Odd Move

Mason Williams

We often get excited as Ivy football fans when a decent player from a big FBS program transfers to an Ivy. Not only do we start dreaming of a dominant player coming to our league, but we know we don't have to wait because by transferring down a division from FBS to FCS, the player is immediately eligible to play. When a player goes up from FCS to FBS, he has to sit out a season.

That's why transfers going the other way, that is Ivy players transferring to FBS programs, are so rare. 

But it appears Penn's 1st Team All Ivy DB Mason Williams is going to do just that after announcing that he is leaving the school just before the start of his junior year. 

Penn's defense is still stacked with a good number of top players, but to lose a guy who was already the best in the league at his position as a sophomore is a big deal. 

Those who are putting in Penn as champions in their 2017 predictions may have to rethink that. 

3rd Commit

Chris Park grabs one in heavy coverage


5-11 175-pound WR Chris Park from Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California has committed to the Lions.


Park just transferred to Serra last year, but made an immediate impact at that perennial powerhouse program. 

Park will be the just the second Serra grad to come to Columbia Football after punter Greg Guttas '13. 

That brings our list on reported commits for 2018 to three:


1) Chris Park WR 5-11 175 Junipero Serra HS San Mateo, CA

2) Mitchell Sturgill DB 6-1, 185 lbs Bellevue HS Bellevue, WA

3) Watson Tansil LB 6-3, 215 lbs. Franklin Road Academy Nashville, TN

2nd Commit

6-1, 185 pound DB/RB Mitchell Sturgill from Bellevue High School in the greater Seattle area has committed to Columbia. He chose the Lions over an offer from Cornell.

Sturgill comes from the same high school as current Lions DB Ryan Gilbert and Matt Weber '92. 

So our unofficial list of commits for 2018 is now:

1) Mitchell Sturgill DB 6-1, 185 lbs Bellevue HS Bellevue, WA

2) Watson Tansil LB 6-3, 215 lbs. Franklin Road Academy Nashville, TN

TV News

Columbia has just released the remaining info on its 2017 schedule, including the news that four Lions games will be nationally televised on the new Eleven Sports Network. 

As a FIOS customer, I'm happy because I get that network at my home, but I'm a bit bummed that no Columbia games will be on NBC Sports Network this year, (NBCSN). Columbia is actually the ONLY Ivy team not to get a game on NBCSN.

If Eleven Sports does a good job with these games, that's no problem. But as we learned from some of the problems One World Sports had last year, (they lost the feed for the Columbia-Dartmouth game for a long time), new networks covering Ivy games often deal with some bad bugs.

Let's hope it all works out and we get DVR-saved Columbia wins to enjoy during the next long off season.

First Commit

#1 Watson Tansil is our first commit for next year


Our first known commit for the class of 2022 was something we all saw the coaches tweeting about on Friday.

LB Watson Tansil from Franklin Road Academy in Nashville is already being called one of the top returning high school linebackers in the area for this fall. 

While the Lions have been bringing in more players from Tennessee in recent years, Tansil will be the first documented Franklin Road Academy grad to come to Columbia football.