Top 10 Games of the Decade #8: Lions get 1st Ivy win of Bagnoli Era

 

Oct. 31, 2015

Columbia 17 Yale 7

Head Coach Al Bagnoli took over a Columbia program in 2015 that had lost 21 straight games. They would stretch that to 24 before coasting over Wagner in week 4 in surprisingly easy fashion. 

But it just didn't feel like the Lions had turned a corner until they beat an Ivy team, and that finally happened at the Yale Bowl on a beautiful Halloween Day in week 7. 

Besides the significance of getting the Ivy losing streak monkey off their backs, the game was important for a number of other reasons.

First, it marked a changing of the guard from the talented, but oft-injured Skyler Mornhinweg at QB to then-sophomore Anders Hill. Mornhinweg had played decently in the 1st half, including ripping off a gutsy 29-yard run to set up the Lions only offensive TD of the game. But it was during this contest that Bagnoli and company seemed to first realize that Hill was possibly the answer to the team's scoring issues.

Hill took over in the 2nd half and led the two drives that would eventually end up netting the 10 points that were the difference in the final score. Hill and Mornhinweg 

Of course, the game mostly belonged to the Lion defense, who dominated the game and stuffed the Elis on the ground and through the air. Yale finished the day with negative-14 yards rushing and six sacks allowed. 

But perhaps the most definitive aspect of the game was the special teams and how they turned into the team's best unit during the course of that day alone. After giving up a punt return early the contest for Yale's only score, the Lions special teams made the difference first with a tricky 40 yard FG by Cameron Nizialek in the 3rd quarter and then with a fake FG turned into a scoring TD run by Nizialek a few minutes later. 

Pretty much since that day, Columbia's special teams have been difference makers in game after game.

The defensive star of the game was Chris Conway, a player who had his Yale commitment yanked away from him when Tony Reno took over. Conway had two sacks in the game on a day which must have felt extremely good for him. 

LionFeeder Database UPDATED

 As many of you know, I keep a database of every documented Columbia player and where he attended high school. This is to aid our recruiting efforts and to help with analytics. 

My LionFeeders database is now updated to include the incoming freshman class. The database is listed alphabetically by SCHOOL not by players' names. 

Top Games of the Decade #9

The scene after the refs finally made the call
 

Lions go to Double OT to avoid the 0-10 

November 19, 2011

Columbia 35 Brown 28 (2 OT)

By the time the final weekend of the 2011 season had rolled around, most Lions fans were entirely disgusted with the program. The 0-9 team had underachieved all season and suffered losses in stunningly new and painful ways, the worst of which was a total coaching breakdown in the Homecoming loss to Penn five weeks earlier. 

Luckily, the Columbia players still felt some motivation. It was obvious that avoiding a winless season was the prime factor, but the team that had been completely recruited by 6th year Head Coach Norries Wilson must have had an inkling that his job was seriously in jeopardy. (Indeed, he would be fired the next day). Most of the players always like Wilson very much, if not some of his assistant coaches. This is a common scenario in CU history. 

But this didn't translate into the Lions coming out of the gate strong. In a 1st half marked by sloppy play and turnovers from both teams, Brown went into the locker room ahead 21-7 and an 0-10 debacle of a year seemed to be cast in stone. 

The fumbles and missed opportunities continued through the 3rd quarter and it was still 21-7 when what everyone thought would be the final frame began. 

But the Lions finally took advantage of strip sack by Ryan Murphy on the first possession of the 4th quarter and scored on a Sean Brackett run for a TD on a 43-yard drive to make it 21-14. Then a Brown three-and-out marked by another Murphy sack led to a punt and a Lion possession on the Bear 40. That led to another CU TD care of a Brackett run and the game was tied. 

Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation, but a 41-yard Brown FG attempt was short and a 41-yard FG attempt by Columbia's Luke Eddy was blocked. 

In the first OT, Brown scored quickly but that was when Brackett really took over. He ran for a 1st down on a 4th and 1 at the 16, and then threw the game-tying TD pass to Hamiliton Garner on the next play. 

On the next possession to start the second OT, Brackett just did it all himself. All three CU plays were Brackett runs, the final one being a 16-yard dash for a TD.

But the real drama came on Brown's ensuing position. It took the Bears just two plays to get their initial first down of the second OT at the Lion 15. But three plays later, they faced a 4th and 4 at the 11. A third OT seemed inevitable after Brown completed a pass on that play to set up a 1st and goal at the 3. But the CU defense stiffened. An incomplete pass was followed by two runs that netted just two yards and the Bears had to go for it on 4th and 1. 

Then things got really weird. 

Brown's Mark Katchmer took a handoff, scampered to his right and was tackled... but where would the ball be spotted? 

The refs held off on a decision for what seemed like a half hour. 

But finally they ruled Katchmer down short of the goal line and the game was over. 

For the seniors playing in their final game, the win was a big relief coming in the most dramatic fashion. But the resolve on both sides of the ball that the Lions showed in the OT periods were also a reminder of how much more the team could have done that year. After all, Brown came into that game at 7-2 and 4-2 in the Ivies. The Bears were hardly a soft touch opponent. 

In any event, Coach Wilson was able to end his tenure at CU on a brief happy note and the seniors were spared the indignity that the Columbia senior classes of 2014 and 2015 would have to endure just two and three years later. 

Top Games of the Decade #10

Sean Brackett

As we prepare for the resumption of Columbia and Ivy League Football, there are a number of jobs I left undone during the COVID-19 lockdown that I will try to make up for now.

I want to start with something I should have begun working on the moment the 2019 season ended: a Top 10 ranking of the best Columbia games of the decade of the 2010's.

As you will see, most of the choices will be pretty obvious but I do want to share the key criteria I've used to compile my list.

The enduring importance of the game is the most important factor, followed by the quality/excitement of the game, and finally any outstanding individual effort. 

Let's start with Game #10 which checks the two latter boxes, especially the one on individual effort: 

Brackett Carries a Comeback

Columbia 20 Cornell 17 (Nov. 13, 2010, 1st Official Empire State Bowl)

QB Sean Brackett led other Lion wins in his career where his overall stats were better and the final score was more impressive. But this game was really his finest hour as a Lion because of how he personally seemed to will the win to fruition despite playing with a significant foot injury. 

Sometimes, it takes a few years to realize how meaningful a win like this game was. But not this time. As I wrote just a day after the contest, Brackett's individual effort and the nature of CU's comeback was immediately obvious to everyone.

Columbia came into the game a big favorite, with a 19-point edge on the betting sites that I had not ever seen for the Lions. But Cornell took control of the game early and Columbia looked like it had no chance to win well into the 3rd quarter. At the start of the final quarter, it was 17-3 Big Red. 

Brackett not only brought the Lions back into this game, but he did it mostly as a runner despite the foot injury. He also capped off the win with a TD-scoring leap over the goal line that seemed like the only right way for the game to end, (although there was added excitement just following the score after Cornell fumbled away the ensuing kickoff and truly icing the victory for the Light Blue). 

He finished with 151 yards rushing and a rushing TD. Passing, he went 19 for 41 for 204 yards and a passing TD. Those aren't bad stats at all, but you can't put a guy's heart in the stats. 

It's hard to believe Brackett was only a sophomore that season, and probably even harder for anyone who saw that game to believe that the promise Brackett showed up to that point didn't turn into more wins after that game. Most of that was due to factors Brackett had no control over, but this was a day when it seemed like he could control a lot of things on his own.

I would be remiss if I didn't also mention two other Lions who made that win happen. One was the great LB Alex Gross, who finished with 14 tackles and three pass breakups. DE Ryan Murphy had two sacks and harrassed Cornell's QB Jeff Mathews all day. Kicker Luke Eddy had a perfect FG & PAT day, and punter Greg Guttas punted the Lions out of trouble several times.

Oh, and the weather was perfect too!   

But time after time, it was Brackett taking off on runs to keep drives alive that won that game for Columbia. It's the kind of determination that should help him as he embarks on his new job as head coach for Waltham HS in Massachusetts this fall, even as he continues playing in the Arena Football League.

Special Special Special

Drew Schmid

It's nice to round out the last three unit forecasts with three good assessments in a row. 

And I can do that because the final group I'm looking at in this series is the Special Teams and this is a stellar group all around.

Some of the best news Columbia got this offseason came care of Punter Drew Schmid, who decided to return in 2021 for a 5th year. Schmid is more than a punter with great stats, he's also a big emotional booster for the team and has been since the day he committed. 

Kicker Alex Felkins freshman campaign in 2019 lived up to the considerable hype surrounding his abilities. He had a 51-yard FG at Princeton and a 50-yarder at St. Francis in his first collegiate game ever. I also thought his clutch FG to send the Harvard game into OT was a big deal for a freshman to pull off. Now officially a junior, the big question is will Felkins break the Ivy League longest field goal record of 54 yards currently held by a number of players, but last achieved by Yale's Tom Mante in 2009?

The return game for Columbia has been electric in recent seasons thanks to standouts like Mike Roussos and Will Allen. Both are back this season, but it's possible they won't be returning kicks and punts as much in hopes of protecting their key roles as starting WR (Roussos) and starting CB (Allen). If I had to guess though, Roussos will be deemed just too good to not use as the primary returner while Allen may be used sparingly if necessary. 

Kick coverage has been a strength for the Lions for some time, especially in the Bagnoli era. Linebackers and Special Teams coach Justin Stovall can make an argument for being Bagnoli's best assistant coach during his entire Columbia tenure. This year, he is overseeing an abundance of talent all around. 

Special Teams have played key roles in several wins for the Lions since Bagnoli took over this program, and fans can expect that to continue in 2021.  

Prime Secondary

credit: Columbia Football Twitter account

Columbia's defensive backs may have an even stronger argument than the linebackers that they are indeed the best overall unit on this team. There is already a good mix of experience and talent to get excited about.

Team leader Ben Mathiasmeier will return as a 5th year senior at strong safety in a big boost to the team's on the field talent and overall morale. He's joined by another 5th year senior in Will Allen at one of the cornerback spots. These are two very strong All-Ivy contenders. 

Slightly under the radar for some Lions fans are three other important returnees. Senior cornerback Fara'ad McCombs has extensive playing time and one start under his belt already. His talent is something the coaches often rave about, but he became one of my favorites when I noticed he was dancing to keep warm in between plays during the win over Yale in 2018! 

Senior Jordan Colbert has seven career starts in his career at safety, including having been the starting weak side safety to start 2019. 

Junior CB Bryan Bell-Anderson broke into the two-deep very early in his freshman year and should be a factor as well. When I noticed that his extended family was coming up to NYC for his games in 2019, I realized he was likely to become an impact starter soon enough. 

Senior Ryan Rhoden has never started, but he has seen action in 17 total games in just two seasons. Senior Derric Lee, who I thought would be an impact player when he committed has some game experience as well. 

Some of the other returnees like seniors Graham Flinn and Chris Park and junior Rallan Peace have at least seen the field on special teams and been on the road travel teams. 

Of course when you see all these returning DB's with so much experience it tells you three things: 1) CU has multiple 5th year seniors 2) CU suffered a lot of DB injuries over 2018 and 2019 3) CU uses a lot of DB's on its special teams. But if the injury bug subsides this season, none of those are bad things. 

Among the newcomers, freshman Jackson Wallace looks like an amazing hitter and perhaps a steal in the recruiting game. Fellow freshman Lucas Mireur might be even better. 

It's really hard not to be encouraged by the secondary for the Lions this coming season. But they will certainly be tested as the CU D-line is very raw. 

The Most Important Position?

Columbia's linebacking crew could turn out to be the best unit on the team, and one that may benefit the most from the added year to help injuries heal. 

Perhaps the best player on the entire team is LB Scott Valentas, now officially a junior. Valentas was twice named Ivy League Rookie of the Week and he played a big role in Columbia's wins over Penn and Harvard. 

Seniors Cam Dillon and John Harris also return and they bring a combination of talent and experience to the table. 

Then there's the encouraging presence of Justin Woodley on the roster. When he was injured in training camp in 2019 with a separated shoulder and then re-injured that shoulder in the Princeton game in week three, it seemed like his playing career was over. Thus, the fact that he is coming back for a 5th year should lead us to believe Woodley may be healed enough to again make an impact. Simply put, if he is ready to play at near the level he was before he first injured himself against Princeton in 2018, he could be an All Ivy player. 

Also coming back with some playing experience are seniors Cameron Brown, Devin Hart, and junior TJ McGarry.

The exciting newcomers at LB are led by Mike Roussos' brother Anthony Roussos, who was one of the best "gets" of the 2020 freshman class. 

Joining Roussos from the 2020 freshman class. (now officially sophomores), is the exceedingly speedy CJ Brown. who played outside LB and safety in HS and the coaches chose to plant him at LB. 

Freshman Rocco Milia looks promising coming out of the Brother Rice program in the Detroit area... his very Italian name and that Detroit pedigree have me hoping he'll follow in the footsteps of Gianmarco Rea '17, who was such a standout LB for the Lions. 

I'd say this group could be dominant if Valentas picks up where he left off, Dillon is healthy, Harris improves slightly, Woodely comes back at 90% of his 2018 level, and one of the newcomers like Roussos gets into the mix. 

That's crucial because many coaches have told me that linebacker is the most important unit on a college football team. From a Columbia standpoint that seems true as the two best Lion teams of the past generation, (1996 and 2017), both had standout linebacking crews (1996's LB's were led by Rory Wilfork, and the 2017 team had Michael Murphy, Woodley, and some talented role players). 

This year's linebackers will need to pick up what could be some significant slack from an inexperienced DL, so excellence here is non-negotiable if the Lions want to get back into contention in 2021.  

New Names in Front UPDATED

 

Cameron Carter

Of all the units on the 2021 Lions, the one with the most apparent holes to fill and tough questions coming along with that is the defensive line. 

Columbia's D-line has been mostly a strength in the Bagnoli era, but key graduations and a coaching change have to leave everyone with some concern for the fall.

The biggest loss was due to occur even before COVID-19, as outstanding DE Daniel DeLorenzi graduated in 2020. 

But also gone to graduation are key contributors like Arman Samouk, Cooper Wilson, Alex Robin, and Ogonna Oraedu.

The good news is that Cameron Carter, who continued to grow into a fierce pass rusher through 2018 and 2019, is returning as a 5th year senior. Carter will be a team leader and will certainly anchor the line. 

Another piece of good news is that rising senior Paul Akere has impressed the coaches and is poised for a possible breakout season. 

Other key returnees like senior Mitch Shinskie and juniors Cam Coleman and Mitch Moyer will need to step up their games, with Coleman looking especially promising. 

But that leaves a lot of holes to fill, and so we're back to the speculation game with the two classes of incoming players who will need to produce some standouts for CU to have a fighting chance up front. 

A few players who stood out to me during the recruiting process include freshman Justin Townsend from nearby Randolph HS in New Jersey, who may have only been available at the Ivy level because of a leg injury earlier in his career. 

Fellow freshman Brendon Jones got some extra attention when he apparently decommitted from UTSA to commit to Princeton and then decommitted from Princeton to commit to us. If he sticks around, he could be a playmaker. 

Officially a sophomore, Savon Rawlins was a late add to the 2020 freshman class and had a pretty good tape out of Princeton's Lawrenceville School. 

Another official sophomore with a very good looking tape is James Knox from Connecticut. 

Buffalo-area sophomore David Bartholomew had an intriguing tape, but also the biggest hands I've seen on a player in a long time. I'm not sure that will help him make tackles, but it can't hurt. 

The good news for all these newcomers is that the holes Columbia needs to fill at the position means they have a great chance to see the field sooner rather than later. 

The other good news is that they're going to be backed up by a deep and talented linebacking and secondary corps that should help ease this transition year for the DL. 

Grabbing the Ball UPDATED

 NOTE: I've made some additions to the original post, thanks to some reminders from readers about a few names I omitted

Mike Roussos

Throughout the Bagnoli era, Columbia's wide receiving and tight end corps have usually been an area of strength for the Lions. This year promises to feature a number of players who can definitely put a charge in a game, but the question of depth is potentially troubling. 

The pass-catchers are led by the dynamic Mike Roussos, who went from a return game phenom in his 2018 freshman season to the team's #1 WR in 2019 (in addition to remaining a very dangerous returner). Roussos has become starting QB Ty Lenhart's favorite receiver for all the right reasons. With his brother Anthony Roussos joining the team this year at LB, perhaps Mike will have an even bigger incentive to pick up his game.

But after Roussos, the question marks abound. The great combo of Josh Wainwright and Ronald Smith are gone. along with some of the great supporting actors from 2019 like Mozes Mooney. 

I'd peg the best prospects to start and contribute after Roussos on the following four names:

5th year senior Emerson Kabus is back, and he provides good experience to go along with major speed. It's hard to believe he'd be sticking around if he didn't feel confident he'd be getting significant touches this fall. 

Senior Ernest Robertson from the Bronx seemed to be breaking into the WR rotation a bit in 2019. He could be a factor this season if that trajectory continues. 

Freshman Marcus Libman is so reminiscent of Wainwright it's uncanny. He was a major "get" in this latest recruiting class and he should see the field early. *UPDATE: Many others believe Bryson Canty, who hails from the same HS as promising newcomer QB Gabriel Hollingsworth, is the best incoming freshman WR. I hope the competition is intense. 

Officially a sophomore, Chase Harleston also looks like a very strong contender to get on the field regularly. 

Obviously there are some good potential prospects elsewhere on the roster at WR, including Mason Tomlin, son of Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. But at 5-8, I'm not sure if Tomlin will be lining up wide very often. 

At Tight End, things look a bit more dire after the graduation of Rory Schlageter. 

Returning senior Casey Mariucci is back, and he's made some big catches in his career so far. 

After him, it's all question marks. 

Senior Brandon Radice is the only other returning TE other than Mariucci with significant playing time. But he still only has one career catch. 

Senior Jackson Heath was very promising when he joined the program in 2018, but injuries kept him off the field most of the time before COVID-19 hit. If he's healthy now, he could make a nice impact.

Junior Like Painton is a naturally interesting prospect because of his 6-6 height, but he didn't get to play in 2019 and that raises questions. 

Freshman Patrick Wade is also an interesting possibility, also because of his 6-6 stature, and sophomore Dominic Busby has to be an intriguing prospect considering how heavily he was recruited with offers from Rutgers and Maryland. 

While there are some great potential game-changers in this crew, the WR/TE corps really cannot be called an area of strength for Columbia right now... but I really wouldn't be surprised if it becomes more than a strength very soon. 

Up Front Questions

Zach Minch

The first two areas of my unit-by-unit analysis of the Columbia Lions were basically upbeat. I like where our QB and RB talent and depth are right now. 

But the catch is that neither of those above two units stands much of a chance to succeed without an effective offensive line. 

And the CU OL is going out on some thin ice this season to say the least. 

The good news is that the three players with at least some starting experience are coming back: Zach Minch, Stew Newblatt, and Will Hamilton. 

The bad news is that only Minch and Hamilton can really be thought of as full season starters. while Newblatt only has one game start in his career. The only other returning senior is Tyler Worrell, who has had some game action but mostly on special teams. 

It goes without saying that a number of juniors and sophomores will have to step things up to avoid an OL disaster for Columbia this season. 

Who looks like a good prospect at OL on paper? Well, we could start with freshman Greer Rush from Frisco, Texas who had some impressive preferred walk-on offers at Texas A&M and Mississippi State. I also like sophomore Noah Layton, whose highlight tape and frame made him look very attractive when he committed last year. Freshman John Iannuzzi comes from a good HS program and clearly crushed his opposing linemen a lot during his career. Freshman Gus Rice had some impressive offers and a lot of HS accolades from his district in Texas. Late addition to the freshman class, Patrick Passalacqua seems like he could be a contender as well.  

Also, don't forget about junior transfer Matt Klenk from the University of Buffalo. He could still be a dark horse impact player on the OL.  

But of all the positions on this team where the COVID-19 layoff has forced us to take some shots in the dark, the OL unit may be the biggest mystery, (with the possible just-as-troubling exception of the D-Line). 

Having the Horses UPDATED

 NOTE: I've made some additions to the original post, thanks to some reminders from readers about a few names I omitted

Ryan Young

Assessing depth will be hard, along with just about everything else after this long COVID-19 shutdown. But you'd have to be a pretty big pessimist not to feel pretty good at what Columbia has returning in its running back corps for this season. 

Atop that list is senior Ryan Young. Young came into 2018 and 2019 as the fullback-like, banging runner expected to get hard yards in the middle of the line. But despite his lack of Olympic-level speed, it's been Young who's had a number of breakaway touchdown runs over the last two seasons as he proves how lethal he can be once he bounces off the first guy trying to tackle him. The big, bruising RB used to be a staple in the Ivies from the days of Marinaro to Elias to DeOssie. But those days seem long passed until you see the way Young runs. 

The outside running speedster with experience is fellow senior Dante Miller. Miller's abilities have been showcased in a few spectacular runs over his first two seasons on the field. But speedsters need better initial holes to get free and either Miller hasn't found them as much or the Columbia OL simply hasn't provided enough of them. But Miller is a potential game-breaker and he's proved this to be true enough times to keep defenses honest. It will be great to see what extra rest to learn and heal, (Miller had a non-knee leg injury his freshman year), will do for his game. 

Flashes of brilliance also came last year for senior Broderick Taylor, who overcame a total of *two ACL tears in his freshman and sophomore years to get on the field in 2019. His breakout game was the Homecoming rout of a win against Penn, when he did most of the work on a game-icing drive that included a spectacular TD run. Taylor is clearly the player who could benefit the most from the added rest and recovery 2020 provided. 

Three new-comers also have to fill Lion fans with some optimism. UPDATED: Nicholas Nesbitt was heavily recruited in the Ivies and runs in the style of Dante Miller. Officially classified as a sophomore for now, Joey Giorgi simply looked very impressive on tape and had massive stats to back it up in HS. I would not be surprised if he gets into the mix soon. I'm not as sure about freshman Jake Langdon, but he seems to have a lot of the ingredients we see in successful Ivy runners. 

Considering what Columbia has in QB's who can run and RB's who can run, one could make an argument for CU to ditch the spread offense and go with a "ground and pound" attack that just about every Ivy defense is simply not equipped to stop. Of course, to do that you need a great offensive line and the OL will be the subject of the next installment of this unit-by-unit analysis. 

QB Weapons & Questions

 

Ty Lenhart

As more time passes since the end of Columbia's remarkable 2017 season, it becomes more and more obvious that the biggest key to that season was the historically strong play of QB Anders Hill.

 

I could go into a game-by-game proof of this, but let's just say no Lion fan should ever underestimate the importance of the QB position ever again.

 

So not only is this year a season where its crucial to get great play from Columbia's QB, but this is true every year.

 

Okay, the above statements aren't exactly rocket science. What is hard is trying to figure out where CU is at QB after this long COVID hiatus.

 

When we last left our intrepid Lions, then-Sophomore Ty Lenhart was the starter. On the positive side, Lenhart showed better arm strength, was a dangerous runner, and had created a great connection with fellow then-sophomore WR Mike Roussos.

 

The bad news is that Lenhart was committing way too many turnovers, via interceptions and fumbles when he ran. But the Columbia coaches ended the season still very much invested in Lenhart, leaving the optimists among us daydreaming about how good he could be if he cut down on those turnovers.

 

That's still pretty much where we are today, but we've been robbed of, (or gifted with, it all depends on your perspective), an additional year of games where Lenhart could have worked on protecting the ball. Unless he comes back for a 5^th year season, he'll have to make those improvements on the field faster.

 

I don't think there's any strong reason to believe Lenhart won't be the presumed starter coming into training camp or any other kinds of practices the league will eventually allow this summer. But Columbia has some new weapons at the position that could either challenge him for the starting job or just diversify the CU attack.

 

Gabriel Hollingsworth

Officially designated as sophomores now, transfer QB Joe Green and 2020 freshman Gabriel Hollingsworth both present some exciting possibilities. The coaches are very high on Hollingsworth, a strong speedster in the mold of Princeton's amazing John Lovett. In addition to being the same height as Lovett, (6-3), Hollingsworth is faster. He is 20 pounds lighter than Lovett was by the time he was a senior for the Tigers. I've seen some of Hollingsworth's training videos, and he looks exciting. He may be one of the rare beneficiaries of the extra wait time to get on the field that everyone's had to endure because of COVID.

 

I wrote more about Green when he first transferred to Columbia 13 months ago. He's waited a very long time to get on the collegiate field in real game action, so if he's not motivated to earn some playing time now he never will be.

 

I expect some combination of two or all three of these guys to be at QB this season and that makes this position an asset for Columbia right now. Whether it will be an asset strong enough to make Columbia contender is a bigger question.

New Class Officially Announced!

Al Bagnoli

Don Shula

The Athletic Department has now made the official announcement listing the incoming freshman class for the 2021 season. 

No, we don't yet know what the 2021 season will look like. But as of June 3, it sure seems like we will have a full 10-game season. I think the biggest variables are going to be exact dates and locations, (the allowed level of crowd size no longer seems like it will be an issue).

We do know that this class is just about 100% what I reported it would be over the course of the last year. The only name missing on the official list from my list is Anthony D'Angelo, who in retrospect may have been a result of me mistakenly putting him on the list in the first place. Another change is that OL Patrick Passalacqua, originally slated to be a part of the 2020 freshman class, is now a 2021 class member.

My LionFeeders all-time recruitment database will be updated to include this new class sometime over the next few days.

I've written a few words about each of these incoming players over the past year, so I won't rehash that now, but I would like to launch the restart of the Roar Lions Blog after this long hiatus with a look at how Columbia looks position by position. 

I'll start in the coming days with a look at the QB position, but before I do that let's not ignore the elephant in the room and discuss what may be the effects of this unprecedented canceled year due to the COVID-19-related lockdowns. 

"Unprecedented" is a word that gets overused and abused in news and sports reporting, but I don't think this is one of those cases. They kept playing football at all the current Ivy schools even during World Wars I and II, and other hard times in our history. This is truly the greatest disruption Ivy sports have ever seen.

There's a school of thought out there right now that the teams that return the most players with previous experience *playing with each other* will have a big advantage this season. The trouble with that theory is that a full year off from games and practices represents more than 5% of the entire lifespan of these players. The experience of a year, or even two years, of playing with others in a program is likely to fade after all this time. I'm not saying this experience is nothing, but the adjustment of getting back to official practices and games is going to be so massive this fall that it is really likely to erase any muscle memory these players may have established way back in 2019. So, I'd say this is a secondary factor to overall talent and one more variable that should be very obvious: coaching. 

The way things have been thrown into disarray in Ivy Football right now reminds me most of the situation the NFL faced during and immediately after the 1982 players strike. It's no coincidence that after that tumult the two teams that made it into the Super Bowl were Miami, coached by the AFC's most experienced leader in Don Shula, and Washington, coached by the best young coach in football at the time, Joe Gibbs. 

Would the Redskins had made Super Bowl XVII without the strike accentuating the coaching prowess of Gibbs? There's a very good chance the answer to that question is "yes," especially since the 'Skins posted a 14-2 record the following year and an NFC championship to go with it. 

But I'm a strong believer that there is NO WAY the Dolphins would have won the AFC title without the strike acting as a magnifier for Shula's talents. Given a full season, surely the Raiders or the Jets that year would have won the AFC crown. 

So which coaches in the Ivies are the best suited to weather this very unusual and disorienting storm? 

Columbia has to feel good that the Ivies' best coach over the last 30 years is on their sideline in Al Bagnoli. No, Bagnoli's talents couldn't overcome the issues the Lions had in 2019 with injuries and inexperience at QB. But given this blank slate of a season to come, his abilities serve as one certainty to build on. As high as the hurdles are for every team this year, they are nothing like the adversity Bagnoli faced when he came to Columbia in 2015. As accomplished as people like Bob Surace at Princeton and Tim Murphy at Harvard may be, I'd argue that only Buddy Teevens at Dartmouth has been through anything like that kind of adversity and been able to overcome it. 

This doesn't mean Columbia should be favored to win the Ivy title. But Bagnoli's name on the office door is one of the most valuable commodities in this league right now.