New England OL

Zach Minch


6-4 280 pound OL/DL Zach Minch has committed to the Lions.

Minch played most of his high school football at Manchester Central High School in New Hampshire, but is currently doing a post grad year at Loomis Chaffee.

Minch will be the second Manchester Central grad to come to Columbia Football, the first being Sean Feren '92. He's also only the second Loomis Chaffee grad to come to the program; the first since Michael Sesit '64. 

Minch was profiled here as a team leader and percussion expert.

That brings our list of reported commits for 2018 to 27:

1) Inho Choi DB 6-1 175 lbs. Holy Names HS Windsor, Ontario/Deerfield Academy 

2) Cam Dillon LB 6-2 219 lbs. Findlay HS Findlay, OH

3) Michael Fluegel RB/CB 6-1 180 lbs. Clarkston HS Clarkston, MI

4) John Foreback QB 6-1 215 lbs. Morristown-Hamblen West HS Morristown, TN

5) Devin Hart LB 6-1 212 lbs. McEachem HS Powder Springs, GA 

6) Jackson Heath TE 6-5 220 lbs. Blue Valley Northwest HS Overland Park, KS

7) Marquis Hubbard S/LB 5-11 190 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

8) Trajen Johnson WR 6-2 185 lbs. Pulaski Academy Little Rock, AR 

9) Dante Landolfi LB 6-2 220 lbs. Upper Arlington HS Columbus, OH

10) Parket Lefton LS 6-1 240 lbs. King's Ridge Christian HS Alpharetta, GA

11) Ty Lenhart QB 6-3 203 lbs. DeMatha HS, Hyattsville, MD

12) Fara'Ad McCombs DB 6-0 178 lbs. St. Joseph's HS Montvale, NJ

13) Zach Minch OL/DL 6-4 280 lbs. Manchester Central HS Manchester, NH and Loomis Chaffee School (PG Year)

14) Mozes Mooney WR 6-1 175 lbs. Bishop's School La Jolla, CA

15) Drake Morey DL 6-5 250 lbs. Ashland HS Ashland, OR

16) Jake Motz OL 6-5 293 lbs. Pope John Paul II HS Hendersonville, TN

17) Stewart Newblatt OL/DL 6-4 255 lbs. Clarkston HS Clarkston, MI 

18) Chris Park WR 5-11 175 lbs. Junipero Serra HS San Mateo, CA

19) Keaton Prevette LS 6-0, 225 lbs. Charlotte Country Day Charlotte, NC

20) Brandon Radice TE 6-4, 205 lbs. Ridge HS Basking Ridge, NJ

21) Ryan Rhoden DB 6-2 170 lbs. St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Fort Lauderdale, FL

22) Mikey Roussos WR 6-1 180 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL 

23) Joshua Smythe-Macaulay LB 6-3 193 lbs. Bowie HS, Austin, TX

24) Mitchell Sturgill DB 6-1, 185 lbs Bellevue HS Bellevue, WA

25) Watson Tansil LB 6-3, 215 lbs. Franklin Road Academy Nashville, TN

26) Xavier Thibault DE 6-5 241 lbs. Williston Northampton School Easthampton, MA 

27) Ryan Young RB 5-10 200 lbs. Wheaton Warrenville South HS Wheaton, IL 

Rookie of the Year

It's awards season in Hollywood, so I'd like to start handing out some recognition in my own special categories starting with 2017 Rookie of the Year.

Last year, this award was almost impossible to give out. So many freshmen made so much of a major impact on the 2016 Lions that it was very tough to choose just one.

This year, the nominees for Rookie of the Year are:

1) Will Allen KR/S

Allen put some life into the long moribund Columbia kickoff return game in 2017. Allen took 21 kicks back for 507 total yards and an impressive 24.1 yards per return average. His long was a 48 yard return, but he was often just a step or two away from breaking free for a TD. 

Elsewhere on special teams, Allen blocked two kicks. 

2) Emerson Kabus WR

It was a crowded field of talented Columbia wide receivers in 2017, but Kabus found a way to make his mark with his speed. He played in all 10 games and hauled in 21 receptions for 245 yards and TD. His best game was at Marist, where he went for 65 yards on a nifty screen and made a nice catch on a bullet of a pass from Anders Hill for a score.  

3) Justin Woodley LB

Woodley made several key plays all season, making the most of his playing time as a 3rd down specialist in the deep CU linebacking corps.

He finished with 19 total tackles, two key interceptions in the win over Penn, a blocked punt recovery in the end zone for a TD vs. Brown, and three passes defensed.

4) Josh Bean QB

Bean was asked to step into the high pressure situation of scoring TD's when everyone in the stadium knew he was getting the ball. He never disappointed. His speed and strength were an eye-opener in addition to the cool way he handled the pressure.

And the winner is...

Justin Woodley. He was the biggest impact freshman in a season where sophomores and seniors otherwise dominated. His future is bright and don't be surprised if he's a starter next season. 

Carm Cozza 1930-2018

One of the greatest names in Ivy football history died last week.

Carm Cozza was the head coach of the Yale Bulldogs from 1965 through 1996, where he had a 179-119-5 record and still is the winningest coach in Ivy history.

Columbia Football was mostly not competitive during Cozza's entire tenure, but there were some key games the Lions and Elis played against each other.

It started with Cozza's first game against the Lions in 1965. Columbia hosted the game that became a showcase for the great flanker Roger Dennis '66. Dennis scored two spectacular TD's in a 21-7 Lion win. It would be Columbia's only Ivy win of the season that ended with a 2-7 record. Yale finished 3-6.

Three years later, Cozza's Elis were the elite team in the Ivies and cruising to what looked like a perfect season. But Cozza was reportedly staying up late at night worrying about Columbia QB Marty Domres '69 leading up to their week four game in New Haven. But Cozza needn't have worried, as the muddy Yale Bowl slowed down the CU receivers en route to a 29-7 Bulldog win. 

It took another three years before the two teams played another meaningful game. In 1971 at Baker Field, the Lions pulled out a shocking 15-14 win on their way to a 7-2 season.

You could make the argument that none of the remaining 25 games Cozza would coach against Columbia would really matter much to Yale in the big picture. But the fact that the Lions defeated the Elis in each of the last three games Yale played against Columbia certainly meant a lot to Lion fans.

Cozza's overall record and now legend is one of those things many of us who worked so hard to get Columbia Football back to relevance clung to over the years. We knew that a great coach can make a difference, even when everyone seemed to be telling us that no coach could turn Columbia around.

Al Bagnoli is already in the conversation as someone who possibly matches and could one day surpass Cozza's accomplishments. Some would argue that by achieving success at two Ivy schools, he already has.

But the bottom line is Cozza set a modern standard of excellence for this sport.

He will be missed.

New Year's Haul

Trajen Johnson

Columbia picked up two more commits over the New Year's weekend.

The first was a big eye-opener as 3-star, 6-2, 185 pound WR Trajen Johnson joined the pride. Johnson will be the first Pulaski Academy, (in Little Rock, Arkansas), grad to come to Columbia Football.

The list of accolades for Johnson is long, as is the list of schools who offered him a spot. They include Harvard, Yale, Penn, Dartmouth, Cornell, Army, and Navy.

For those of you wondering about the extraordinary depth the coaching staff is building at the WR position, remember what happened to the Lion offensive production during those games when rising junior WR Ronald Smith was out with an injury this past season. My guess is that in the spread offense, the coaches want at least two game-breaking WR's on the field at all times.

A very interesting part of his commitment statement on his Twitter feed was the line where Johnson said the Columbia coaches would be open to him playing basketball for Lions too. That would be a stretch we haven't seen in many decades, but, (thanks to a reader for reminding me), George Starke '71 starred for CU's football and basketball teams before his long NFL career and the great Archie Roberts '65 definitely gave it a go for a while at hoops, football, and baseball.

Ryan Rhoden


The second commit was from 6-2 170 pound DB Ryan Rhoden from St. Thomas Aquinas HS in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

He's another one of those taller DB's our coaches really love.

Rhoden will be the eighth St. Thomas Aquinas grad to come to Columbia Football, and the first since Brandon Colomba '05 and Chris Napoli '05.

Rhoden was briefly committed to Princeton, but changed his mind several weeks ago. He also had offers from Army and Lafayette among others.

That brings our list on reported commits for 2018 to 26:

1) Inho Choi DB 6-1 175 lbs. Holy Names HS Windsor, Ontario/Deerfield Academy 

2) Cam Dillon LB 6-2 219 lbs. Findlay HS Findlay, OH

3) Michael Fluegel RB/CB 6-1 180 lbs. Clarkston HS Clarkston, MI

4) John Foreback QB 6-1 215 lbs. Morristown-Hamblen West HS Morristown, TN

5) Devin Hart LB 6-1 212 lbs. McEachem HS Powder Springs, GA 

6) Jackson Heath TE 6-5 220 lbs. Blue Valley Northwest HS Overland Park, KS

7) Marquis Hubbard S/LB 5-11 190 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

8) Trajen Johnson WR 6-2 185 lbs. Pulaski Academy Little Rock, AR 

9) Dante Landolfi LB 6-2 220 lbs. Upper Arlington HS Columbus, OH

10) Parket Lefton LS 6-1 240 lbs. King's Ridge Christian HS Alpharetta, GA

11) Ty Lenhart QB 6-3 203 lbs. DeMatha HS, Hyattsville, MD

12) Fara'Ad McCombs DB 6-0 178 lbs. St. Joseph's HS Montvale, NJ

13) Mozes Mooney WR 6-1 175 lbs. Bishop's School La Jolla, CA

14) Drake Morey DL 6-5 250 lbs. Ashland HS Ashland, OR

15) Jake Motz OL 6-5 293 lbs. Pope John Paul II HS Hendersonville, TN

16) Stewart Newblatt OL/DL 6-4 255 lbs. Clarkston HS Clarkston, MI 

17) Chris Park WR 5-11 175 lbs. Junipero Serra HS San Mateo, CA

18) Keaton Prevette LS 6-0, 225 lbs. Charlotte Country Day Charlotte, NC

19) Brandon Radice TE 6-4, 205 lbs. Ridge HS Basking Ridge, NJ

20) Ryan Rhoden DB 6-2 170 lbs. St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Fort Lauderdale, FL

21) Mikey Roussos WR 6-1 180 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL 

22) Joshua Smythe-Macaulay LB 6-3 193 lbs. Bowie HS, Austin, TX

23) Mitchell Sturgill DB 6-1, 185 lbs Bellevue HS Bellevue, WA

24) Watson Tansil LB 6-3, 215 lbs. Franklin Road Academy Nashville, TN

25) Xavier Thibault DE 6-5 241 lbs. Williston Northampton School Easthampton, MA 

26) Ryan Young RB 5-10 200 lbs. Wheaton Warrenville South HS Wheaton, IL 

A Most-Wanted TE

6-5 220 pound TE Jackson Heath from Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas has committed to Columbia.

Heath had offers from a long list of other schools including Harvard, Dartmouth. Princeton, Yale, Cornell, New Mexico, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Illinois State, Missouri State, Oregon State, Holy Cross, Ball State, Army, Youngstown State, and South Dakota State.

Heath will be the first Blue Valley grad to come to Columbia, but Overland Park is also where we found 1988 Columbia Football captain John Alex '89. 

That brings our list on reported commits for 2018 to 24:

1) Inho Choi DB 6-1 175 lbs. Holy Names HS Windsor, Ontario/Deerfield Academy 

2) Cam Dillon LB 6-2 219 lbs. Findlay HS Findlay, OH

3) Michael Fluegel RB/CB 6-1 180 lbs. Clarkston HS Clarkston, MI

4) John Foreback QB 6-1 215 lbs. Morristown-Hamblen West HS Morristown, TN

5) Devin Hart LB 6-1 212 lbs. McEachem HS Powder Springs, GA 

6) Jackson Heath TE 6-5 220 lbs. Blue Valley Northwest HS Overland Park, KS

7) Marquis Hubbard S/LB 5-11 190 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

8) Dante Landolfi LB 6-2 220 lbs. Upper Arlington HS Columbus, OH

9) Parket Lefton LS 6-1 240 lbs. King's Ridge Christian HS Alpharetta, GA

10) Ty Lenhart QB 6-3 203 lbs. DeMatha HS, Hyattsville, MD

11) Fara'Ad McCombs DB 6-0 178 lbs. St. Joseph's HS Montvale, NJ

12) Mozes Mooney WR 6-1 175 lbs. Bishop's School La Jolla, CA

13) Drake Morey DL 6-5 250 lbs. Ashland HS Ashland, OR

14) Jake Motz OL 6-5 293 lbs. Pope John Paul II HS Hendersonville, TN

15) Stewart Newblatt OL/DL 6-4 255 lbs. Clarkston HS Clarkston, MI 

16) Chris Park WR 5-11 175 lbs. Junipero Serra HS San Mateo, CA

17) Keaton Prevette LS 6-0, 225 lbs. Charlotte Country Day Charlotte, NC

18) Brandon Radice TE 6-4, 205 lbs. Ridge HS Basking Ridge, NJ

19) Mikey Roussos WR 6-1 180 lbs. River Ridge HS New Port Richey, FL 

20) Joshua Smythe-Macaulay LB 6-3 193 lbs. Bowie HS, Austin, TX

21) Mitchell Sturgill DB 6-1, 185 lbs Bellevue HS Bellevue, WA

22) Watson Tansil LB 6-3, 215 lbs. Franklin Road Academy Nashville, TN

23) Xavier Thibault DE 6-5 241 lbs. Williston Northampton School Easthampton, MA 

24) Ryan Young RB 5-10 200 lbs. Wheaton Warrenville South HS Wheaton, IL