Stars on 45
Drew Quinn leads Columbia football's most talented group of seniors in many years (CREDIT: Columbia Athletics)
While most of us have been focusing on learning more about our incoming freshmen class, the truth is that the 2008 Columbia Lions will live and die on the backs of the 45 juniors and seniors whose experience will be a crucial factor in the team's success.
I'm not sure how long it's been since the Lions sported more than 40 upperclassmen on the football roster. It's a gratifying number because Norries Wilson said that player retention was going to be one of his top goals, and he has clearly succeeded. This is especially true of the senior class where Columbia goes from just 12 seniors last year to 18 this coming season - a 50% increase!
And more important than just numbers, the juniors and seniors truly are the backbone of this team. Last season, you could argue that only four senior were "crucial" team members, (Craig Hormann, JoJo Smith, Mike Partain, and Eugene Edwards), whereas in 2008 the key senior players number eight in Drew Quinn, John Rocholl, Mike Brune, Ralph DeBernardo, Phil Mitchell, Jordan Davis, Troy Evangelist, and the returning Chad Musgrove.
I think Quinn, Mitchell and DeBernardo are good bets to be voted captains at the end of spring practice next month, but sometimes dark horses can emerge.
The junior class is even more jam-packed with star and impact players. I would put the number of key juniors at nine, led by team MVP Austin Knowlin. Knowlin is joined on the "key" list by Taylor Joseph, Andy Shalbrack, Ray Rangel, Evan Sanford, John Seiler, Lou Miller, Matt Bashaw, and the presumptive frontrunner for the starting QB spot, Shane Kelly.
Of course, some of the sophomores will be heard from too. 2007 Ivy Rookie of the Year Alex Gross, Nico Gutierrez, and Calvin Otis have great shots at starting nods in my opinion.
And while we hope our incoming freshmen make an impact, the truth is this: championship teams are almost always dominated by juniors and seniors. This is true even if the juniors haven't had much starting experience.
This season Columbia has at least 17 top-quality juniors and seniors on the roster. Let's see what happens.
posted by Jake @ 1:23:00 AM
13 comments
13 Comments:
All of the seniors are "crucial" in this fan's opinion. Seniors not only provide leadership and experience, but maturity and physical strength. Cory Cameron, Conor Joyce, Javier Garza, Clark Koury and Eli Waltz are talented players and their contribution on defense in the fall will be vital to the team's success. On offense, obviously, all the senior linemen are "crucial," although admittedly some may be considered more crucial than others. Anyway, the seniors are the key to the team's success
Jake, add to your list of rising sophs. England, Kennedy, Williams(Augie),Gaston, Moretto, Mehrer, and Myers. All guys who showed well as first years and many that started quite a few games. Hopefully there are more in that class that emerge as sophs.,especially some of the linemen.
The problem in listing some players but not all is that it is demoralizing to players who are not listed. Look at Darren Schmidt a few years ago. Nobody could have predicted a monster senior year for him. The key for some of our guys is how they took to the weight training program this winter. I am not impressed by guys who just put on weight. what counts is whether they are stronger. We had a lot of guys who were bigger last year but not stronger.
It's obviously nice to be listed wherever that might be, but not being listed can and often is just as much incentive to go out and prove that a player IS as good or better than others thought he was. I presume it's safe to say that everybody on this board is supportive of all of the Lions and wishes each one and the team every success!
Dr.V
Very true, but you can only list the guys you've seen in action to date. I expect that some of our finest future players and leaders have not emerged from the pack yet. I hear good things about guys like Holloway and Haavas. I'm sure there will be many more.
By the way,did anyone attend the dinner honoring this years seniors? Like to hear how it went if you did.
Jake, will NW allow you to cover any of the Spring practices, or will they be positions in which we can expect some healthy competition for the starting slots? And in your opinion, how much of an edge does a good spring give to a player when he returns at the end of the summer?
excuse my typos--the last note should read "and will there be positions.."
I don't think there will be much access to spring practice, but the spring game is usually open to the public and is a fun event.
The key will be improved line play, and the question is whether defensive and offensive lines that both need improvement can actually get better when they practice against each other.
As for improved line play, do you know if any of our potential recruits look like they will provide instant help on the D line? I am assuming that it is generally too tough for a first year to crack the O line, although Gaston did last year as I recall.
Improved line play is essential, of course. But, the QB is as important; a fairly mobile one can make up for some lapses, shortcomings on the O line.
Then, there's coaches' ability to use the strengths and weaknesses of individuals to the best advantage. Some of the recruits will play positions different from what they did in HS, as often happens. That's the challenge for the coaches: to maximize the talents of their charges.
The competition at QB is going to be interesting. Kelly showed me a nice touch and more mobility than Craig had last year. MA's progress is a mystery. I have heard good things about the rising sophomores. I would imagine that Kelly would have the edge but would like to see some packages for MA.
Jordan Davis should be a captain. He has more heart than anyone else on the team and always leaves everything on the field.
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