Two More for 2020

Over the weekend, we got confirmation that two more rising high school seniors have committed to Columbia for next year.

First is 6-2, 265 pound OL Patrick Passalacqua from Old Tappan HS in Old Tappan, New Jersey. Passalacqua will be the first Old Tappan grad to come to Columbia Football.

Clarence Krebs


Second is 6-5, 275 pound OL Clarence Krebs from Servite HS in Anaheim, California.

Krebs' older brother Richard is an incoming freshman OL at Princeton.

Krebs will be the third Servite grad to come to Columbia and the first since Ray Rangel '06.

That brings our list of commits for 2020 to eight:

1. Braeden Bellmer OL 6-4 260 lbs. Puyallup HS Puyallup, WA

2. Jackson Coker WR 5-11 170 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX 

3. Kristopher Jenner QB 6-5 225 lbs. The McDonogh School Owings Mills, MD 

4. Clarence Krebs OL 6-5 275 lbs. Servite HS Anaheim, CA

5. Carter McFadden FS/WR 5-10 165 lbs. Montgomery HS Skillman, NJ 

6. Patrick Passalacqua OL 6-2 265 lbs. Old Tappan HS Old Tappan, NJ

7. Anthony Roussos LB 6-0 210 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL

8. Cooper Thomas LB 6-2 215 lbs. St. Thomas HS (Houston, TX)

One Sentence Forecasts

I've seen some previews of the 2019 Ivy football season that have come out online over the last few weeks.

Some are pretty good, some have been pretty awful, (especially the ones that get basic info wrong, including last year's W-L records).

Of course I'll have my full preview of the Ivy season coming up in about six weeks. But for now, here's the quickie version: (subject to change)

1. Dartmouth: The Big Green came about as close to winning the title last year as you can get without getting it, and they return all the key players except on the O-line.

2. Columbia: The Lions have a bevvy of returning talent after eking out a winning record with massive injuries last year.

3. Yale: The Elis are getting key players back from injury, but also losing many to graduation.

4. Harvard: The Crimson have one of the best incoming freshmen classes we've seen in a long time; it should be enough to make them a contender again.

5. Princeton: Great defense coming back, but the Tigers haven't proven they can win consistently without the now-graduated John Lovett.

6. Penn: The Quakers could surprise, but the program seems to be sliding.

7. Cornell: Every once in a while the Big Red sneaks up on you, but that'll be hard to do with a new QB this year.

8. Brown: I'm a big James Perry fan, but this project will take more time than one season.

Texas Commit Confirmed

Cooper Thomas


Now I have the basic confirmation I needed to report that the new commit from Texas is 6-2 215 pound LB Cooper Thomas from St. Thomas HS in Houston.

Thomas will be the third documented St. Thomas grad to come to Columbia Football, following Mike Orr and Wes Rucker, both from CU class of 2001.

Thomas was named to a number of Houston area all-star teams and combines great speed with incredible lifting stats.

That brings our list of commits for 2020 to six:

1. Braeden Bellmer OL 6-4 260 lbs. Puyallup HS Puyallup, WA

2. Jackson Coker WR 5-11 170 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX 

3. Kristopher Jenner QB 6-5 225 lbs. The McDonogh School Owings Mills, MD

4. Carter McFadden FS/WR 5-10 165 lbs. Montgomery HS Skillman, NJ

5. Anthony Roussos LB 6-0 210 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL

6. Cooper Thomas LB 6-2 215 lbs. St. Thomas HS (Houston, TX)

Big Time QB

Kris Jenner

6-5 225 pound QB Kristopher Jenner from The McDonogh School in Owings Mills, MD has committed to the Lions.

Of all the 30-plus QBs we offered where we had a realistic chance of getting a commitment, Jenner looked like the best one with his great size and strong and accurate arm.

Jenner will be the first McDonogh HS grad to come to Columbia. His father was a QB for the Illini at the University of Illinois and his sisters are star lacrosse players at Duke.

The coaches are also tweeting about a Texas recruit committing to the Lions, and I THINK I know who it is... but my rules keep me from posting until I have some form of reasonable confirmation.

That brings our list of commits for 2020 to five:

1. Braeden Bellmer OL 6-4 260 lbs. Puyallup HS Puyallup, WA

2. Jackson Coker WR 5-11 170 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX 

3. Kristopher Jenner QB 6-5 225 lbs. The McDonogh School Owings Mills, MD

4. Carter McFadden FS/WR 5-10 165 lbs. Montgomery HS Skillman, NJ

5. Anthony Roussos LB 6-0 210 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL

LionFeeders Updated!

My running database of every documented Columbia Football player and commit plus their high school information has been updated to include the new players coming for 2019.

The LionFeeders database has been a strong recruiting tool for our coaches.

If you see any mistakes, especially those connected to high schools that are now defunct or have changed their names/merged, please let me know!

Speedy Safety

Carter McFadden


5-10 165 pound FS/WR Carter McFadden from Montgomery HS in Skillman, NJ has committed to the Lions.

McFadden appears to only have had some offers from some Division III schools, but his speed is undeniable.

McFadden will be the first Montgomery grad to come to Columbia Football.

That brings our list of commits for 2020 to four:

1. Braeden Bellmer OL 6-4 260 lbs. Puyallup HS Puyallup, WA

2. Jackson Coker WR 5-11 170 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX 

3. Carter McFadden FS/WR 5-10 165 lbs. Montgomery HS Skillman, NJ

4. Anthony Roussos LB 6-0 210 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL

Pacific Coast and Brotherly Commits

Braeden Bellmer

6-4, 260 pound OL Braeden Bellmer from Puyallup HS in the Tacoma/Seattle area has committed to the Lions for 2020.

Bellmar had offers from Rice, Harvard, Eastern Washington, and several other schools. According to my Lionfeeders database, He will be only the second Puyallup HS grad to come to Columbia Football and the first since Dan Grimm '72.

Anthony Roussos

Also joining the Lions next year is a player with a familiar last name, Anthony Roussos a 6-0, 210 pound LB from River Ridge HS in New Port Richey, FL.

Yes, Roussos is the younger brother of rising Lion sophomore All Ivy kick returner Mike Roussos.  He and his brother are the only River Ridge players to come to Columbia Football.

The younger Roussos has played on offense in high school, but he will be a linebacker for CU.

So our list of commits for 2020 has swelled to three:

1. Braeden Bellmer OL 6-4 260 lbs. Puyallup HS Puyallup, WA

2. Jackson Coker WR 5-11 170 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX

3. Anthony Roussos LB 6-0 210 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL

Brian DeVeau Wake & Funeral Information

A wake for Brian DeVeau '13, who tragically died in a car accident on June 23rd , will be held this Saturday at the Scanlan Funeral Home in Kinnelon, NJ from 4:00pm to 8:00pm.

The funeral mass will be this Sunday at Our Lady of the Magnificat Church in Kinnelon at 2:00pm, with a vigil at 1:00pm at the Scanlan Funeral Home before a funeral procession to the church.

BREAKING: 2019 Newcomers Announced

The official list of the incoming 2019 football class is out, and there are some updates to the info we've been working with for the last few months.

CHANGES/ADJUSTMENTS

Added to the list on incoming new players is 5-11 185 pound RB Jayden Rolle.

Jayden is from Barron Collier HS in Naples, Florida, and is the first graduate of that high school to come to Columbia Football.

Another addition to our is a 6-4 285 pound OL transfer with sophomore standing from the University of Richmond, Jack Doherty. Jack is a graduate of Franklin Road Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, and he will join his HS classmate LB Watson Tansil on the Lion squad.

Another OL transfer from the University of Buffalo with freshman status, Matt Klenk, became known to us in April. 

OL Zachary Mills, thought to have committed in February, is not on the list.

MORE LATER