Hong Chooses Colulmbia

6-2, 215 pound QB Danny Hing (http://sports.yahoo.com/uga/football/recruiting/player-Danny-Hong-143350) from Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas has just announced he is coming to Columbia. 

MORE TOMORROW 

More Names

Ralph Friedgen

I’m willing to bet someone in the Columbia administration is looking at this blog and tsk-tsking at all the wild speculation we’re engaging in as we try to guess who will be our next head coach and athletic director.

So let’s keep it going because if the administration doesn’t like it, it only has itself to blame for this as it continues to say nothing about where it is in the hiring process.

Again, based on some sources who have told me Columbia has made an offer to a “big name” coach who would get all of us excited, let’s keep thinking about who that person could be.

I have some more possible candidates. Please add your own names in the comments section.

1)      Ralph Friedgen

The Rutgers OC would truly put the “BIG” in the “big name” report, and he has head coaching experience at Maryland. On some level, he makes sense. On others, he does not.

2)      Joe Rossi

Sticking with Rutgers, how about their young new defensive coordinator? Rossi has FCS experience as he coached at Maine for years. He’s a young guy well under 40 who could be a breath of fresh air after the near-60 Mangurian.

3)      Al Bagnoli

Stranger things have happened. Dartmouth’s Bob Blackman switched from Dartmouth to Cornell, but not before taking some years away from the Ivies. Bagnoli coming here would cause an earthquake in the league, but so would Columbia suddenly becoming a winner. 

Sean Ryan


4) Sean Ryan

Former Columbia and Harvard assistant, now coaching the dream lineup of wide receivers for the Giants. Is he a "big name?" Well, other than in the minds of Ivy coaching geeks like me, I don't think he really qualifies for that title. STILL, he might be a really great choice.


5) Jim Tressel

As I understand it, Tressel's punishment from the NCAA blocks him from coaching any NCAA team UNLESS that school can show cause to have an exception made. If Columbia doesn't qualify for a hardship exception, who the Hell does?

Who Could “Make Me Swoon?”

As I’ve been reporting for more than a week now, my sources tell me Columbia has made an offer to a “big name coach” to fill our football head coaching vacancy.

I still don’t know who that person is, but now more than one person has told me that the person would make all of us very, very excited.

Okay, I’m desperate enough for some good news to play along and think of a quick list of possible new coaches who would, as one commenter put it, “make me swoon.”

**All of these names are based on MY OWN CONJECTURE. If you have a problem with that, tell the administration to give us some real info on any football topic to discuss.

(I’m going to exclude names like Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh because I said I was optimistic, not crazy)

1)      Joe Moglia

To me, this is the big fish that got away three years ago. I think he would be a perfect fit for Columbia and turn us into winners extremely fast.

2)      Tom Gilmore

Tom has consistently been my top “realistic” choice, so I don’t know if he could make anyone swoon or even be considered a “big name.” But I would be overjoyed if we could grab somebody like him with Ivy playing experience, Columbia coaching experience and experience coaching under difficult circumstances and still being competitive.

3)      Phil Estes

Some of my sources believe we’re going after an existing Ivy head coach. I don’t know if Estes is the best Ivy coach right now, but he sure has the best track record of doing the most with the least. Brown’s facilities stink, the school spirit stinks, and the actual quality of a Brown education compares to the other Ivies is always in doubt. I think Tim Murphy is a super coach, but how could we ever know if he’s succeeding at Harvard thanks to his school’s rep and financial commitment alone? If there was any existing coach in this league to steal away, it would be Estes.

4)      Greg Schiano

It would be a Hell of a strange path for Schiano, but he is truly a “big name” around these parts. Yes, I might swoon if he’s the guy we’re going after and we get him. Our recruiting efforts in the talent-rich New Jersey area alone would get a tremendous boost.

5)      Mark Whipple

The man who turned things around at Brown before even Estes did it was Mark Whipple. He’s at UMass now and could do better. He’s probably the best developer of QB’s in the Ivies I’ve ever seen.  It’s 20+ years later and his formula still works at Brown. 

More Commits Coming In

 Calvin Falkenhayn

I knew once we got our first confirmed commit, some of the others would come out of the woodwork. So now we have more:

First up is 6-2, 230-pound LB Calvin Falkenhayn from Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois.

Falkenhayn would be the sixth Loyola Academy grad to come to Columbia football and the first since All Ivy Punter Paul Delaney ’14. You can see his highlight video here.

Loyola is also the place where we found all-time Lion great linebacker Des Werthman ’93.

Also from Illinois we have 6-2, 225-pound linebacker Jason Vravick from Stevenson HS in Lincolnshire.

You can see Jason’s highlight video here.

According to my Columbia recruiting all-time data base,Vravick would be the first-ever Stevenson grad to come to Columbia football.

Next up, we go to Ohio for 6-5, 220-pound DE Luke Melsop from St. Francis de Sales HS just outside of what must be a very happy town of Columbus today.

You can see Luke’s highlight video here.

Luke would be just the second St. Francis grad to come to CU football. The first was Mike Maloney ’87.

So, here’s “The List” so far:

1)      Calvin Falkenhayn  LB  6-2 230 lbs. Loyola Academy Wilmette, IL

2)      Connor Halm  DT 6-7, 270 lbs. Langley HS McClean, VA

3)     Brandon Krcilek  WR 6-2, 185 lbs. Hamilton HS Chandler, AZ

4)     Luke Melsop  DE 6-5, 220 lbs. St. Francis de Sales HS Newark, OH

5)     Jason Vravick  LB 6-2, 225 lbs. Stevenson HS Lincolnshire, IL

UPDATE: First, AND SECOND, Confirmed Commits

Brandon Krcilek

It's taken forever, but we finally know of one incoming member of Columbia's football class of 2019,

That player is 6-2, 185 pound WR Brandon Krcilek from Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona.

Krcilek also placekicks and punts.

Krcilek would be the first documented Hamilton grad to come to Columbia for football according to my all-time Columbia recruiting data base.

Here's is highlight video.

UPDATE: And now we have a second.

Connor Halm, #71



According to his Twitter feed, 6-7, 270-pound DT Connor Halm from Langley HS in McClean, Virginia has committed to Columbia.

You can see Halm's highlight video here.

Halm would be the first confirmed Langley grad to come to Columbia football.

While the Columbia head coaching situation is still very much a mystery, I can report that some of the remaining assistant coaches are still out recruiting across the country.

A big part of me wants to shut down my usual tracking of incoming freshmen until we get this coaching and athletic director situation settled... or at least until the administration decides the alumni and fans are worth the trouble of informing in the first place.

It almost seems cruel to pretend to be excited about a bunch of kids coming into a situation where Columbia can win, but the powers that be at the school don't believe that.

But it's still nice news for their families and friends, so I will do the best I can.