Dante's A Giant!

We just learned that standout Lion RB Dante Miller '22 has been signed by the N.Y. Giants.

This excellent article includes a lot of Dante's story, much of which the fans never knew during his time at Columbia. It also includes details on how the University of South Carolina messed up aspects of his post-Ivy eligibility. But Miller persevered and he's now in the NFL

QUICK NOTES ON SPRING BALL

I'll be attending the Spring Game on 4/20 & perhaps a practice or two as well, but I haven't gleaned too much info about how things are going during these sessions so far. 

But here's what I do know:

Offensive Coordinator Seitu Smith's offense is more pass oriented than the previous system, energizing some of the players a bit more so far. 

Transfer QB Cole Freeman is not participating in spring practice, (probably by rule). The bulk of the snaps at QB are being taken by rising sophomores Xander Menapace and Chase Goodwin, and rising junior AJ Simpkins. 

I know that doesn't exactly tell us much about the QB depth chart, but that's what I got. 

Farewell to a Faithful Lion

This one really hurts...

Our friend and probably the #1 Lion football fan in the world, Frank Furillo '70 passed away yesterday after a battle with cancer. 

Frank came to Columbia after graduating from Reading Catholic HS in Pennsylvania, (now folded into Berks Catholic HS), and a post-graduate year at the Hun School. 

In addition to the many tailgates he graciously hosted, Frank also sent out creative emails with tons of great Lion football history and pictures. 

Frank was the glue that kept many former players and fans together, and he was especially excited when Jon Poppe, son of his dear friend Bill Poppe '70 was named head coach. 

On a personal note, Frank was always very kind and supportive to me. That includes the times when I was under the gun. 

To say I'm going to miss him, his emails, and especially seeing him at the games is a big understatement. I can only imagine how his lifelong friends and former teammates feel. 

I have learned that there is a plan in place to honor Frank at the Princeton game this fall on October 5th. 

I urge all of those friends and teammates to comment here: 

 

Some Quick Shout Outs

The Girls are Alright

Of course the biggest sports news on Columbia's campus this year has been the spectacular women's basketball team and its berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Tonight is the big play-in game against Vanderbilt, and I'm betting most of the readers here will be glued to the game. 

The women's team success is not totally unrelated to football, as I believe Athletic Director Peter Pilling hired new football head coach John Poppe in hopes that he would follow in the model set out by women's hoops head coach Megan Griffith. I believe the two of them are even personal friends. 

Subway Save

Getting back to football, late last month during the teams' weight room preps for spring practice, rising junior WR Edan Stagg was involved in the rescue of local man who was trapped between the subway car and the gap in the platform at the 215th Street Subway station. The conductors were oblivious to the situation, but Stagg alerted them as he worked to extricate the man and keep the train car doors from closing. 

Stagg has NOT been seeking any publicity for this heroic act, so I kept it a little quiet for these last few weeks. But I think it's okay to give him credit for it now. 

Big Spring Practice Question

I'll do a longer form preview of spring practice in the coming days. But I think the big question is who will take the most snaps at QB. As part of that question I am also unsure if Northwestern transfer QB Cole Freeman is already taking classes and if so, does that mean he can participate in spring practice?

Brave Man of the North 

Back to the shout outs: Finally, I want to acknowledge the news out of Hanover that the great Bruce Wood of Big Green Alert announced that he will be ending his extensive paid-site coverage of Dartmouth Football for a number of logistical and personal reasons. He will, however, still be frequently updating his free blog.

Bruce has quite clearly been the best journalist covering Ivy League Football for five decades. I have also been really grateful for his encouragement and friendship. 

 

More Harvard Angst

The latest online edition of Harvard Magazine  continues the recent hand-wringing in Cambridge over the hiring of Andrew Aurich as the new football head coach. 

It also contains this gem of a comment, Lions fans will love:

"On February 11, the Harvard Crimson published a scathing critique of the choice. Passed over (among others) were internal candidates Joel Lamb ’93, who was Murphy’s assistant head coach-quarterbacks, and Scott Larkee ’99, assistant head coach-defensive coordinator and linebackers. (Another onetime potential choice, former assistant coach and special teams wizard Jon Poppe, is the new head coach at Columbia. Watch for the Lions to get good, and fast.)"

We'll see.

Lion in Need

 

Recent Lion Football grad Bryan Bell-Anderson '23 has just this month been diagnosed with leukemia. 

A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help him and his family cope with the costs connected to his care.

We wish Bryan all the best. 

Eerily Reminiscent of...

Andrew Aurich

If you read Friday's Wall Street Journal piece on alumni anger over the hiring of Andrew Aurich as Harvard's new football head coach, you can't help but feel like instead of learning from Columbia's mistakes of the past, the Crimson are emulating them.

This is NOT to say Aurich won't be successful for Harvard. For all we know, this could be the beginning of a new dominant era in Cambridge. But the alumni complaints about his hiring and his previous experience are very reminiscent of a number of periods in Columbia Football history, and I don't think I need to lay that out in detail to prove my point. Anyone reading this blog over the years knows exactly what I'm talking about. 

If I had to guess why this has happened at Columbia, Harvard and many other schools over the years I'd say it's really indicative of an American university system that rarely feels any pressures of accountability. This is especially true for Ivy schools, who until this year almost never saw scrutiny from any groups other than the far right in this country. This habit of not being forthcoming about the hiring process was inevitably going to spread to athletics, and it has. 

If Harvard had a fan blog, I wonder how nasty the anonymous comments would be! 

The good news is that this story proves you don't have to be the fan of a program going on 63 years without a championship to be angry about being treated like garbage by your alma mater. I think Ivy Football has a long future ahead of it when even Harvard's alums/fans can get this angry. 

Based on what we learned in the WSJ article and what I've heard from others over the last few months, one winner in all of this is new Columbia Head Coach Jon Poppe. It seems like he got out of a vipers nest of assistants at Harvard determined to edge out their peers for the top job only to see all of them spurned. Poppe's "demotion" to head coach at a D-III school lasted just one year and now he's in a better position than everyone who stayed with the Crimson waiting Tim Murphy out. 

Well played Jon, here's hoping you have the same keen strategic skills for the Lions on the field this fall. 

The "Sanchez Era?"

It's not a stretch to say that Caleb Sanchez's decision to come to Columbia is the most prominent commitment to this football program in the modern era.

The story is getting a lot of standalone write-ups in national football recruting websites, sports pages, and even was the subject of a Twitter/X post from Eric Sondheimer, the LA Times top HS football reporter (with 114K followers to boot). 

All the disclaimers about incoming freshmen still apply. They include reminders that Sanchez may need more time to adjust to college football, life in school, and NYC. Also, even the best QB's often take a very long time to develop.

But it's still okay to focus on the fact that Head Coach Jon Poppe has indeed delivered a major "big fish" to this program right off the bat. 

Give a good deal of credit to Al Bagnoli and Mark Fabish though, because there's no way Sanchez makes this decision if this were 2015 and the Lions were riding a 21-game losing streak as they were when Bagnoli, Fabish, & co. got here. It was getting commitments like this that I was talking about when I emphasized that Poppe was dealing with this program in its best state for a new head coach since Lou Little retired in 1956. Even with his great reputation, Bagnoli wasn't really able to bring in top recruiting prospects in that first year because of the state of the program and because he didn't take over the job until February of that year. 

Of course, this all comes as Columbia just happens to be in need of a new starting QB for the fall. No matter how talented he is, it's a lot to ask a true freshman in the Ivy League to be ready to start at QB at any point in the season let alone right off the bat. But perhaps his very presence at training camp and beyond will inspire the older QBs to put in their best effort levels that only competition from a nationally-known and coveted recruit can produce. 

Whoever does get the QB starting job will have some advantages compared to last season. That includes the fact that the offensive line will be more experienced. 

For now, the new coaching staff needs to do its best to prepare Sanchez as much as it can without Sanchez getting the benefit of spring practice or any full squad workouts/practices until August. Perhaps that means helping him and his family prepare mostly for the emotional changes ahead as best as they can. 

But how this staff deals with, develops, and parlays this Sanchez opportunity could very well be the main factor in how it is judged for all time. 

2 More

 

6-2, 284-pound DL/OL William Matthew from Orange Vista HS in Perris, California has committed to the Lions. 

Matthew had offers from Cornell. San Diego, Western Colorado, Davidson, and Northern Arizona. He will be the first Orange Vista grad to come to Columbia Football.

6-7, 295-pound OL Charlie Slavik from Bishop Blanchet HS in Seattle has committed to the Lions. 

Slavik had offers from Pacific and Whitworth. He will be the first Bishop Blanchet grad to come to Columbia Football. 

So the list of known commits/transfers grows to 23:

1) Richard Bell Jr. DE/TE 6"5 250 lbs. Northview Academy Kodak, TN

2) Benjamin Bruce WR/DB 6"0 160 lbs. Trinity Christian HS Lubbock, TX

3) Blaize Cameron TE 6"4 225 lbs. Clarkson Football North/Choate Rosemary Hall (PG year) Burlington, ON CANADA

4) Will Carstens DL/TE 6"5 240 lbs. Myrtle Beach Collegiate Academy Myrtle Beach, NC

5) Hutch Crow WR 6"0 185 lbs. Parish Episcopal HS Dallas, TX 

6) Rodrigo Diaz-Martorella DE/TE 6"4 255 lbs. Miami Palmetto HS Miami, FL 

7) Liam Donagher DB 6"2 200 lbs. Grafton Memorial HS/Choate (PG Year) Grafton, MA

8) Jeremiah Douglas DB 6"2 185 lbs. IMG Academy/St. Paul's HS Brooklandville, MD 

*9) Cole Freeman QB 6"0 215 lbs. Delbarton School Morristown, NJ 

10) Christian Gonzalez LB 6"1 220-lbs. Bergen Catholic HS Oradell, NJ

11) Dylan Grech DL 6"5 280 lbs. Calhoun HS Merrick, NY

12) Miron Magee DB 5"10 160 lbs. Lake Highlands HS Dallas, TX

13) William Matthew DL/OL 6"2 284 lbs. Orange Vista HS Perris, CA

14) Carter McCray DB 6"0 185 lbs Cornerstone Christian HS San Antonio, TX

15) Emanuel Nazy OL 6"4 280 lbs. Hackensack HS/Don Bosco Prep Hackensack, NJ

16) Casey O'Sullivan TE/DE 6"3 245 lbs. Seton Hall Prep West Orange, NJ

17) Keller Patterson DT 6"2 275 lbs. Kimball HS Dallas, TX 

18) Sam Pearman K 6"0 180 lbs. Los Gatos HS Los Gatos, CA

19) Xavier Phipps WR 6"5 190 lbs. Dekaney HS Houston, TX

20) Mason Robinson DB 6"3 160 lbs. Camden County HS Kingsland, GA

21) Caleb Sanchez QB 6"4 230 lbs. St. John Bosco HS Bellflower, CA

22) Benny Sasso OL 6"3 270 lbs. Wall Township HS, Wall, NJ

23) Charlie Slavik OL 6"7 295 lbs. Bishop Blanchet HS Seattle, WA

24) Caleb Solomon DB 6"1 180 lbs. Miramar HS Miramar, FL 

25) Luke Walker DL 6"3 235 lbs. Naples HS Naples, FL

*transfer from Northwestern 

4 New Names

 

6-4, 230-pound QB Caleb Sanchez from national high school powerhouse St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California has committed to the Lions.

Sanchez made his announcement at a signing day ceremony earlier today. He also had offers from Nevada, Fordham, a PWO from Northwestern, and heavy recruitment from Arizona, U.C. Davis, and Oregon State. 

Sanchez will be the first St. John Bosco grad (not to be confused with Don Bosco in NJ) to come to Columbia Football.

6-2, 275-pound DT Keller Patterson from Kimball HS in Dallas (also played at All Saints HS in Fort Worth) has committed to Columbia.

Patterson also had offers from Harvard, Georgetown, and some others. 

Patterson will be the first Kimball HS grad to come to Columbia Football, but we have had three recent grads from All Saints HS come to our program, including QB Ryan Suitt '19.

6-5, 240-pound DL/TE Will Carstens from Myrtle Beach Collegiate Academy (after also playing at Terry Sanford HS in Fayetteville, NC), in Myrtle Beach, NORTH Carolina has committed to the Lions.

Carsten had offers from North Dakota, Charlotte, Presbyterian, Wagner, Eastern Kentucky, and a likely PWO from Miami.

Carsten will be the first Myrtle Beach Academy or Sanford HS grad to come to Columbia Football. 

Finally, from just down the street from my house, we have 6-5, 280-pound DL Dylan Grech from Calhoun HS in Merrick, NY.

Grech had offers from Marist, Wagner, and a PWO from Stony Brook. 

Grech will be the second Calhoun grad to come to Columbia Football, but the first one in 40 years. 

So the list of known commits/transfers grows to 23:

1) Richard Bell Jr. DE/TE 6"5 250 lbs. Northview Academy Kodak, TN

2) Benjamin Bruce WR/DB 6"0 160 lbs. Trinity Christian HS Lubbock, TX

3) Blaize Cameron TE 6"4 225 lbs. Clarkson Football North/Choate Rosemary Hall (PG year) Burlington, ON CANADA

4) Will Carstens DL/TE 6"5 240 lbs. Myrtle Beach Collegiate Academy Myrtle Beach, NC

5) Hutch Crow WR 6"0 185 lbs. Parish Episcopal HS Dallas, TX 

6) Rodrigo Diaz-Martorella DE/TE 6"4 255 lbs. Miami Palmetto HS Miami, FL 

7) Liam Donagher DB 6"2 200 lbs. Grafton Memorial HS/Choate (PG Year) Grafton, MA

8) Jeremiah Douglas DB 6"2 185 lbs. IMG Academy/St. Paul's HS Brooklandville, MD 

*9) Cole Freeman QB 6"0 215 lbs. Delbarton School Morristown, NJ 

10) Christian Gonzalez LB 6"1 220-lbs. Bergen Catholic HS Oradell, NJ

11) Dylan Grech DL 6"5 280 lbs. Calhoun HS Merrick, NY

12) Miron Magee DB 5"10 160 lbs. Lake Highlands HS Dallas, TX

13) Carter McCray DB 6"0 185 lbs Cornerstone Christian HS San Antonio, TX

14) Emanuel Nazy OL 6"4 280 lbs. Hackensack HS/Don Bosco Prep Hackensack, NJ

15) Casey O'Sullivan TE/DE 6"3 245 lbs. Seton Hall Prep West Orange, NJ

16) Keller Patterson DT 6"2 275 lbs. Kimball HS Dallas, TX 

17)Sam Pearman K 6"0 180 lbs. Los Gatos HS Los Gatos, CA

18) Xavier Phipps WR 6"5 190 lbs. Dekaney HS Houston, TX

19) Mason Robinson DB 6"3 160 lbs. Camden County HS Kingsland, GA

20) Caleb Sanchez QB 6"4 230 lbs. St. John Bosco HS Bellflower, CA

21) Benny Sasso OL 6"3 270 lbs. Wall Township HS, Wall, NJ

22) Caleb Solomon DB 6"1 180 lbs. Miramar HS Miramar, FL 

23) Luke Walker DL 6"3 235 lbs. Naples HS Naples, FL

*transfer from Northwestern 

2 More Commits

 

Luke Walker

6-3 235-pound DE Luke Walker from Naples HS in Naples, Florida has committed to the Lions. 

Walker also had an offer from Tennessee Tech. 

He will be the first Naples HS grad to come to Columbia. 

 Hutch Crow

Also committing is 6-0 185-pound WR Hutch Crow  from Parish Episcopal HS in Dallas. 

Crow also had offers from Brown, Holy Cross, San Diego, Georgetown, North Texas, and Valparaiso.

Crow will be the second Parish Episcopal grad to come to Columbia Football, the first being stellar DT Niko Padilla '16.

So the list of known commits/transfers grows to 19:

1) Richard Bell Jr. DE/TE 6"5 250 lbs. Northview Academy Kodak, TN

2) Benjamin Bruce WR/DB 6"0 160 lbs. Trinity Christian HS Lubbock, TX

3) Blaize Cameron TE 6"4 225 lbs. Clarkson Football North/Choate Rosemary Hall (PG year) Burlington, ON CANADA

4) Hutch Crow WR 6"0 185 lbs. Parish Episcopal HS Dallas, TX 

5) Rodrigo Diaz-Martorella DE/TE 6"4 255 lbs. Miami Palmetto HS Miami, FL 

6) Liam Donagher DB 6"2 200 lbs. Grafton Memorial HS/Choate (PG Year) Grafton, MA

7) Jeremiah Douglas DB 6"2 185 lbs. IMG Academy/St. Paul's HS Brooklandville, MD 

*8) Cole Freeman QB 6"0 215 lbs. Delbarton School Morristown, NJ 

9) Christian Gonzalez LB 6"1 220-lbs. Bergen Catholic HS Oradell, NJ

10) Miron Magee DB 5"10 160 lbs. Lake Highlands HS Dallas, TX

11) Carter McCray DB 6"0 185 lbs Cornerstone Christian HS San Antonio, TX

12) Emanuel Nazy OL 6"4 280 lbs. Hackensack HS/Don Bosco Prep Hackensack, NJ

13) Casey O'Sullivan TE/DE 6"3 245 lbs. Seton Hall Prep West Orange, NJ

14)Sam Pearman K 6"0 180 lbs. Los Gatos HS Los Gatos, CA

15) Xavier Phipps WR 6"5 190 lbs. Dekaney HS Houston, TX

16) Mason Robinson DB 6"3 160 lbs. Camden County HS Kingsland, GA

17) Benny Sasso OL 6"3 270 lbs. Wall Township HS, Wall, NJ

18) Caleb Solomon DB 6"1 180 lbs. Miramar HS Miramar, FL 

19) Luke Walker DL 6"3 235 lbs. Naples HS Naples, FL

*transfer from Northwestern 

Lured from Lubbock

 

6-0, 160-pound WR/DB Benjamin Bruce from Trinity Christian HS in Lubbock, TX has committed to the Lions.

Bruce also had offers from Navy, Marist, Stetson, and 3-4 others. 

Bruce will be the first Trinity Christian grad to come to Columbia Football. 

So the list of known commits/transfers grows to 17:

1) Richard Bell Jr. DE/TE 6"5 250 lbs. Northview Academy Kodak, TN

2) Benjamin Bruce WR/DB 6"0 160 lbs. Trinity Christian HS Lubbock, TX

3) Blaize Cameron TE 6"4 225 lbs. Clarkson Football North/Choate Rosemary Hall (PG year) Burlington, ON CANADA

4) Rodrigo Diaz-Martorella DE/TE 6"4 255 lbs. Miami Palmetto HS Miami, FL 

5) Liam Donagher DB 6"2 200 lbs. Grafton Memorial HS/Choate (PG Year) Grafton, MA

6) Jeremiah Douglas DB 6"2 185 lbs. IMG Academy/St. Paul's HS Brooklandville, MD 

*7) Cole Freeman QB 6"0 215 lbs. Delbarton School Morristown, NJ 

8) Christian Gonzalez LB 6"1 220-lbs. Bergen Catholic HS Oradell, NJ

9) Miron Magee DB 5"10 160 lbs. Lake Highlands HS Dallas, TX

10) Carter McCray DB 6"0 185 lbs Cornerstone Christian HS San Antonio, TX

11) Emanuel Nazy OL 6"4 280 lbs. Hackensack HS/Don Bosco Prep Hackensack, NJ

12) Casey O'Sullivan TE/DE 6"3 245 lbs. Seton Hall Prep West Orange, NJ

13)Sam Pearman K 6"0 180 lbs. Los Gatos HS Los Gatos, CA

14) Xavier Phipps WR 6"5 190 lbs. Dekaney HS Houston, TX

15) Mason Robinson DB 6"3 160 lbs. Camden County HS Kingsland, GA

16) Benny Sasso OL 6"3 270 lbs. Wall Township HS, Wall, NJ

17) Caleb Solomon DB 6"1 180 lbs. Miramar HS Miramar, FL  

*transfer from Northwestern 

Biting at the Apple

The Columbia Football coaching staff is doing something really interesting today by sending its recruiters to just about as many high schools with football programs in the New York metropolitan area that they can in one day in what they're calling the "Empire Rush." 

You can pretty much follow their progress in real time by checking the CU Football Twitter/X feed every hour or so.

I think this is a great way to raise the local awareness of the program and hopefully snag an athlete or two that we may have overlooked otherwise. 

It feels like the times when Columbia has tried some innovative recruiting techniques, it's paid off well for the program. 

Let's see how this turns out. 

 

Georgia Get

 

6-3, 160-pound DB Mason Robinson from Camden County HS in Kingsland, Georgia has committed to the Lions. Robinson also had offers from Dartmouth, Army, Navy, and VMI\.

Mason will be the first Camden County HS grad to come to Columbia. 

As you know, we LOVE to get DB's over 5"11. 

So the list of known commits/transfers grows to 16:

1) Richard Bell Jr. DE/TE 6"5 250 lbs. Northview Academy Kodak, TN

2) Blaize Cameron TE 6"4 225 lbs. Clarkson Football North/Choate Rosemary Hall (PG year) Burlington, ON CANADA

3) Rodrigo Diaz-Martorella DE/TE 6"4 255 lbs. Miami Palmetto HS Miami, FL 

4) Liam Donagher DB 6"2 200 lbs. Grafton Memorial HS/Choate (PG Year) Grafton, MA

5) Jeremiah Douglas DB 6"2 185 lbs. IMG Academy/St. Paul's HS Brooklandville, MD 

*6) Cole Freeman QB 6"0 215 lbs. Delbarton School Morristown, NJ 

7) Christian Gonzalez LB 6"1 220-lbs. Bergen Catholic HS Oradell, NJ

8) Miron Magee DB 5"10 160 lbs. Lake Highlands HS Dallas, TX

9) Carter McCray DB 6"0 185 lbs Cornerstone Christian HS San Antonio, TX

10) Emanuel Nazy OL 6"4 280 lbs. Hackensack HS/Don Bosco Prep Hackensack, NJ

11) Casey O'Sullivan TE/DE 6"3 245 lbs. Seton Hall Prep West Orange, NJ

12)Sam Pearman K 6"0 180 lbs. Los Gatos HS Los Gatos, CA

13) Xavier Phipps WR 6"5 190 lbs. Dekaney HS Houston, TX

14) Mason Robinson DB 6"3 160 lbs. Camden County HS Kingsland, GA

15) Benny Sasso OL 6"3 270 lbs. Wall Township HS, Wall, NJ

16) Caleb Solomon DB 6"1 180 lbs. Miramar HS Miramar, FL  

*transfer from Northwestern 

All Set

The official announcements have all been made and now there is confirmation of my report from December 17th that Seitu Smith is the new offensive coordinator. 

The other coaching staff names and bios can be found here on the official athletic department website. 

Of course, the big takeaway everyone will get is that this is an extremely young staff from top to bottom. I think there are two things at play here:

1) I believe Athletic Director Peter Pilling is looking to duplicate some of the key characteristics of the best coaching hire of his tenure at Columbia: Megan Griffith. Griffith was barely 30 years old when she got the nod as head women's basketball coach at CU in 2016. Assembling a younger staff sure seems to have worked for women's hoops.

2) Pilling is still pretty well connected to a number of NFL contacts and that league has clearly embraced a youth coaching movement for many years now. The fact that Bill Belichick hasn't been hired yet this off season seems to be strong proof of that. 

This kind of an extreme youth movement is something Columbia hasn't really tried before. Sure, Ray Tellier and Norries Wilson, are two examples of guys who were relatively young at the time they were hired. But both just seemed older in every way. 

Will it work? The immediate first test will be how well Head Coach Jon Poppe & co. fill out this incoming freshman class in the short time still available. Poppe himself has proven to be a great recruiter so far in his career, but his time to devote solely to recruiting is surely curtailed now that he's running a D-I program. 

The other big test will be how well he and Smith develop a QB for this coming season. 

The 2024 season begins in 238 days. 

... and another

 

6"4 225-pound TE/LB Blaize Cameron from Ontario's American football HS Clarkson Football North, with a PG year at Choate Rosemary Hall, has committed to Columbia. 

Cameron also had offers from Dartmouth, Yale, Maine, Bucknell, Louisiana Tech, and Stonehill.

Cameron will be the 13th Choate grad to come to Columbia, with his classmate Liam Donagher committing some weeks ago. Two other Choate PG year grads, Cobie Crews '26 and Mark Chapman '26 are on the Lions already.

No other Clarkson grads have come to CU so far.

So the list of known commits/transfers grows to 15:

1) Richard Bell Jr. DE/TE 6"5 250 lbs. Northview Academy Kodak, TN

2) Blaize Cameron TE 6"4 225 lbs. Clarkson Football North/Choate Rosemary Hall (PG year) Burlington, ON CANADA

3) Rodrigo Diaz-Martorella DE/TE 6"4 255 lbs. Miami Palmetto HS Miami, FL 

4) Liam Donagher DB 6"2 200 lbs. Grafton Memorial HS/Choate (PG Year) Grafton, MA

5) Jeremiah Douglas DB 6"2 185 lbs. IMG Academy/St. Paul's HS Brooklandville, MD 

*6) Cole Freeman QB 6"0 215 lbs. Delbarton School Morristown, NJ 

7) Christian Gonzalez LB 6"1 220-lbs. Bergen Catholic HS Oradell, NJ

8) Miron Magee DB 5"10 160 lbs. Lake Highlands HS Dallas, TX

9) Carter McCray DB 6"0 185 lbs Cornerstone Christian HS San Antonio, TX

10) Emanuel Nazy OL 6"4 280 lbs. Hackensack HS/Don Bosco Prep Hackensack, NJ

11) Casey O'Sullivan TE/DE 6"3 245 lbs. Seton Hall Prep West Orange, NJ

12)Sam Pearman K 6"0 180 lbs. Los Gatos HS Los Gatos, CA

13) Xavier Phipps WR 6"5 190 lbs. Dekaney HS Houston, TX

14) Benny Sasso OL 6"3 270 lbs. Wall Township HS, Wall, NJ

15) Caleb Solomon DB 6"1 180 lbs. Miramar HS Miramar, FL  

*transfer from Northwestern

Kodak Moment

 

6-5, 250-pound DE/TE Richard Bell from Northview Academy in Kodak, TN has committed to the Lions. Bell was recently named to the Tennessee all state team.

Bell will be the first Northview grad to come to Columbia Football.

So the list of known commits/transfers grows to 14:

1) Richard Bell Jr. DE/TE 6"5 250 lbs. Northview Academy Kodak, TN

2) Rodrigo Diaz-Martorella DE/TE 6"4 255 lbs. Miami Palmetto HS Miami, FL 

3) Liam Donagher DB 6"2 200 lbs. Grafton Memorial HS/Choate (PG Year) Grafton, MA

4) Jeremiah Douglas DB 6"2 185 lbs. IMG Academy/St. Paul's HS Brooklandville, MD 

*5) Cole Freeman QB 6"0 215 lbs. Delbarton School Morristown, NJ 

6) Christian Gonzalez LB 6"1 220-lbs. Bergen Catholic HS Oradell, NJ

7) Miron Magee DB 5"10 160 lbs. Lake Highlands HS Dallas, TX

8) Carter McCray DB 6"0 185 lbs Cornerstone Christian HS San Antonio, TX

9) Emanuel Nazy OL 6"4 280 lbs. Hackensack HS/Don Bosco Prep Hackensack, NJ

10) Casey O'Sullivan TE/DE 6"3 245 lbs. Seton Hall Prep West Orange, NJ

11)Sam Pearman K 6"0 180 lbs. Los Gatos HS Los Gatos, CA

12) Xavier Phipps WR 6"5 190 lbs. Dekaney HS Houston, TX

13) Benny Sasso OL 6"3 270 lbs. Wall Township HS, Wall, NJ

14) Caleb Solomon DB 6"1 180 lbs. Miramar HS Miramar, FL  

Murphy Retires

All of last season, I predicted that longtime Harvard head coach Tim Murphy would retire at the end of the season. 

But November and then December came and went, and I figured I had been wrong all along or maybe Murphy decided he wanted one more year after the Crimson fell to Yale in the season finale. 

Well, it pays to just be patient with your predictions. 

Murphy announced his retirement earlier today, he had been the head coach since 1994.

I know Harvard has had a legendary history, but I still think Murphy was the team's best coach of all time. 

Of course, another story is that over the past year the Ivy League has lost all three of its most senior and legendary coaches in Al Bagnoli, Buddy Teevens, Tim Murphy. Of course, David Archer at Cornell is gone too. This makes Princeton's Bob Surace the new dean of Ivy coaches.

Wildcat Transfer

 

The long-rumored transfer of 6-0 215-pound Northwestern QB Cole Freeman to Columbia is now official. 

Freeman had very little playing time at NU after graduating from New Jersey's Delbarton School and holds two years of eligibility.

He will be the fourth Delbarton grad to come to Columbia Football and the first since the great D-lineman Matt Bashaw '11. 

So the list of known commits/transfers grows to 13:

1) Rodrigo Diaz-Martorella DE/TE 6"4 255 lbs. Miami Palmetto HS Miami, FL 

2) Liam Donagher DB 6"2 200 lbs. Grafton Memorial HS/Choate (PG Year) Grafton, MA

3) Jeremiah Douglas DB 6"2 185 lbs. IMG Academy/St. Paul's HS Brooklandville, MD 

*4) Cole Freeman QB 6"0 215 lbs. Delbarton School Morristown, NJ 

5) Christian Gonzalez LB 6"1 220-lbs. Bergen Catholic HS Oradell, NJ

6) Miron Magee DB 5"10 160 lbs. Lake Highlands HS Dallas, TX

7) Carter McCray DB 6"0 185 lbs Cornerstone Christian HS San Antonio, TX

8) Emanuel Nazy OL 6"4 280 lbs. Hackensack HS/Don Bosco Prep Hackensack, NJ

9) Casey O'Sullivan TE/DE 6"3 245 lbs. Seton Hall Prep West Orange, NJ

10)Sam Pearman K 6"0 180 lbs. Los Gatos HS Los Gatos, CA

11) Xavier Phipps WR 6"5 190 lbs. Dekaney HS Houston, TX

12) Benny Sasso OL 6"3 270 lbs. Wall Township HS, Wall, NJ

13) Caleb Solomon DB 6"1 180 lbs. Miramar HS Miramar, FL  

*transfer from Northwestern

New D-Line/Special Teams Coach

 

Columbia Football has announced the hiring of D-Line/Special Teams coach Garrett McLaughlin who comes over to CU after three years at UNH.

McLaughlin is a 2012 graduate of Syracuse, making him one of the older assistants on this crew.