Wednesday, January 3, 2024

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. 



80 comments:

Anonymous said...

Garrett McLaughlin is a terrific addition to the Columbia coaching staff. Welcome Garrett!

Anonymous said...

Love it

Anonymous said...

Strange lateral career move.

Anonymous said...

Your opinion, but fortunately not his. Whatever his motivation, Columbia Football benefits. He probably has many good personal reasons that are none of our business as fans. Good Luck to him and his family

Anonymous said...

It looks like we are ready to roll on defense with three standout coaches in Stovall, Kukesh and McLaughlin.

Anonymous said...

Thank you

Anonymous said...

Speaking of defense, if Townsend, a tremendous talent, is thinking about the NFL I wonder if he and the coaches have considered moving him to LB. I imagine that this suggestion will be greeted with skepticism, but I would be curious if that might be in the cards.

Anonymous said...

I think move to cornerback makes more sense

PKNIGHT said...

Leave Townsend right where he is

PKNIGHT said...

Any update as to a QB transferring in?

Anonymous said...

Cole Freeman is transferring in

Anonymous said...

How about the basketball team! 70 point win! What a season so far and way to turn it around. And so excited about fb and women’s bball.

Anonymous said...

The third win against a D-3,opponent. Maybe JFK High School can be added to pad our record even further.

Anonymous said...

"The third win against a D-3,opponent. Maybe JFK High School can be added to pad our record even further."

Nice one. lol

Anonymous said...

Yes, everyone. We’ve already been here and I get it. Not one, not two but three D3 opponents, padding our home winning streak, so wildly touted by the athletic department, and even the broadcasters on ESPN+. That said, if you’ve watched any of the games with legitimate division one schools you will see vast improvement and interesting depth going to the bench. So, I for one I am upbeat and will be disappointed if we do not compete for the fourth spot. Opener on the road at Cornell will be a good test but understandably an underdog in Ithaca. Yes, looking forward to the women’s home opener against Pennsylvania.

Mediocrity Purger said...

We’ll lose to Cornell by 15-20. The men’s team is better than last year’s team, but if the bar were any lower, it would hit your ankle. Engles must go.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Purger. We’ll be lucky to finish seventh in the IL. Who are we beating? Not Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Penn, or Harvard. Pencil in a loss at Dartmouth, and you’re looking at 2-3 wins in the conference. I’ll be charitable and throw in one more. So then this Engles-coached juggernaut will be 4-10. Can’t wait!

Anonymous said...

Crazy to criticize Engles. The talent he's brought in, all working so well together, is most impressive.

Anonymous said...

What’s his record at Columbia?

Anonymous said...

Crazy to criticize Engles? Guy is the worst basketball coach we’ve ever had. And if you think we’re going to finish fourth in conference, I have a bridge to sell you.

Anonymous said...

Agreed. True insanity is saying it’s crazy to criticize Engles. He’s awful. Or did everyone forget about the last seven years?

Anonymous said...

I have been watching the MBB team with a critical eye this season. We have a very good PG in Avery Brown and a very good off guard in DLR. Beyond that we have several nice swing type guys, all around 6’4” or so who can play. What we lack at this point is a dominant front court player. We have a few guys with skills who can play in the paint but only Tavroff, whose skills are still being developed, has a legitimate front court body. So I think we are clearly much improved but am not yet convinced how we will match up with the rest of the IL. Levien is a tough place to play and I have been impressed that our guys play hard.

Anonymous said...

I don’t say it’s unreasonable to criticize based on the horrific past seven years. We are seeing a clear difference against teams we have been losing to in previous years. Even the games against New Hampshire and Fordham were highly competitive until we cratered in the second half. I think very realistic to go 6-8 or 7-7. No thanks, I don’t want to buy a bridge. Just being positive and optimistic.

Anonymous said...

Move Townsend to center!

Anonymous said...

Long time fan. Basketball team is much better. I have been following the program for decades and never remember a 70 point win. Incredible!

Anonymous said...

Agree with the other posters! Crazy to be critical of Engles! They have finally arrived. Roar lion Roar!

Anonymous said...

What a difference a oouple of months makes. Pilling looks great now/ great fb hire and patience paid off with Engles! He is finally the coach most of us rhought he would be when he was hired!

Anonymous said...

During the ESPN+ broadcast of the Columbia-Mount Saint Vincent Men's Basketball game a couple of days ago, the Columbia broadcasters stated some very positive things about Columbia's Head Coach, Jim Engles and his Assistants. In particular, he said that Columbia had the best coaching staff in the Ivy League. Do any of the Columbia Men's Basketball Fans on this Board agree with him?

Anonymous said...

I dont know if they are the best but i am glad we are winning. I think o speak for nost of the folks when we say we are delighted with the progress. Congrats to the athletic department and basketball staff

Anonymous said...

Engles is awful. 4-10 this year in conference. At best.

Anonymous said...

Engles is a good coach but up to now has not been a good recruiter. He may have turned it around. We’ll see.Meanwhile he has two of the better players in the IL in Avery Brown at PG and DLR at off guard. The issue will be the lack of size in the front court.

Anonymous said...

Frankly, your statement that "Engles is a good coach," is completely false and ridiculous. His horrible won-loss record at Columbia is the definition of a loser. During the last three Ivy League seasons Columbia has won just four games under Engles leadership, while losing 38. You cannot do much worse that that, And, if a 4-38 Ivy League record makes him a "good coach," then what would his record have to have been for you to define him as a "bad coach." 3-39? 2-40? 1-41? 0-42?

Anonymous said...

He has had very bad material until now; let’s see if he does better this year before writing off Engles.

Anonymous said...

Oh, good. Now I’m reassured.

Anonymous said...

Amen. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Anonymous said...

Whatever Engles' record was previously, now is now, he has the players (regarding lack of size up front,
keep an eye on 6'11" freshman Arop Arop, looks like he'll be a good one, and Engles' top recruit, 6'7" Richard Eweke, isn't even playing this year due to injury).

Anonymous said...

Things are looking up. No need to dwell on the past.

Anonymous said...

Sure. We’ll just give Engles a free pass for his first six seasons. Thanks, Gerry!

Anonymous said...

Gerry?

Anonymous said...

The poster probably was referring to Jerry Sherwin, the now deceased Columbia Men's Basketball Team booster whose legacy is shrouded in mystery. Some have suggested on the Ivy League Football Blog that upon his demise, Mr. Sherwin made a large monetary bequest to Columbia University that was conditioned upon Engles remaining as Columbia's Head Men's Basketball Coach.

Anonymous said...

Nonsense. Jerry was a very good man and a great supporter of Columbia basketball and a number of other things. The suggestion that he even had the money to do something like that is ridiculous. Forget the fact that it's impossible something like that would even be entertained or agreed to by anyone in administration. Anyone who believes this is an idiot.

Anonymous said...

What is truly "idiotic' is that Columbia Fans on this Blog waste so much time talking about its Men's Basketball Team which has been absolutely awful since the Columbia Athletic Department fumbled away the opportunity seven years ago to retain Kyle Smith as Columbia's Head Coach. No matter how Engles is being compensated, it is a matter of public record that his predecessor is being paid millions annually to serve as Washington State's Head Basketball Coach.

Anonymous said...

That's the market for a PAC 12 Coach. Columbia isn't anywhere near that.

Anonymous said...

Engles was left a full cupboard by Kyle Smith. What has ensued? A steady downward spiral ! Now after how many consecutive losing seasons, Ivy basement seasons, some fans are getting a woodie! Division 3 pads do help the record, in football we call them Cupcakes, SEE Al Bagnoli out of conference scheduling.

Roar Lion said...

When Kyle Smith left, he said he loved the job but had always hoped to raise his family in the Bay Area - he'd been the top assistant at St. Mary's for years before CU. He spent what, five successful years at USF and then left for WSU. Sorry in advance to all natives of Eastern Washington, but this would not be a natural choice of residence for someone who ostensibly loves the Bay Area. Kyle was looking for money. He left a good gig for USF and then a really good gig for WSU. The idea that CU could pay him enough to stay is incorrect.

As for Engles, he's been a debacle. I am very pleased to see significant improvement this year, but if you look at the OOC records of the top Ivies, it does not seem realistic that we'll compete for a playoff spot. I hope I'm wrong but if he goes 5-9 this year, does that warrant yet another year?

Anonymous said...

Kyle Smith was intent on returning to the west coast. Already decided before our grand victory over the Anteaters of UC-Irvine. Don't know what it would've taken to retain, but unlikely and as noted, he made that next step up to Pullman.

Duh... very weak schedule including the three D-III's. Not one person in this august group would deny. Nonetheless, for those of us actually watching, there is marked improvement. I personally don't mind that they're not flying all over the place and staying closer to home.

Anyway, let's see how things go in the coming weeks. Clearly, they need to avoid meltdowns in the second half which was also a massive problem last year. Yes, the previous seasons have been more than troubling.

Did you notice the drubbing of both Harvard and Dartmouth over the weekend?

See you at Levien for the Ivy Tourney. :-)

Anonymous said...

Avery Brown is an excellent PG with all Ivy potential; likewise DLR at SG. The issue will be the front court. We have a lot of nice swing type players in the 6’3” or so range but only Tavroff has real power forward front court size, and although he keeps getting better his offensive game still needs work. I am also concerned about the way we lost the Fordham game—I thought we were the better team but flat out ran out of gas in the last few minutes and nobody really took charge for us.

NJ Lion said...

A good take from Roar. Everybody seemed to love Smith when he was at CU, though I always felt like the team that went 10-4 underperformed. That loss at home to a freshman-laden Princeton team really hurt, and Yale waxed us twice. Still, that team finished third and was miles better than anything we’ve seen from Engles.

Debacle is really a great word for it, and Roar, like you, I don’t see the team even getting to .500 in conference this season. I have them finishing 4-10, though you may very well be right with your prediction of 5-9. Either way, I’d get rid of Engles. This is his seventh full season at the helm, and the results thus far have been hugely embarrassing. Unless he has a winning season in conference, he should be gone.

I don’t see us finishing in the top four, but I think I’m still going to go to the tourney this year at Levien. If we happen to make it, all the better, but right now I’m thinking it’ll be Princeton, Cornell, Yale, and Penn. I could be wrong, but I think we finish seventh or eighth.

Anonymous said...

Good team this year and a very good coaxh

Anonymous said...

Coach is awful. I think we’ll lose to Cornell tonight by 20-25.

Anonymous said...

We have played better teams than Cornell and have held our own. Cornell is an awful place to play. Courtside fans are the worst.

Anonymous said...

We’re overdue for a poor shooting performance. Think it’s what we get tonight. I could be wrong, but I think we get hammered. Cornell’s only losses to Baylor, Syracuse, and George Mason. Tonight we’ll learn a lot about whether the (in my view undue) optimism of many on this board is actually reasonable. I think we’ll crater to a 4-10 or 5-9 type of season in conference (and yes, I’ve watched a lot of games this year), but I’d love to be wrong.

Anonymous said...

I will be watching the Columbia Men's Basketball Game on ESPN+ tonight in my nice warm family room with my friendly dog at my side. Of course, my canine buddy and I will be rooting strongly for our beloved Lions. While I understand why so many Columbia Men's Basketball Fans are pessimistic about the possibility of our winning tonight given Coach Engles utter lack of success the last seven year, nevertheless for at least the players' sake, I hope tonight will be different and the Lions will upset the Big Red. Believe me when I say that riding back on a team bus from frozen Ithaca in the middle of the winter is not a fun experience.

Anonymous said...

The very good Columbia sports news is that quarterback Cole Freeman just announced his commitment to Columbia on Twitter.

Anonymous said...

Football is in great hands! Men’s basketball, not so much. On a positive note, the women’s team is very well coached.

Jake said...

Just checked Freeman's feed. The announcement about Columbia isn't there. https://twitter.com/c0lefreeman

Anonymous said...

Right, only thing on his Twitter feed that’s Columbia-related (that I’m seeing) is his thanking CU and Poppe for an offer. That was back on Dec. 5.

Anonymous said...

Regarding Cornell: last year, we lost by 17 at home and then by 14 in the last game of the season up in Ithaca. Weak second-half performances, which were common place. So I’m not sure with our vastly improved team how the above poster can predict a 20 to 25 point loss tonight. Good points on Cornell’s competitiveness with tough schedule and only three losses to strong teams. I would hardly call it overly optimistic to think we could go 6-8 or 7-7, and make it interesting for the fourth slot in the tournament. But we shall see.

Anonymous said...

How could anyone predict a 20-25 point margin of victory for Cornell? Good question, but I’ll take a crack at it. First, we have the early start, during the week no less, which can only help the home team. Let’s hope the bus doesn’t break down, we don’t arrive late, etc. On the road, we don’t do well with these kinds of disadvantages. I also think we’re due for a regression to the mean with respect to our shooting, especially from the perimeter. Couple that with Cornell’s strong play at home and their desire to bounce back from the Baylor loss, and I think we’ll be down double digits at the half. If Cornell gets hot from three, they’ll put up a boatload of points. I also think we’ll be a bit rusty and Cornell will shoot well.

Last but not least, we tend to get tired in the second half on the road after such a long trip. Maybe we went up there early, I don’t know, but if we did travel today, I don’t see it going well. I really believe we’re due for one of those 7-30 games from three that we saw so many of last year. If we get tired and or lose our confidence in the second half, I could see us very easily being down 25. Prediction: 87-65 Cornell. By the way, yes, smaller losing margins last year, but what I think some people are missing is that Cornell is much, much better than they were last year. We shall see.

Anonymous said...

Much more important for the program than whatever Freeman does or doesn’t do, is a formal announcement of Seitu Smith as the new OC. Why the delay?

Anonymous said...


Just guessing, but there are probably some details that need to be worked out with Smith; however he no longer listed as a coach on the Yale Athletics Website.

Anonymous said...

I suspect that Coach Poppe is very happy that Cole Freeman has committed to Columbia given that many knowledgable football fans believe that Freeman has what takes to be a "History Maker" at Columbia. Freeman may not be the best Major League shortstop who ever graduated from Delbarton (see Anthony Volpe of the NY Yankees), but he does throw a better spiral.

Anonymous said...

Where you finding these knowledgeable football fans?

Hearing good things about 5th years. One more major returnee and we can consider Poppe’s first month a complete success

Anonymous said...

As far as the MBB game last night we held our own and were down by 3 with 4 minutes to go when. Cornell broke our zone with hot hot 3 point shooting, leading to the inevitable trip to the foul line and an eventual 91-79 loss. We played without DLR, our highest scorer and best player, and basically played Cornell even up until we had to foul at the end. ?With DLR we might well have actually won the game. We are a much improved team with an excellent PG in Brown. Our shortcoming is that we are undersized in the front court.

Anonymous said...

I was wrong in saying we’d lose by 20-25. We played much better than I expected, and in particular, we shot much better, especially from three. Cornell did what I thought they’d do, but we put up nearly 80 when I had us scoring only 65. I’m still not convinced we win more than four or five games in conference. That said, I suppose last night was something of a moral victory (if you believe in that kind of thing). I think we split with Brown, Dartmouth, Penn, and Harvard. That would put us at 4-10. No idea what happened to DLR, but I don’t think we would have won even if he had played. There’s also the problem that because we’re so poorly coached, it’s a near certainty we will lose if it’s a close game late, especially on the road.

Anonymous said...

You're one of those guys who actually hopes we lose.

Anonymous said...

Trying to change the subject is a good way to deflect attention away from Engles’ incompetence. But just to reassure you, let me add that of course I want us to win.

Anonymous said...

Negativity of "I was wrong..." especially regarding Coach Engles is worthy of being banned from board.

Anonymous said...

Hilarious.

Anonymous said...

My question to you Engles fans is what other school would put up with a record like his? Answer: NONE

Anonymous said...

Isn't it like saying that T Rump will do a better job this time?

Anonymous said...

Crickets from the Engles sycophants after the latest embarrassment in New Haven. And if Jim returns next year, he’ll be there to watch Poulakides torch us for the third year in a row! I don’t know about you, but I want someone at the helm who can help us win.

Anonymous said...

Do we have Gerry to thank?

Anonymous said...

Ivy Tournament to be held at Levien. Lions will not be participants. Let the excuses begin!

Anonymous said...

I agree the basketball train has been off the tracks since Kyle Smith left. Are you ready for the annual Trainwreck of 4-10?

Anonymous said...

Engles has NEVER had a winning season at Columbia.

Anonymous said...

Best Ivy season? 5-9

Anonymous said...

Engles about to tell everyone we’re headed for great things. 4-10 or 3-11 this year. He should have been fired three years ago.

Anonymous said...

What's stopping Pilling?

Anonymous said...

Pilling aware of the Bubble Screen failure, took action. Engles never having a winning season, where's the action?