Seth DeVary is an offensive lineman and I think offensive linemen are the hardest types of players for non-coaches to assess and pretty hard for coaches as well. That said, he was a player we recruited out of last summer's Columbia football camp and that at least means our staff got a better look at him than most players and still offered him quickly. That's a good sign.
Alexander Filacouris has been on my radar for awhile since he is a fellow Long Islander and the local papers and websites have followed him pretty well. The quality of Long Island high school football overall has dropped off because of the population change and the rise of lacrosse, so it's really hard to guess how Filacouris might play out. But I do think he's got the right background to do well overall at Columbia and that will help him on the field.
Graham Flinn is a really good sized DB in a league where DB's 6-feet and taller can make a real impact. He got injured senior year, but that was after he committed to the Lions. He still seems like a decent bet because he can recover and still keep that good size. Let's hope he was drinking some of the same water the last good Columbia DB from Richmond, Adam Mehrer, was drinking.
Carson Griffis is the transfer from Auburn, presumably coming in officially as a sophomore. My initial guess that he was going to be a QB for us was wrong and he is listed as a WR. The bottom line is that Griffis is just a good overall athlete and he fits the profile of a lot of slot receivers over the years in the Ivies. Getting a mere walk-on player who never actually saw the field at Auburn may not raise your pulse, but I find it hard to believe Head Coach Al Bagnoli and company would make room for a transfer who was just a marginal player.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Friday, May 26, 2017
The Class of 2021 (continued)
Moving on now with a quick look at the next four incoming players in alphabetical order:
Josh Bean looks like the kind of QB whose leadership abilities, heart, and head are his best calling cards. And you can see him becoming a team leader 2-3 years down the road. With the Lions desperately in need of a solid backup QB right now, Bean might have a chance to make an immediate impact. This is especially true because of his running abilities.
Cameren Carter hits close to my heart as he is the son of Hector Carter '91, who played during my own student days at Columbia. But it really doesn't look like Cameren is some kind of legacy case. There is definitely some talent here, weighed against the fact that Columbia already has a lot of young talent at linebacker.
Dillon Davis is a QB from a very strong championship program in Texas, and frankly that makes me a little nervous. I always wonder how players from dominant programs will fit in at the Ivy level where even the best teams don't dominate as consistently. I'm also concerned about how a kid raised on a cattle ranch like Davis will adjust to Columbia. But the fact that he has a married brother living in Manhattan now definitely eases those concerns. Davis could be an exciting prospect.
Myles Davis is a wide receiver from Chicago, as in the actual city of Chicago. I say that because it's amazing how few players we see in the Ivies who come from within the Chicago city limits. But now Columbia has two in Davis and sophomore WR Christian Everett. Everett showed some nice flashes last year. Davis is one of those mystery players who is tough to gauge right now.
Josh Bean looks like the kind of QB whose leadership abilities, heart, and head are his best calling cards. And you can see him becoming a team leader 2-3 years down the road. With the Lions desperately in need of a solid backup QB right now, Bean might have a chance to make an immediate impact. This is especially true because of his running abilities.
Cameren Carter hits close to my heart as he is the son of Hector Carter '91, who played during my own student days at Columbia. But it really doesn't look like Cameren is some kind of legacy case. There is definitely some talent here, weighed against the fact that Columbia already has a lot of young talent at linebacker.
Dillon Davis is a QB from a very strong championship program in Texas, and frankly that makes me a little nervous. I always wonder how players from dominant programs will fit in at the Ivy level where even the best teams don't dominate as consistently. I'm also concerned about how a kid raised on a cattle ranch like Davis will adjust to Columbia. But the fact that he has a married brother living in Manhattan now definitely eases those concerns. Davis could be an exciting prospect.
Myles Davis is a wide receiver from Chicago, as in the actual city of Chicago. I say that because it's amazing how few players we see in the Ivies who come from within the Chicago city limits. But now Columbia has two in Davis and sophomore WR Christian Everett. Everett showed some nice flashes last year. Davis is one of those mystery players who is tough to gauge right now.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
The Class of 2021
Columbia Football has officially released the names of the incoming freshmen and transfer players for this fall.
The official list is almost exactly the same as our last update here with the exception of WR Dwayne Warren, (who may yet join the team), and I and others guessed wrong about transfer Carson Griffis' position, (he will be a WR, not a QB).
In the coming days, I will update my LionFeeders database to include these news players and their high school info.
But I want to start today with some more frank assessments of what this incoming class has to offer.
Overall, it's a really good class and pretty much on par or better than the best of what we saw under Norries Wilson. Whether this group will prove to be as good as last year's freshmen is obviously something we won't know for awhile, but it certainly has a shot.
I'm going to try to make some observations about each of the newcomers one-by-one.
I'll start with four of them today alphabetically:
Darren Achohido is one of those rare specialist players Columbia has recruited over the years. His specialty is the return game and there's good evidence he has FBS abilities and then some on that score. Perhaps his overall size made him an better fit for the Ivies. He has tremendous upside to improve an aspect of the Lion attack we know Head Coach Al Bagnoli has badly wanted to improve since 2015. Because this is a real current need, Achohido could be literally the first freshman to touch the ball in a game this year.
Luke Adams seems like he fits the mold of the good linebackers Bagnoli has had an eye for since he came to the Ivies 25 years ago. The Lions have a lot of depth at this position, and that means Adams may have to wait to get on the field. But All-State guys from Michigan like him should have the tools to make a run for playing time.
Jalen Allen is one of those players who only became available to the Ivies because of an injury. But Allen is a little different because he seems to have recovered during his senior year. I never have a problem with taking a chance on these kinds of players because the upside is so high. Assessing Allen is easy: If he's healthy, he'll be a big positive. If not, it was worth taking a shot.
Will Allen is one of the 3-4 finalists to be the top-rated recruit in this class. Getting the son of a longtime NFL player and the captain of a football powerhouse like American Heritage is a big deal. It's harder to gauge when he'll get on the field as a regular or a starter until we get a better idea of where we are in the secondary. But I wouldn't be surprised if Allen is a playmaker by the end of next season.
The official list is almost exactly the same as our last update here with the exception of WR Dwayne Warren, (who may yet join the team), and I and others guessed wrong about transfer Carson Griffis' position, (he will be a WR, not a QB).
In the coming days, I will update my LionFeeders database to include these news players and their high school info.
But I want to start today with some more frank assessments of what this incoming class has to offer.
Overall, it's a really good class and pretty much on par or better than the best of what we saw under Norries Wilson. Whether this group will prove to be as good as last year's freshmen is obviously something we won't know for awhile, but it certainly has a shot.
I'm going to try to make some observations about each of the newcomers one-by-one.
I'll start with four of them today alphabetically:
Darren Achohido is one of those rare specialist players Columbia has recruited over the years. His specialty is the return game and there's good evidence he has FBS abilities and then some on that score. Perhaps his overall size made him an better fit for the Ivies. He has tremendous upside to improve an aspect of the Lion attack we know Head Coach Al Bagnoli has badly wanted to improve since 2015. Because this is a real current need, Achohido could be literally the first freshman to touch the ball in a game this year.
Luke Adams seems like he fits the mold of the good linebackers Bagnoli has had an eye for since he came to the Ivies 25 years ago. The Lions have a lot of depth at this position, and that means Adams may have to wait to get on the field. But All-State guys from Michigan like him should have the tools to make a run for playing time.
Jalen Allen is one of those players who only became available to the Ivies because of an injury. But Allen is a little different because he seems to have recovered during his senior year. I never have a problem with taking a chance on these kinds of players because the upside is so high. Assessing Allen is easy: If he's healthy, he'll be a big positive. If not, it was worth taking a shot.
Will Allen is one of the 3-4 finalists to be the top-rated recruit in this class. Getting the son of a longtime NFL player and the captain of a football powerhouse like American Heritage is a big deal. It's harder to gauge when he'll get on the field as a regular or a starter until we get a better idea of where we are in the secondary. But I wouldn't be surprised if Allen is a playmaker by the end of next season.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Still on schedule...
Just a reminder that last year, the official release of the names of incoming Columbia freshmen players came out on May 24th. In 2015, the news came out on May 27th,
So, we're probably just a week or so away from the official roll out of the news.
So, we're probably just a week or so away from the official roll out of the news.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Broderick Wants the Ball!
I missed this little nugget from a few months ago, but one of the most highly-regarded incoming freshmen for the Lions is not shy about his intentions this fall.
RB Broderick Taylor, who had offers from programs like Old Dominion, UMass, and UTSA, says he expects to start for the Lions and get 15-20 carries per game.
Check out the video here.
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