Los Fresnos HS
My growing LionFeeders database of just about every man who has been listed on the Columbia Football roster over the year is now updated to include the current freshman class.
As always, I hope this serves as a valuable tool for our coaches as they recruit across the country.
Augustus Rice (left)
Since my last posting, the coaches have tweeted about two new commits for the fall 2021 incoming freshman class.
Friends have helped me identify the big lineman from Texas they mentioned, but not the WR from California.
(The lineman from Maryland I couldn't confirm earlier was indeed Anthony D'Angelo.
The lineman is 6-6 305-pound OT Augustus Rice from Waller HS in Waller, TX. Rice had offers from several schools, including Dartmouth, Cornell, and Tulane.
Rice will be the first Waller HS grad to come to Columbia Football.
1. William Butz LB 6-2 210 lbs. Riverside HS Leesburg, VA
2. Patrick Colicchio OL 6-4 280 lbs. Bergen Catholic Oradell, NJ
3. Anthony D'Angelo OL 6-4 245 lbs. Kent Island HS Stevensville, MD
4. Raleigh Erwin DL 6-2 245 lbs. Lake Travis HS Austin, TX
5. Austin Grier QB 6-0 200 lbs. Vance HS Charlotte, NC
6. Hayden McDonald DB/WR 5-10 170 lbs. O'Dea HS Seattle, WA
7. Lucas Mireur DB 6-1 180 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX
8. Judge Niland OL 6-4 237 lbs. Lake Travis HS Austin, TX
9. Augustus Rice OL 6-6 305 lbs. Waller HS Waller, TX
As disappointed as I am about no Columbia Football this fall, there is a possibility that there will be some kind of season this spring... and so with that in mind, let's look at some of the news since the academic semester began:
Official New Class
-I'm a bit hesitant to officially update the freshman class of 2020 without ever knowing if they will truly have a freshman season, but the official Columbia Football website has all the incoming freshmen listed on the roster now. I'll add them to my LionFeeders all-time recruitment database by the end of the week, but here are some notes and updates:
1) Right at the top of the list alphabetically is a late addition in 6-5, 235-pound DL Quentin Autry from Notre Dame HS in Lawrenceville, NJ. Autry will be the first Notre Dame HS grad to come to Columbia Football.
2) Another late addition is 6-3, 295-pound OL Noah Mallard from Denmark HS in Cumming, GA. Mallard will also be the first CU Football player from Denmark HS.
3) 6-4, 290-pound OL Zach Mills originally committed for 2019, but took a PG year at Massachusetts' Williston Northampton Prep after graduating from Mandarin HS in Jacksonville, FL. Mills is the second Mandarin HS grad to come to Columbia Football after QB Joe Winters '06. He's the 5th Williston Northampton grad to come to the CU Football program.
4) 5-11, 165-pound WR Isaac Silva from Hawaii's Saint Louis School was another late add. Silva will be the first St. Louis School grad to come to Columbia Football since Joe Almony '70.
5) Speedy CB Trey King dropped his Columbia commitment for Trinity.
6) Cooper Thomas also did not make it onto the incoming roster, but he may be deferring for a year as I see no evidence of a commitment elsewhere.
2021 Class
Believe it or not, schools are still giving out offers for next season's freshmen even as we don't know much about what will happen with this season.
Columbia has eight commitments for 2021 so far.
They are:
1. William Butz LB 6-2 210 lbs. Riverside HS Leesburg, VA
Butz would be the first to come to CU Football from Riverside HS
2. Patrick Colicchio OL 6-4 280 lbs. Bergen Catholic Oradell, NJ
Rare recruiting win of a kid offered by all eight Ivies. Would be 13th Bergen Catholic grad to come to CU Football.
3. Raleigh Erwin DL 6-2 245 lbs. Lake Travis HS Austin, TX
Would be thirst Lake Travis HS grad to come to Columbia Football. Lake Travis is where we found the talented Brock Kenyon '17.
4. Austin Grier QB 6-0 200 lbs. Vance HS Charlotte, NC
Will be first Vance HS grad to come to CU Football.
5. Hayden McDonald DB/WR 5-10 170 lbs. O'Dea HS Seattle, WA
Will be first O'Dea HS grad to come to CU Football.
6. Lucas Mireur DB 6-1 180 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX
May be the best of the '21 class so far. Will be third Westlake HS grad to come to CU Football.
7. Judge Niland OL 6-4 237 lbs. Lake Travis HS Austin, TX
Yes, we've been busy in Austin this year.
8. Still unidentified commit from Maryland, but I believe it's OL Anthony J. De'Angelo from Kent Island HS in Stevensville, MD
Another Tough Loss
Massachusetts State Senator Martin Dunn '79 died last week. As Frank Furillo '70 tells me:
"He was involved in Democratic politics in MA for many years, and would always sponsor a bus trip for a group of 40 annually to one Columbia away game (usually (Dartmouth, Harvard or Yale) ….. he’d pay for the bus, the beer, and the after party at a local watering hole near the game …. Generous and well-liked are words that best describe Marty Dunn."
Today is September 12, 2020.
Today should be the beginning of "game week" to start the Ivy League football season.
Today should have been the day I publish my final predictions for the upcoming year.
Today should have been a lot of things.
But instead, Columbia Football and most of the rest of college football is silent and we don't even know when our sport will resume.
As much as I'm feeling pretty bereft about missing my favorite part of the sports year, my real sympathies go out to the student athletes and the student body in general. Something has been stolen from them, and there's really no knowing if the theft was in any way justified. Not only are sports canceled, but Columbia's entire fall semester is a sham of online classes that takes away the true educational atmosphere that is interacting with classmates and professors in and out of class.
I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the COVID-19 lockdowns and cancellations weren't a major reason why I've taken almost 5 months off from posting here, even as the incoming 2020 freshmen class was announced and we've learned of new commitments for 2021. I will resume with some updates and analysis beginning this week.
But for now, I just wanted to express what I think all of us are feeling: frustration and sadness.
