Columbia Football training camp begins in about a month, and here are the five biggest questions that need to be answered:
5) Will the Lions be Ready for a Tougher Schedule?
It's seems likely that all 10 of CU's 2023 opponents will be improved compared to last year. The opener at Lafayette will feature an opponent with a stingy defense and picked for 3rd in the Patriot League. Marist has reportedly made some roster improvements (details pending). So, Columbia's six-game out of conference winning streak is definitely in jeopardy. Meanwhile, six of Columbia's seven Ivy opponents bring back their starting QB's.
4) Can Felkins be Adequately Replaced?
I thought senior William Hughes looked good as a placekicker in the spring game, and he certainly was a salvation as a punter at the end of last season for the Lions. If Columbia ends up having to sacrifice Alex Felkins' range (Felkins is now with Penn State as a grad transfer) for similar or better consistency from within 35 yards, the Lions will take it.
3) Who's the Mike?
Unanimous 1st Team All Ivy Middle Linebacker Scott Valentas' decision to graduate presents a major challenge for the defense. If I had to bet, I'd say the new MLB will be Anthony Roussos, or maybe Rocco Milia, but I think there are more than two candidates for this crucial job.
2) Will the New O-Line be Ready?
Columbia's offensive line took a major hit from graduation, but still returns a decent number of experienced players. The problem is, the Lions have become used to having a strong O-line the last two seasons and it seems unlikely that it will be able to maintain that level this year. The big wildcard is the move to switch senior TE Luke Painton to Left Tackle, which the optimistic among us can hope will be a game changer.
1) Who's the Starting QB?
Senior Joe Green had a strong 2021 season, but we now know he was already injured going into 2022. 5th year senior Caden Bell was a revelation as the starter during the second half of last season, showing some unique skills along the way. Can the job somehow be shared? Could Bell and Green sometimes line up on the field at the same time like Princeton did so effectively with its two QB's in 2016 and 2018? The possibilities are numerous.
8 comments:
Who will be punting for us? We have had some great punters who could flip the field. last year our punting game was inconsistent and in a few games dreadful. and do we have any impact guys in the incoming class?
I expect Hughes to keep punting as well. Remember, he came in to save the punting game and snag 2nd Team All Ivy honors.
I think an interesting question will also be how quickly the team can get fully conditioned. Lafayette and Marist will have a couple weeks advantage in starting their fall camps. As of now, there are a number of kids not participating in the summer workouts. Right now the number is around 40-45 who are there working out.
Conditioning always a concern, Anonymous #2 !
With Lafayette having played 2 road games before they see us as their home opener, I feel we start
with a tremendous disadvantage. The risk for injury is greater. I wish we would start our seasons on an even keel with OOC competition but understand it’s probably not possible with other conferences playing 11 or 12 game schedules to our 10.
Agree, Doc. The delayed start hampers things, especially with the incoming freshmen. But those 6 weeks of summer workouts helps even things a bit. That's why it's important for the squad to attend those so they can roll in to fall camp already in good shape.
Al’s teams are always well conditioned, and I expect that we’ll see a lot more players show up for summer workouts beginning in August. what I want to know is when our OOC opponents actually open their training camps. PS, I owe an apology to Mr. Hughes. I had forgotten that he is going to be back, and he certainly turned the punting game around for us.
This is off topic but hoping to get advice from posters to this blog. My son is a former player who had a great experience. When he was in high school, we worked with a firm that specialized in proactively networking for student athletes, with their strong contacts in the college coaching community with elite universities. He ended up getting 6 offers. I am being asked if I could provide referrals and help them grow their business. Would any of you have advice on how I should go about this and not come across as a hard sell or overstepping my bounds? I was thinking of contacting parents of former players and debating whether I should let coaches know I may be doing this. I just don’t want to come across the wrong way. The investment we made with this firm
for my sons recruitment was one of the best I have ever made. They only take clients who have student athletes with the ability to play at college level but may be under the radar. I respectfully appreciate anyone’s advice, including Jakes. Thank you
Don't be shy. This is something that helped your son and can help other people. Reach out to parents, coaches, high school coaches, etc. You're doing the right thing.
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