A Wish List for 2007

Okay, we're back after a long holiday break that I hope everyone enjoyed. I admit I went onto SideLion Pass a few times to re-watch some of the Columbia football wins and listen to that final drive against Brown. I still get nervous when Rocholl lines up for the winning kick. I know there have been some technical problems with the service, but I'm really glad we have those audio and video archives to help us through the long off-season, (kickoff is still 255 days away).




(Of course, we also have basketball and I am a big fan of college hoops. I have been to 3 games already and will be at both the Princeton and Penn games later this month. But I will leave the commentary on our round ball team to the real experts; I don't pretend to know enough about bball to write about it here).


A lot of readers have rightfully started to focus on recruiting. We're still a few months away from getting that full list of incoming freshmen players, (last year the official release came out on May 5th), but we certainly already know what our needs are... or do we?

The conventional wisdom is that the Lions need the most help on offense. There's no doubt the offense was the weaker of the two units last season, and the running game in particular was almost totally ineffective all year long.

But the good news is the offense definitely improved as the season went on. Using freshman Pete Stoll as a blocking fullback freed up tailback Jordan Davis for some nice runs in the Cornell and Brown games. And who can deny the turnaround QB Craig Hormann enjoyed at the end of the year?

The Lions biggest skill position loss is at wide receiver where Nick DeGasperis departs due to graduation. But the wide receiver corps looks good overall with Ivy League Rookie of the Year Austin Knowlin, rising sophomore Taylor Joseph, and rising senior Tim Paulin all coming back.

The biggest weakness remains the offensive line, and now Columbia will have to contend with the graduations of All-Ivy Matt Barsamian and guys like Daniel Palmer and Usche Osadebe. The problem with the offensive line is that it usually takes about 2 years for a high school player to really learn how to play that position at the collegiate level. So the Lions still have to grab as many offensive line prospects as they can, but we can't expect any of them to make an impact in 2007. Any O-line improvement this year will be on the shoulders of last year's starters. Center Mike Partain will be a senior this coming season, and I think he has a chance to be a team captain. Rising junior Mike Brune could also have a break-out year. And a lot of us would like to see last season's freshman, big Moose Veldman, get into the lineup as a sophomore.

On special teams, Columbia desperately needs someone who can return the ball effectively. Good field position is a huge part of the game in Ivy League football, and the Lions offense needs as much help as it can get. Otherwise, the kicking duties seem safe with the feet of Jon Rocholl.

But my biggest concern for 2007 and a recruting priority for me is the defense. The 2006 Lion defense was outstanding in every way. Even better, the unit featured a bevy of top-flight freshmen and sophomore stars like Andy Shalbrack, Justin Masorti, Drew Quinn, and Phil Mitchell. There was also some great contributions from more part-time players, especially freshmen Lou Miller and Matt Bashaw.

But Columbia's defense is losing five senior starters who were so effective on and off the field, that I am truly dreading their graduations. The Lions were particularly strong up the middle with nose tackle Todd Abrams, mlb Adam Brekke, and free safety Tad Crawford. They're all gone in 2007 as is senior breakout star Darren Schmidt and sparkplug Justin Nunez.

Columbia won't be able to repeat last year's stellar defensive performance unless:

1. 2006's key nucleus of freshmen and sophomores, Shalbrack, Masorti, Quinn, and Mitchell, step up and play even better.

2. Defensive coordinator Lou Ferrari pulls out another Darren Schmidt or two from the current sophomore and junior class and turns them into an immediate impact player.

3. Eugene Edwards and JoJo Smith improve in the secondary. They both showed promise as juniors in 2007, but we'll need a lot more from them in '07 even if Chad Musgrove comes back, and that looks like a long shot.

4. We recruit 1-2 freshman stars at the level of a Shalbrack and Masorti, especially on the defensive line.

As you can see, it's going to be a tough list to follow. But if the Columbia coaches are able to do better than expected with item #4 and bring in a slew of freshmen defensive stars, then it'll be that much easier to achieve numbers 1-3.

You've heard the cliche: "defense wins championships," and I'm a big believer in that. I'm hoping the Lions amazing 2006 season on defense will go a long way toward convincing some of the on-the-fence recruits to sign on.

Will this be a 1996 or a 2000 kind of Recruiting Class?

Columbia won its last two games of the season in 2006, something it did in 1992 and 1996 as well. The recruiting class that came in after those two emotional season-ending wins in 1992 made up the core of the 8-2 1996 team, (although it should be noted that the 1996 team's best player, Marcellus Wiley, was recruited a year earlier and only ended up playing with the '96 team because he sat out the '95 season). Those two wins in 1992 over Cornell and Brown were very memorable for anyone who was sitting in the stands and I think that really helped push guys like Rory Wilfork to come to Columbia.

The 1996 team won its last two games also in dramatic fashion at home against the Big Red and Bears. But four years later, the seniors on the 2000 found themselves at the end of disappointing 3-7 season despite the record-breaking year from junior running back Jonathan Reese.

So, here's hoping the final two wins of 2006 will produce a group of players that by 2010 will bring Columbia a championship or two.