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It’s certainly not easy for a new coaching staff to come in
this late in the game and have to evaluate nearly 75 players all before spring
practice begins in four weeks.
But that’s what Al
Bagnoli and his assistants are taxed with right now.
And to make matters even more difficult there are some
players currently off the roster that the coaches have to decide what to make
of without the benefit of firsthand knowledge of their abilities and history.
The good news is that I still believe standout defenders Chad Washington and Mark Cieslak will
return to the team at least by training camp.
Simply as a fan of their skills, I’m still holding out hope
to see both WR Isaiah Gross and DB Devin Williams find a way back onto the
roster. I don’t pretend to know the details of why they’re not on the team now
and I place no blame for it on anyone. But both players actually showed what
they could do on the varsity field. In addition, Williams may have been the
most sought-after recruit from last year’s freshmen class so it would be a
super shame to lose him.
The past decade of Columbia football hasn’t been all bad,
and one of the best developments of this period has been better player
retention. Giving credit where it’s due, former Head Coach Norries Wilson was most responsible for this. I think he helped
build real camaraderie on the team and no one wanted to let his teammates down.
But the value of getting a chance to continue playing college football is
something that has to be repeated to young students who may not realize this is
a chance that doesn’t ever come back.
There’s a reason why men in corporate positions and in your
neighborhood bar are often caught lying about having played college football:
it’s something people respect. And while a Columbia degree will get most people
pretty far, a Columbia degree with the added strength of the former player
network that comes with staying with the team is totally priceless.
And finally, things really are changing for the better.
Every player should be jumping at the chance to learn from Bagnoli and his
incredible staff of older and younger coaches. This isn’t just a once in a
lifetime opportunity to play college football, but a once in a century
opportunity to play football for a Columbia program finally under proper
management.
5 comments:
Jake, you will recall that Pete predicted greatness for Isaiah and compared him to Joe Splendorio, the best player he coached in three years at Cornell.
Each coach has to evaluate their position- Offensive and defensive lines have the most players, but it is not a hard process. 75 players - -8-9 coaches evaluating- big question is what do do with new signups that they don't like.
Tony Reno disinvited a few players who had been offered by Williams, although he made clear that the commitment by Yale to accept them as students would not be revoked. I seem to recall that a pair of recruited twins from Westchester were disinvited in that fashion.
All correct, old lion, - some kids were offered by Williams, but had not been accepted - it was ugly. Some very upset hs coaches-
To this day Fox stalwart Bill O'Reilly maintains he played (varsity) football in college, even though it's been pointed out that he played "club" football.
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