The latest edition of the Roar Lions 2025 podcast is up and it features a look at an exciting returning WR and perhaps Head Coach Jon Poppe's most impressive commitment for 2025, who also happens to be a WR.
Remember, subscribing to my podcasts is FREE (paid subscriptions are appreciated), including my non-football podcasts.
Players Mentioned in the podcast
Titus Evans (rising junior WR)
Caden Butler (incoming freshman WR 6'0" 175 lbs. Chapparal HS Temecula, CA)
Dylan Clifton, incoming freshman OL 6'3" 285, Choate, Wallingford, CT (also Henderson HS Buda)
Elliot Cooper, (incoming freshman WR 5'11" 180, Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, CA)
Xander Eschelman, (incoming freshman QB 6'3" 195, Menlo-Atherton HS, Atherton, CA)
151 comments:
Wasn't there some issue about whether Titus Evans was still on the team or am I mid-remembering? If there was, has the matter been resolved. He certainly showed flashes of brilliance in the limited role he had last year. What a plus it will be if we have a threat who can immediately step into Canty's huge shoes. I'm reminded how difficult it was for the team to fill Josh Wainwright's when he went down for the season against CCS (I was there and it was painful to see) after his breakout sophomore campaign when he and Anders Hill shredded IL secondaries.
You’re thinking about Edan Stagg. Evans is all-in for the Lions!
What does the RB situation look like?
Looks good.
I think offense will be solid 2 deep with perhaps some thinness on Oline. Hopefully starting Oline stays injury free, could be very good
More questions on defense but one or two real talents on each level. As always it will come down to how many guys step up their games from last year. Sto has been pretty successful so far at replacing graduating talent
1 week until spring practice
Let’s go Lions !!
Weiss! Phenomenal 4th quarter.
Kitty Henderson has won 100 games as a Lion. It's an incredible achievement. No other Columbia woman has come close. On the men's side, it looks like the most wins over a career is around 75.
That's more an achievement for Coach G and the program than for Kitty individually. It means we won 50 games over 4 years and Kitty is the only 4 year senior. 4+ great years at or near the top of the IL with deep runs in the NIT the 1st 2 years.
Correction to the above: Abby Hsu won 93 games. She left school during g Covid and was able to play 4 season.
You're repeating things we all know. NIT, Ivy Madness, good cast etc and obviously Meg has been the coach. It's still a testament to Kitty having an exceptional career.
Ranking of top CU WBB from this era in my opinion:
1. Kaitlyn Davis
2. Abby Hsu
3. CeCe Collins
4. Kitty Henderson
I would place Kitty ahead of CeCe.
Idiotic op ed by Jonathan Cole in today’s NY Times blasting Columbia for entering into an agreement with the feds. All that Columbia agreed to do was what it should have done on its own two years ago. Cole is the airhead who gave away part of Baker Field 30 or so years ago. The administration did us a favor by providing cover to do what needed to be done. How does it relate to football? Easy—we need a functioning university to recruit, to retain coaches and players, and to give our student athletics the education that they bargained for.
Zip it. We want to talk about football here. Your "....functioning university" comment is nonsense. Take this commentary elsewhere, doofus.
https://gocolumbialions.com/news/2025/3/24/kevin-hovde-named-head-mens-basketball-coach.aspx
Great hire
Hey "Zippit," while I am not the anonymous poster who complained about the op-ed by Jonathan Cole in today's NY post you are wrong to criticize the post as having nothing to do with football. I guess you are not old enough to remember Cole who was named as Columbia's provost about thirty years ago. FYI, Zippit, Cole was the guy that not only convinced President Sovern to give away for practically nothing half of the football team's practice facility at Baker Field, but he was the mastermind of the Columbia Administration's plan to de-emphasize Columbia Football by reducing significantly the number
of recruits. Cole simply had no love for Columbia football whether it was the players, coaches or even dedicated fans like you, Zippit.
“Zippit” is obviously misinformed. Cole was part of the disastrous combo of Sovern and Cole, whose leadership set back Columbia athletics a generation or more not only by giving away part of Baker field for a pittance, but by not buying the parking lot across Broadway for a site for the Allen Paviliion. And they did nothing to improve campus athletic facilities. And so who is the “doofus” now zippit?
All true, and Cole had been a varsity baseball player at CU, making his decisions even worse. The only good thing he ever did was commission a marketing study by then-marketing firm owner and assistant track coach Herman Kane 61C whether NYC was a plus or minus for Columbia College marketing purposes. The result: overwhelmingly a plus, and the college admissions office promptly chenged their marketing literature accordingly. the rest they say is history: the percentage of admits v. applicants started to significantly decrease in the early 1990s ultimately to the 2.6% (or so) is is today. Of course, the school also began to get hot at the same time as well for other reasons besides being in NYC but the shift in marketing emphasis cannot be over-emphasized.
Cole's decisions and effect on the facilities at Baker Field not in dispute. BTW, he was a varsity baseball player as an undergrad. His comments in the NYT, however, are not without merit.
Cole’s comments are a feeble effort to justify terrible faculty hiring decisions during his tenure.
It would be great for Jake to create a sidebar for folks to discuss all things Columbia other than football. Our alma mater has been in the news for the past 2 years and it would be nice to have a forum to discuss such things, including MBB, WBB and of course matters happening on campus.
That's a good idea but let's not put it on Jake. Jake wants to talk football and created this blog for football specifically. Maybe you can get something going?
you're an angry bitch
Is the author of “doofus” and “angry bitch” one and the same? If so, I suggest that Jake ban him from this site. It is OK to disagree but not to engage in ad hominem attacks on fellow Columbia fans and supporters.
"Zippit," "doofus" and "angry bitch" is probably one and the same person and his very early support of the Hamas Terrorists on this Board suggests that he has never been to American Football Game. Jake should dump him
Agreed!!!
“Zippit doofus angry bitch” almost as annoying as “AntiUngvar” from Ivy League chat, but not quite.
I know that this is a football blog but let’s give kudos to AD Pilling for pulling the trigger on the hopeless Engels and hiring a great young coach in Hovde. Also, some kudos to baseball for obliterating Brown in a three game sweep in which we put up a total of 45 runs. Not sure about our pitching but we have some excellent position players who can hit.
I know this is a football blog, but kudos to John Jay for winning the battle of the dining halls.
Thank goodness Engles is gone. We basically squandered a decade, so here’s to hoping Hovde can make up for lost time!
The Columbia Softball Team swept Penn this past weekend. I watched all three games and was very impressed. The Lions are very talented and have an excellent coaching staff.
Any football updates.
First spring Practice tomorrow
Baseball put up 19 in the Manhattan. College win yesterday. Big test at Princeton this weekend.
Claire Shipman is now our acting president. ‘86C
I hear she's a fan of the bubble screen.
Any update on Townsend, Goodwin, Owen, and the other players lost last season.
All are back I understand, and ready to go.
What are the odds that Poppe is a candidate at Stanford if we win the title again?
It would interesting to see…..
Might be NY Giants candidate as well
He’s an east coast guy. I don’t see him coming out to the west coast
Job pays like $6 mil.
IL football coaches have not done well when they have gone to Stanford. Buddy Teevens and a former Cornell coach whose name escapes me did not do well there.
Job pays like $6 mil.
If your team is crisscrossing the country for games all Fall, your alumni are baying for big wins, your athletic administration wants the marquee wins to get better TV revenue, you've got NIL and super agents to deal with, you're gonna go to the NFL (eg Belichik) not Ivy League.
ACC
That's why you get $6 mil.
I rest my case.
Spuyten Duyvil - former home waters of Columbia Rowing.
You are in the right church but the wrong pew. The “Cornell coach” was George Seifert, who came to Cornell in 1975 after being the defensive backs coach at Stanford. He only lasted two seasons in Ithaca and then went back to his old job at Stanford. He was never the Head Coach of the Cardinal. He then went to the 49er’s with Bill Walsh, eventually becoming the Head Coach of the 49ers. He went on to win two Super Bowls as the head coach. To me, that is a tad better than, “have not done well”.
Forever the home of the C-Rock!
Was anyone at the first practice with pads ? If so, did you see anything pop out at you ? Share
Baseball pulls off another comeback. Down 5, walkoff grand slam by Miller to top Cornell. Brett’s teams know how to win.
Should be some excitement for MBB to now have a top assistant from the national champion as the new HC.
I saw Coach Poppe at Dodge. He was sporting a weird beard.
Who cares? Just win, baby!
I saw (and spoke with) Coach Poppe too, at the April 10 press conference in the old Lou Gehrig Lounge introducing new men's hoops coach Kevin Hovde. His new mustache and beard looked great!
Has anyone gone to any spring practices and catch us up on how the team looks ?
Any word on where Townsend is in his recovery.
FB Spring Game April 26 10am to noon.
All 3-4 returning QBs looking good, especially Goodwin and Sanchez. DBs deeper than anticipated, with the Arizona kid now playing nickel and another rising sophomore Mason Robinson stepping up. All other positions looking good. Incoming class is really good, especially deep in D-line, running back and WR. Coach Poppe remains a killer recruiter: just google the guys posted on Voy as commits.
When is the Spring game? Who is the Arizona kid? Is he the first year who made the incredible interception against Brown?
2025 season may come down to starting OLine staying healthy and/or younger players developing as depth for this position group
Thanks !
You need an ounce of ambition
I haven't been to as many practices as some other guys in my circle, but it appears Goodwin will be the 1 with a battle beyond Chase for the 2. Sanchez has been steady and accurate from what I've seen, he ran the offense smoothly but was limited with his feet. Menapace has a strong arm, I saw him complete some difficult throws and he has shown legitimate running ability, especially for the tough yards. Simpkins was the only other QB to practice that I saw, and he seems to be behind the others. Spring game may decide the 2, it seems close to me. Could see several 1st year WR/RB play. We have excellent front line guys there (I like the Johnson kid), but the depth isn't where it has been. Just going off what I've observed and the guys talk about.
To “I haven’t been”: good analysis. Competition between Sanchez and Menapace for QB2 will be fun to watch. Menapace has really come a long way since his first year. Sanchez’ arm strength still a question, footwork will be a real issue. Both bring some talent. I like Johnson at RB as well. Don’t forget Malcolm Terry is coming back, just prohibited from Spring ball by Ivy rules. Apparently we have some real talent coming in as first years at RB and WR.
Don’t think anything will be decided by Spring ball or Spring game. Decisions will be made during August Camp. Really like the outlook for the team!
It will be interesting who gets the starting job at QB based on two different perspectives.
I see no discrepancies between the two perspectives.
We will see it when we find out who starts.
That’s pretty funny! 😆 Can’t be arsed to look at a calendar, check the CU athletics site, do a Google search, etc.
It will be hard to replace Bryson Canty—the best player in the IL last year; had he not been injured he would have gone for 1,200 receiving yards.
I’m as much of a homer as anyone, but I don’t think Canty was even the best receiver in the IL last year. I believe Barkate was better.
Anywhere we can hear or watch the spring game ?
Can’t wait to watch the game!! Defense should be pretty solid. Offense- looking for QB position and WR’s and who runs it smoother now that we don’t have a guy like Canty. Could it be Sanchez or Goodwin ? I’ll be here for a recap.
Goodwin is the QB. He deserves it and will shine again.
We will see.
It’s not who deserves it’s who plays better ball.
Yes! We got to see him perform.
could proud parents be weighing in?
Might
Baseball won a close one at Philly 4-3 yesterday. We are now in sole possession of first place with a doubleheader tomorrow. Sheets was fantastic. Our first year reliever has talent but makes me nervous, as he did in the bottom of the ninth when he gave up a couple of hits and a run. and our first year first baseman is a good hitter but is very error prone, as in dropping routine throws from short.
Let’s go!
Exactly
Whoever said that they would recap the spring, please do, I’m waiting and please no bias opinion.
Spring game
Spring Game Recap: totally awesome.
Couldn’t make the Spring game—not sure if Jake will post on it; anybody who was there can report on it?
Thank you for the recap. 😂
Anyone have the link to the site with every Columbia football player sorted by the high school they attended? I came across it before but forgot to bookmark it.
Who was throwing the wounded ducks in apring game highlights?
Good question
I hope it wasn’t QB1
It was not
Congrats to baseball; sweeping Harvard and clinching at least a tie for the IL regular season title.
Keep waiting
Golf outing at Hackensack GC. Bags shot a 62, aided by 2 hole-in-ones.
Hard to believe! How did Fabish do?
Fabish shot a 74. However, he played the entire round with only a 5 iron. Very impressive.
And Poppe beat both of them by a good country mile. Oh sorry, I thought we were talking about football.
When will we know whom the entering freshman football players are?
https://www.voy.com/152805/
The final list is usually published on the Columbia Athletics Website in late May or early June. Informal lists of committed players have already been published on this website and on the Ivy League Voy Forum. Our incoming class is rated very highly by the various recruiting services
Golf
Coach Poppe said class was complete a month or so ago; apparently we lost one recruit for reasons which sounded as if he fell down in the classroom.
Cole Freeman now a wide receiver.
Actually a slot
Correct. At slot. Perfect for him. He’ll excel.
Cole freeman is a dangerous Swiss Army knife guy who can line up all over the field. I had thought that something like this was in the works with the ascension of Caleb Sanchez as the #2 (and I expect Sanchez to see action and not just sit on the bench).
Agreed, but think it’s a lot less about Sanchez and much more about what Freeman brings to the table.
Daddy talking
He's an average player
Kudos to Brett Boretti and our mighty Lion baseball team for winning the IL championship.
Seven home runs in a single game is remarkable. Brett Boretti is an outstanding coach who does everything well.
Boretti has done a fantastic job! Thankfully, for every Mangurian or Engles we’ve had to endure, there’s been a counterbalancing Boretti, Griffith, Poppe, etc.
The man knows how to win, never panics, moves the right guys into the right slots and develops talent. And so much for the myth that teams which have to practice at Baker Field cannot win in the Ivies. Baseball, tennis and now football put the lie to those schools recruiting against us who diss the trip to Baker Field.
Tubby Hook Tavern is a proven winner too.
I predict the Lions will hit 10 home runs against Holy Cross on Saturday.
Only 5 HRs; 21 runs scored; sweep of PL League champ HC; if the pitching can hold up we make really make some noise in the NCAAs this year. Does Bett just recruit better than the other Ivies and PL teams, or does he coach up better, or both?
Probably both. But after watching CU teams across multiple sports for over 35 years, being able to coach kids up is paramount. If you can't do that at Columbia, it's impossible to succeed.
Agree. Boretti is a phenomenal coach. You need to recruit some great players, but you also have to make good players great. Boretti can do both very well, especially the latter, which, of the two, is arguably the more critical in the Ivies. Even if you bring in great players, you have to account for injuries, transfers, attrition, etc., etc.
That’s how we got Sam Miller—Brett was scouting a pitcher at a Pennsylvania high school who he tried to recruit. He saw a shortstop on the other team and liked him. His coach said to look at his second baseman, who happened to be Sam Miller. So the pitcher went to Harvard and the HS second baseman was moved to SS by Brett and his now the IL POY. And the HS SS turned out to be our current second baseman
New Season kicks off tomorrow. Let’s go Lions.
Several new staff hires, including a GM.
GM was there last year. New position for him
Do we have a final list yet of the incoming class?
Please see info above.
Any update on Townsend
Heading to Europe, has tryout with team in Germany
WOW - hope he makes the German team.
Yayyy Baseball
Baseball has been, is now , and will continue to be spectacular with Boretti at the helm
Did someone above say Townsend is "heading for Europe"??
You're good at reading.
Tough losses in the tourney after a great opening win against Southern Miss for the baseball team. But they had a terrific season, bouncing back nicely from a rough opening stretch, and overcoming a lot of critical injuries early on. Boretti did a masterful job once again, and the good news is that for as many seniors as we’re losing, there’s quite a bit of returning talent.
Townsend to Europe? Always gets the replay!
Never seen him fail...
Reno’s son is transferring to Yale; terrible idea all the way around.
Love Jake and everything he does for this blog, but we're well overdue for an update. The Voy blog is interesting too, but missing the stories and forum this provided
Would be particularly interested in Jake's thoughts about William & Mary and Villanova joining the PL for football and how that might affect Ivy OOC scheduling. Seemed very good adds for the PL as far as academics and football competitiveness, and at least in W&M's case, student, alumni and area support.
In the era of NIL, maybe there is still a way forward, a necessary evolution of the 71-year-old contract.
Jake, we are not “Receiving You” on the blog or on the Podcast.
Townsend is still on the roster, not sure about Jake ;)
Up is down black is white! Total chaos in the country! AND to top it off, where are you Jake? At the Parade tomorrow?
There's nothing to report. School is out for the summer, players are working out and have jobs, summer camp is in a few months. They also repainted the bathrooms at the Campbell building.
Schedule is out. Lafayette, Georgetown and Lehigh OOC opponents.
As mentioned on the other forum, Columbia's games will be televised 3 times next season, most in the Ivies!
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