Dylan Weldon
5-9, 175 pound DB/RB speedster Dylan Weldon has committed to Columbia.
Weldon is the third confirmed recruit from Bishop Gorman
High School in Las Vegas to play football for Columbia, but he’s the first
since Mark Fehringer ’90.
You can see his highlight video here.
Basketball Passes the
First Test
It was a good win for the men’s basketball team Saturday night vs. Cornell and a surprising
victory for the women over the Big Red too.
And junior Alex Rosenberg was just named Ivy Co-Player of the Week.
The Lion men are 1-0 in the Ivies now and need seven more
wins to clinch their first winning Ivy record since 1993.
I think a little too much is being made of the comeback
Cornell made at the end of the game, but it does seem like beating the Big Red
in Ithaca this coming Saturday will be a tougher task.
But so far, so good.
A Note on Recruiting
When we say that the overwhelming majority of Ivy athletes
come to play in this league because of academics first and athletics a
distant second… that’s not just lip service. It’s true, and true for more of
the athletes than ever before.
So as Columbia’s academic stature continues to soar in every
college ranking study, the lure of our school for current high school
student-athletes has never been stronger.
And, as too many people older than 50 seem to miss, New York
City is a massive POSITIVE draw for the typical Ivy recruit who is already
showing a huge commitment to step into a much larger world.
In short, Columbia has never been in a better position to
recruit the best athletes. And that includes football despite the horrendous
leadership for the program right now.
And yet, we’re seeing a football recruiting class that
presents us with many more questions than it does answers.
I’m sorry if these facts hurt some of the incoming players’
feelings. That is not my intention.
But when I see MULTIPLE bids given out to players from
schools like Norfolk Academy, (far from a football power or a school with a
track record of sending future stars to any Ivy school), and when I see
very small players getting low band slots, I’m sounding the alarm. I do that because this
is a coaching staff that has already proven that it fundamentally does not know
how to succeed.
Just ask yourself why a staff responsible for the absolute
worst-ever Ivy football season last year should be trusted to do a halfway
decent job in recruiting? At the very least, you have to at least demand proof
of recruiting success before you congratulate the recruiters for whatever they’ve
done so far.
By all means, congratulate the players who are coming to
Columbia. But they should be congratulated because Columbia is a stellar school
and playing here is a great opportunity, not because they’re doing us some kind
of a favor.
Here is the updated list of our confirmed incoming class of
2018 players so far:
1) Collin Breckenridge OL 6-2, 270 lbs. W.B.
Ray HS, Corpus Christi, TX
2) Leander Cutler RB/LB 5-9, 205 lbs. Varina
HS, Richmond, VA
3) Charlie Flores OL 6-4, 280 lbs. All
Saints Episcopal School, Fort Worth, TX
4) Connor Heeb, OL/DL 6-4 245 lbs. Canandaigua Academy,
Canandaigua, NY
5) Tyler Holmes WR/DB 6-0, 175 lbs. Norfolk Academy, Norfolk, VA
6) Mike McGrath OL 6-6, 294 lbs. St. Augustine Prep, Richland, NJ
7) Hagen Patterson LB 6-2 230 lbs. Lake Travis HS, Lake Travis, TX
8) Markham Paukune OL 6-4, 280 lbs. All Saints Episcopal School, Fort Worth, TX
9) Bailey Popeck TE 6-5, 230 lbs. St. Georges
School, Germantown, TN and Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH (PG Year)
10) Marc Raye-Redmond RB 5-11, 172 lbs.
Trotwood-Madison HS, Trotwood, OH
11) Chris Schroer RB 6-0, 215 lbs. Elder HS,
Cincinnati, OH
12) Reid Stables OL 6-3, 293 lbs. Mullen HS,
Denver, CO
13) Nick Surges LB 6-3, 215 lbs. Benet Academy, Lisle, IL
14) Ian Tyler DE 6-4, 205 lbs. Muskegon
Catholic Central HS, Muskegon, MI
15) Bewley Wales OL 6-5, 285 lbs. Metro
Christian Academy, Tulsa, OK
16) Greg Washington DE 6-3, 215 lbs. Norfolk Academy, Norfolk, VA
17) Dylan Weldon, DB/RB 5-9, 175 lbs. Bishop
Gorman HS, Las Vegas, NV
24 comments:
I'm not going to disagree with you Jake but I do suspect at this stage for Pete and staff it is mostly about playing the odds. They are limited on options and they need solutions. They are not in a position to sift through the cream of the recruiting crop. The attraction of NYC and CU's superb academic allure helps them field serviceable players. Odds are a handful of these kids will pan out for the program.
That's just exactly the opposite of what I know. This "beggars can't be choosers" mentality is all a fantasy. We're not beggars, we're the rich guys. We have NYC and the best stature Columbia has had as a school ever.
Who are the very small players?? Weldon and Raye-Redmond are both 5'9-5-11. For they positions its a avg. height. Weldon and Raye-Redmond both had other D1 offers. What are you talking about??? I thought you WANTED Raye-Redmond. Weldon plays on a national ranked team that WON 5 straight state titles on a team loaded with talent. Redmond team played in 4 state title game winning one. And for the record Paukune and Flores(same school) just won TWO state titles in a row! Along with a least 3 other recruits that have WON state titles this past yr. I think PM and staff are doing great getting quality players from STATE CHAMPIONSHIP programs that will expect to win and change this losing mentality thing around the "Upperclassmen" seem to have.
The reputation of CU football does not warrant a winner's mentality, regardless of riches. That is reality. That is not to say players choose CU expecting to lose. They all want to help turn it around. It still takes a few consistent seasons of winning to change the mentality for incoming recruits. That's just how it is.
Case example is U of Miami. They were a moribund program before Schnellenberger. Of course it helped they had so much local talent to draw from to facilitate that change but that is what it takes - winning. Nothing less will change perception for ballers who want to come to a program.
Now you're getting warmer. To get the "ballers" to come to Columbia, we need to get creative. Look what Harvard did to fix basketball. Lookk what Penn has done for more than 30 years now to fix football. The ways to fix it include gaming the A.I., (something I've never seen any evidence of Columbia even trying to do... just a lot of excuses about why we can't), using G.S. and the GI bill, (look what using GS is doing for baseball. I say we don't win that championship without Joey Falcone. GOOD for Coach Boretti for letting him join the team. Now it's time to RECRUIT actively using GS), and improving the jobs pipeline by expanding beyond Wall Street and using non-athlete alums in other fields as well.
I think CU is getting "ballers"....NOW. Not in the past though. CU is done recruiting, wish I had the names of the other kids, but theyre done recruiting for the most part. Its about evaluating talent and getting the talent. PM is on the clock with his recruits. This yrs class is definately his .best
I have checked urban dictionary site but my meaning of the word baller are players with game changing attributes. Marcorus for example. You can staff a team to compete but to get the guys who can really make a difference makes or breaks a season. Especially so in the League where there is a lot of parity.
Mangurian and Murphy are still in the midst of destroying the program. They can do this in broad daylight because of our long losing history, but it's still unprecedented and unacceptable. Nothing they touch in regard to football can be given the benefit of the doubt. So when we see players who seem too small, or coming from weak programs etc. we need to assume the worst.
Jake the smallest players in this yrs class is Weldon and Raye-Redmond, you keep bringing size up. Which one are you unhappy with? They both had other options and won State Championships. Playing in 8 title games combined. So who and what are you talking about.
CU should be able to attract some of the best academically eligible recruits in the nation. Unless I misread the context, "size" refers more to the quality of the program than to the actual physical dimensions of the recruits.
I am 5'8", late 40's and I destroy taller and younger, more physically gifted lads at basketball (which I played collegiately).
If Marcorus was 5'9" he would still be a gifted athlete and have accomplished everything he has at 5'11".
Size equals more than just height.
Wingman and Bob B;
You both present logical comments.
I believe Jake is so disheartened by what he's seen (as many are, and for good reason) that he has taken a more pessimistic view than you have.
From my perspective, I have stopped believing in miracles but still hope for good fortune. Wingman is dead on re NYC as a draw. And future oppty's from CU far outweigh those of at least 4, 5 Ivy rivals. At the same time, we never (so far) get the cream of the crop in terms of overall average, but we do get standouts from time to time.
The bottom line is how they are coached, and isn't that the primary issue here? This class just might be tremendous, if they are handled well.
Anders Hill, QB, 6'4" 210 lbs.
Fairview High School, Boulder, CO
Pro-style QB with offers from Harvard and Cornell chooses the Lions.
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1381800/anders-hill#
More on Anders Hill...
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1381800/anders-hill#
Hill looks impressive but he also looks similar in many ways to Kelly Hilinski. Same pro style system, racks up tons of yardage in HS behind a very good and stable OL. I'd like to see the CU OL shored up. Otherwise, it's just setting up excellent QB prospects like Hilinski and now Hill, for failure.
How about this gem from Spectator?
Anonymous posted on Dec 11, 3:27am
Alot of this problem lies in the recruiting of the kids to Columbia. I myself intended on transferring into Columbia from a top tier school and I had all the ambitions of helping build a power house team there. On my official visit Mangurian stated that I was too ambitious and that the kids were uncomfortable of my work ethic and ambition. I am intense and passionate about football, most coaches love me for it, and that is why I am now playing at a top 20 d1a program. But to Mangurian and Columbia it was "intimidating"... in a sense wanting to win is intimidating for them. It is the culture that Mangurian is instilling in football there that makes the program weak. It is kids not training hard and working when coaches don't require them to work hard. It is wanting to win instead of coaches telling the kids what to do. The culture at Columbia is backwards period as long as a guy like Mangurian is there.
Maybe that was PM way of telling the kid he was out of spots and didnt want him at CU, ever think of that option. Every kid that gets a official doesnt get offered.
Also, I just can't take "Anonymous" comments seriously. And why, if this writer is attending another school, would he be reading and posting to Spectator? Doesn't pass the smell test.
Anders Hill, the QB recruit. ANOTHER kid from a winning program that competed for a STATE TITLE. Anyone see a pattern here with the recruits and hopefully a culture change?
I hate to defend Pete but that anonymous comment in Spectator does seem fraudulent. No football coach turns away players with strong work ethic.
Even I don't buy that anonymous comment from Spec.
I also agree it sounds fishy, you have to wonder why anyone would go to such lengths to concoct such a story, pretty weird. Anyway, glad to see we're getting some support for Pete. Go Lions!
if i win a state title in the lowest class of my state does that mean i have some great skill set? maybe maybe not, so i dont think going after state titles is such a big deal. it all depends is what i am saying.
so far, the qb looks to be the best on film and the rest look to be middle of a very large pack.
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