Assessing the Returnees UPDATED

OL Zach Minch is back for 2022

With yesterday's release of the 2022 spring football roster, we now have a little more certainty about what the Lions will be bringing back to the field this fall. But I wrote "a little more certainty" for a reason because a lot of things can still change between now and mid-September. They include injuries, some players changing their minds about wanting to transfer, a possible incoming transfer or two, and of course the usual surprises from the expected incoming freshman class. 

Okay with that disclaimer out of the way, let's look at the pluses and minuses as I see them position by position:

Defensive Backs

The best news is that 2021 senior Fara'Ad McCombs returns after much of his 2021 season was cut short by injury. McCombs has exceptional talent and has always seemed like he's on the verge of an All Ivy season to me. 

Rising senior Brian Bell-Anderson is the other starting DB coming back, and he had something of a breakout season last year after getting significant playing time as a freshman in 2019. 

The other key returnees are rising junior Seth Parker, who seems most likely to break out this fall, Railan Peace, who started one game at corner last season, Mason Tomlin, who showed some real effective play as a first-year player in 2021, and Aaron Brebnor, who was mostly a star on special teams but seems like he has the tools to bring them to the field on defense. 

But this unit is still going to be under a lot of scrutiny with the graduation of one of Columbia's best all-time safeties in Ben Mathiasmeier, a very good safety in Jordan Colbert, and the introduction of a new DB coach. That new coach will be current D-line coach Andrew Kukesh who will move to this open slot. 

Linebackers

This is another position group that will be facing some serious graduation losses, but still has great talent coming back. 

Scott Valentas leads the group of LB returnees, and he played extremely well last year despite being slowed by injuries at the start of the season. If you don't think Valentas is a force, remember that he led the team in total tackles despite missing two entire games. 

CJ Brown looked very good and fast in his first year on the field last season and it will be great to see what he can do with another year of preparation behind him. 

The only other returning linebacker with decent playing time is Ryan Hamilton, so it's fair to say there should be concern about this group as well. But if Valentas and Brown stay healthy, and Parker fills the hybrid safety-linebacker role, a lot of those concerns could go by the wayside. 

This group will also be getting a new position coach as Justin Stovall is being promoted to Defensive Coordinator. 

Defensive Line 

This was one of the units that had a big question mark attached to it last year after some key graduation losses. But thanks to some stepped up play from people like Paul Akere. Mitch Moyer and Ben Corniello. 

The bad news is that of those three, only Corniello returns. The good news is that Corniello is that very rare animal in the Ivy League: an effective defensive tackle. 

The other key returnees on the D-line are Thomas Thibault, who played in all 10 games last year and registered 21 tackles, Cam Coleman, who also played all 10 games, and Reid Spachman, who played in seven games but had 3.5 tackles for a loss with a sack. 

And yes, this is another group that will have a new position coach this fall. His name is Chris West from Delta State. 

UPDATE: Since the original publication of the spring roster, some changes have been made that have mostly affected the D-line. 

First, the Lions 6th leader tackler Mitch Moyer is now listed as returning for 2022. That's a great piece of good news. 

Second, BIG sophomores John Martin and Patrick Passalacqua have been moved from the O-line to the D-line, something that is easier to do thanks to the incredible number of experienced O-linemen returning (see below). 

Offensive Line

I started writing a couple of months ago about the possibility that Columbia could be returning its entire starting O-line from 2021, including a key starter from 2019 who missed much of the season. 

It appears that the Lions are just missing that mark. 2021 Center Tyler Worrell is graduating, but the rest of the starters, Stew Newblatt, Will Hamilton, Matt Klenk, and David Sawyer, plus Zach Minch (who may be the best overall O-lineman on the team but missed most of 2021 with an injury), and key backups Zach Mills and Andrew Pruske also return. Also throw in some other promising contributors like the 385-pound rising sophomore John Martin, (who got into some games last year on PATs) and Patrick Passalacqua.  (see above)

This is an historic rarity that I can't remember ever being duplicated in Ivy football history, let alone Columbia history. Offensive line turnover, especially when the line is good or at least effective, happens like clockwork in the Ivies. For the Lions to be returning so much experience and talent up front is a cup running over for OL coach John McLaughlin and crew. 

Running Backs

Ryan Young's decision to return for 2022 has been the best offseason news for the Lions, and he will obviously be a key component of the season for Columbia. 

The loss of Dante Miller to the transfer portal (he's off to U. of South Carolina) opens the door for someone to share the load with Young, possibly as the same kind of outside speed-runner that Miller was last season. 

Many of us liked what we saw from Ty'Son Edwards' brief playing time last year, which included some flashes of speed and a TD scored against Georgetown. Nicolas Nesbitt definitely has a lot of talent as well and I expect him to make a serious run for real playing time this fall. And don't forget Navy transfer Malcom Terry. 

There are definitely some holes to fill, but there is also stability here with Young and RB coach Joe D'Orazio in the fold. 

Wide Receivers

Even with the loss of Mike Roussos, this unit seems very solid for the fall with the return of Marcus Libman, Wills Meyer, and the late-emerging phenom Bryan Canty. But also coming back are seniors Ernest Robertson and Jack Ertz. I also think we may some contribution from senior Cameron Burt this fall. 

Plus, there are some exciting incoming freshmen at this position, so WR coach Jerry Taylor has some great tools to work with right now. 

Tight Ends

Luke Painton returns after having an up-and-down 2021, especially when it came to holding on to passes. But that is definitely an issue that often improves with time, and if it does he will have a chance to be a true impact TE for the Lions. Dominic Busby is the only other returning TE who had a catch last year (a total of three), so this is a position that needs to see more depth and impact. 

Quarterbacks

Of course the headline is that Joe Green is back after a very good season that earned him Ivy Rookie of the Year honors. Gabriel Hollingsworth is also back after showing some flashes of brilliance as the wildcat/running QB, including a clutch TD on national TV at Dartmouth. None of the other returning QB's really saw any action, so the bench is a question mark. 

Kickers/Punters

PK Alex Felkins, who is probably going through a lot right now with so much of his family in Ukraine, will return after what may have seemed like a bit of an erratic season in 2021. But a closer look shows that he made some clutch FG's that made the difference in wins over Penn, Brown, and Cornell. The only "missed" kick that may have played a role in a loss came against Princeton at the end of the 1st half and it was actually blocked... and it's debatable that it would have made a difference in the ultimate outcome. The point is, Felkins actually came through in the clutch last season. 

The returning roster has three players listed as PK/Punters who will likely compete to replace the graduating Drew Schmid in that job. They will be very much in the spotlight this spring. 

Returners

Both Mike Roussos and Will Allen, two of the most explosive returners in CU history, are gone making this position one of the biggest question marks for 2022. It's possible Canty or another one of the WR's will compete for this job, but it's a mystery. It's also not clear how many return opportunities there will be in the Spring Game, (if any), so this may remain a mystery right until September.