Ben Corniello on signing day
Don't look now, but for the first time since I can remember, an entire class of players from a single academic class is really making an impact all at the same time.
I'm not going to write too much about the sophomore skill players on offense, because since they're all skill players they get a lot of attention as it is. But suffice to say that QB Joe Green, QB Gabriel Hollinsworth, WR Wills Meyer, WR Marcus Libman, and RB Ty'son Edwards are all looking like they are forming a nucleus of great talent.
-Sophomore DB Seth Parker actually has received some ink on this blog a few times, but he has a great chance to be a dominant Ivy player for four seasons. He reminds me of Cameron Roane, who was a key ingredient in Columbia's 2017 near-championship season.
-Sophomore DT Ben Corniello seems to be getting more reps in every game. He has 17 total tackles, including three tackles for a loss with half a sack. He's a key reason why the D-line has overcome expectations this year. The 265-pounder from Madison, CT originally committed to Holy Cross and then switched his commitment to Columbia (a possible microcosm in the ongoing deterioration of the Patriot League vs. the Ivies).
-Sophomore LB CJ Brown is 6th on the team in tackles and has three tackles for a loss. The Texas native is fast and his ability to get decent playing time with so many talented LB upperclassmen is impressive. He had a similarly impressive list of schools offering him out of high school.
-Sophomore DL Reid Spachman is 11th on the team in tackles, with 3.5 TFL's and a sack. From the Kansas City area, he also had an impressive list of competing offers.
Sophomore OL's Zach Mills and Braedon Bellmer are getting playing time on the O-line, which is impressive for underclassmen.
With some exceptions, (like Green), all of these players are eligible to play four seasons for CU, which means three more after this season. If they keep developing and stay healthy, this would be a formidable group of players in 2023 and 2024.
2 comments:
Green isn't an exception - he got a medical redshirt his first year at SDSU and has a Covid redshirt from last year.
All of these players have 4 years left. Bagnoli will ride it out for this year + 3 more and if he cant win a title by then I think he hangs it up. Same starting QB for 4 years is rare in this league.
There is a good story about Dante Miller on the athletics web site that strongly suggests he will graduate with his class and play a grad transfer year in FBS. He probably won't be the only one over the next few years who does this, including some of these super sophs. I wonder if this might make the league a little more unpredictable, as some teams reload with a lot of fifth years and some lose grad transfers.
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