last year, and he played in all 10 games last season.

But perhaps the most excitement surrounding the TE slot comes courtesy of incoming Freshman Jackson Heath from Overland Park, KS. Heath was a highly sought-after recruit by Ivy and non-Ivy programs with two brothers and a father who played FBS football. He's an all-around athlete who even took some wildcat QB snaps in high school and played basketball as well. It's hard to believe Heath won't get a very good chance to get on the field as soon as possible.

But all in all, any offensive production the Lions get out of this position will be a net positive after so many years of quiet at TE.

Embarrassment of Riches?

Parker Coogan and friend


Longtime Columbia fans have lots of rough memories of the many lean years for the program.

Lots of times, the Lion offensive line played a major role in those bad memories.

We've seen years where there was literally one, just ONE, returning O-line player with any game experience.

We've seen years where the line was deliberately gutted by coaches emphasizing weight loss over everything else.

We've seen years where QB's considered taking out extra insurance because of what they knew they would face on every passing play.

And now we have the 2018 season.

It seems almost impossible, but thanks to two returning 5th year seniors and good luck, the Lions are returning not one, not two, not three, but FOUR of their 2017 regular O-line starters for the fall. A fifth returning player saw significant playing time and one emergency start as well.

The returning regular starters are 2017 Honorable Mention All Ivy and 5th year senior Markham Paukune, 5th year senior Charlie Flores, senior Tyler Schonewolf, and junior Parker Coogan.  

Junior Joseph Scowden, who started the Cornell game and played in six other contests in 2017, also returns.

I know Head Coach Al Bagnoli has been doing this job for decades, but I'd love to ask him if he ever had four returning starters on the O-line plus a fifth guy with a start under his belt for a new season.

But wait! That's not all!

Returning junior John Fischer is back with four games played last year.

Junior Drew Schoeberl played in two games

Juniors Isaac Werkman and Lamine Nouck-A-Nwal played in one game each, as did sophomore Seth DeVary.

And don't forget the incredibly skilled long snapper Patrick Eby, who comes back for his senior campaign.

The only loss is the great Bewley Wales, who started every game of the Bagnoli era and was a major team leader. But he must feel good about the foundation he helped create and what he leaves behind.

What does this all mean?

At the very least, it's a sign that Columbia really can't settle for anything but a good year from its offensive line. And by that I don't mean a good year by "Columbia standards," or just a workable line. I'm talking about a season where the Lion front five gives the team a discernible edge in just about every game.

The new starting QB, whoever he will be, needs to know his line will protect him and let him carry out the game plan. The running game has to click sometime before week 8 or 9 as has been the case for the last three seasons.

The best news is that for a Columbia team that is truly stacked at positions like Wide Receiver and Linebacker, it's actually fair to say that the Offensive Line may be just as good as those other units.

Fresh Legs

Tanner Thomas

Another big question mark for the 2018 Lions is the running back position.

First, some background about the running backs in the Al Bagnoli era.

In each of Bagnoli's three seasons as CU's head coach, the same pattern has emerged. That is, a strong running back emerges, but mostly only towards the end of the season.

In 2015, Cameron Molina '16 had flashes of brilliance, but really only stood out during the last two games of the season.

In 2016, Alan Watson '17, had some strong earlier season games, especially against Wagner in week 4. But for the most part, his numbers were best in those same last two games of the year.

Last season, Chris Schroer '18, had stand out performances in the last three games of the season. But the rest of the year he didn't have quite the same impact.

Now in these above cases, injuries played a role in some of the relatively slow starts.

But the question remains: Are CU running backs just slow to develop along with the offensive line, or are they just emerging late thanks to the fact that Columbia plays two of its weakest opponents in weeks 9 and 10?

Okay, that's not the real question. The real question is: Will Columbia have an All-Ivy caliber runner this season and who is it most likely to be?

Tops on the experience meter coming into camp is junior Tanner Thomas. Thomas had his moments last season, rushing for 312 yards on 92 carries. His finest moment was a great sideways run and late turn into the end zone for a TD in the thrilling week 3 win at Princeton.

Another junior is Lynnard Rose, who missed much of last year with injuries. I still expect him to get a good look from the coaches as he was a top recruit in Bagnoli's first incoming class. He also was able to participate in spring practice this year because he left the baseball team.

Two talented sophomores should also be in the mix. Marquavious Moore got into a couple of games last year. Broderick Taylor may have a chance to play after tearing his ACL in camp last season and sustaining a similar injury in the spring. Taylor was a star last summer in that training camp before his injury, so the coaches definitely want to give him as much of a chance to eventually play.

Dante Miller

One of the most highly regarded incoming freshmen this year happens to be an RB. Dante Miller de-committed from FCS powerhouse James Madison to come to the Lions. Expect him to get a very hard look in camp. Ryan Young also seems like he may get himself into the mix sometime soon.

With Columbia needing to go with a new starting QB this season, it's obvious how important a steady running attack will be this fall. The Lions have probably their most experienced offensive line in decades coming into this season. So if the talent is there among the RB's, this is surely an attainable goal.

QB Sweepstakes

Josh Bean

I suppose I could try to build up to something here and leave the elephant in the room for last.

But when assessing each unit of the Columbia Football team for 2018, it's silly to waste any time not focusing on the one position that is the biggest question and key for the season.

Quarterback.

Of course, that was the case at this time last year as well. It was clear that Anders Hill '18 needed to have a good year, or the Lions wouldn't go very far.

Hill didn't just have a good year stats-wise, but he came through time after time in the clutch en route to an 8-2 season. He also wrapped up his career as a starter with an 11-7 won-lost record, putting him atop the list for any Columbia QB with more than five starts in a lifetime.

Some part of Hill's success came from his unique ability to throw the deep ball, making Columbia the only team in the Ivies with a consistent long ball attack. 

I mention that because the decision on who gets to start as CU's QB this year may come down to who wins a debate over arm strength vs. heart.

The Lions were in the running for Florida transfer QB Jake Allen most of the spring. But he chose to go to Dartmouth instead.

That leaves the job squarely between sophomores Josh Bean and Dillon Davis. 

Bean has a lot of advantages in this race, thanks mostly to the heart he showed all season as the specialist QB in goal line situations. Bean was successful every single time in those situations, running for eight TD's and throwing for another. A few of those TD runs came on crucial 4th down situations, including two of them in the dramatic win over Penn.

In the spring, Bean also impressed with his throws and he was generally strong through the air in the spring game. The coaches seem to really believe in him too.

But don't count out Davis. His arm is strong and he showed good scrambling ability in the preseason scrimmage last year.

Dillon Davis in 2016

For most of Head Coach Al Bagnoli's career, he's utilized something of an 80/20 QB shuttle program where one QB gets almost all the snaps, but is given a rest for at least 2-3 possessions per game. He's tried to do that at one point or another almost every year here at Columbia, but injuries and other factors have made it impossible to do so consistently.

Bean's running ability and Davis' pocket passer skills seem perfectly fitted for that kind of a shuttle system this season.

If I had to bet on it right now, I'd say Bean is in the lead to either be the full starter or at least the "80" in that 80/20 QB job sharing agreement we could see this fall. But we really have to at least wait until the preseason coaches conference call before we get a better idea of what to expect.

One thing we do know is that Columbia will struggle mightily if the QB position is a weakness in 2018. Worse, the extraordinary talent at the wide receiver would likely be wasted for an entire season.

It's really "success or bust" for the Lions at QB this fall.

Two New Lions

Ryan Hamilton

Two more rising high school seniors committed to Columbia as the final summer camp wrapped up over the weekend.

The first to make his commitment public was 5-11, 195-pound DB/RB Ryan Hamilton from Coffman HS in Dublin, Ohio.

Hamilton appears to be something of an up-and-coming player the coaches may have wanted to snag before he has a possible breakout senior season. He was chosen to his conference's 2nd Team last fall. 

Hamilton will be only the second Coffman HS grad to come to Columbia, and the first since hard-hitting safety Clark Koury '09.

Bryan Bell-Anderson

The second commit is much more of a known quantity.

He's 5-10, 170-pound CB/WR Bryan Bell-Anderson from 2017 Florida state champions Dr. Phillips HS in Orlando, Florida.

Bell-Anderson had a number of offers, including from Cornell, Lafayette, and Furman.

Bell-Anderson will be the first Dr. Phillips HS grad to come to Columbia Football.

That brings our list of reportedly committed players for 2019 to five:



1. Bryan Bell-Anderson 5"10 170 lbs. Dr. Phillips HS Orlando, FL

2. Dominic Dodson DB 5"11 185 lbs. Central Catholic HS Pittsburgh, PA

3. Alex Felkins K 6"4 170 lbs. Holland Hall HS Tulsa, OK 

4. Ryan Hamilton DB/RB 5"11 195 lbs. Coffman HS Dublin, OH

5. Mitch Moyer 6-4, 255 lbs. Archmere Academy Claymont, DE  

Delaware Lion

Mitch Moyer


6-4, 255-pound DE Mitch Moyer from Archmere Academy in Delaware has committed to the Lions.

Moyer is also a star lacrosse player and he had earlier committed to Binghampton to play lacrosse.

But I think Moyer's stellar junior season on the gridiron changed that. He was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Delaware News Journal and interest in him started to grow.

Moyer will be just the second player from Archmere to come to Columbia Football and the first since Michael Tosi '67.

That brings our list of reportedly committed players for 2019 to three:

1. Dominic Dodson DB 5"11 185lbs. Central Catholic HS Pittsburgh, PA

2. Alex Felkins K 6"4 170 lbs. Holland Hall HS Tulsa, OK

3. Mitch Moyer 6-4, 255 lbs. Archmere Academy Claymont, DE  

Still a Step Up

With 74 days until we kick off the 2018 season, it looks like just about every pundit is expecting Columbia to fail to repeat on its 8-2/2nd place finish from last season.

But it's the reasons they're making those predictions that shows how far the Columbia program has become. Every assessment I've seen simply points to the graduation of QB Anders Hill and trouble any program would have replacing a player of his caliber in his senior year. 

Think about that. Just about any other time Columbia enjoyed success over the last 50 years, talk of a "fluke" and predictions that the Lions would turn back into a pumpkin would be all over the preseason publications.

But now with Head Coach Al Bagnoli at the helm and plenty of great returning talent, the consensus prediction is that Columbia will finish in the middle of the pack. Yes, that's a step up.


TV SCHEDULE

Yesterday, the athletic department released the 2018 schedule with kickoff times and TV information. I'm not sure if the ESPN+ deal precludes networks like SNY from simulcasting some Columbia games like they did last season. I hope we do get some simulcasts, because I like being able to see archived games in my living any time.

But we do know we have some fresh aspects to the schedule this year.

The season opener at Central Connecticut, (Bagnoli's Alma Mater), will be at the odd time of 5pm, so get an early dinner.

Game two at Georgetown begins at 2pm.

And remember, the home opener against Princeton will be on Friday night at 6pm.

Beginning "The List"

With summer recruiting camps in full swing at many Ivy schools, we're starting to see some commitments roll in for 2019.

Columbia now has two.

Dominic Dodson


The first committed a few weeks ago. He's 5-11 185-pound DB Dominic Dodson from Central Catholic HS in Pittsburgh.

According to my LionFeeders commitment database, Dawson will be the fifth Central Catholic grad to come to Columbia Football and the first since Mack Loughrey '10.

Alex Felkins


The second committed last week. He's 6-4 170-pound Kicker Alex Felkins from Holland Hall HS in Tulsa.

Felkins got very high marks from the Chris Sailer Kicking Academy and had preferred walk on offers at some top schools and an offer from Air Force Academy and Boston College.

Felkins will be the first Holland Hall grad to come to Columbia Football.


So, let's start the list for 2019


1. Dominic Dodson DB 5"11 185lbs. Central Catholic HS Pittsburgh, PA

2. Alex Felkins K 6"4 170 lbs. Holland Hall HS Tulsa, OK