Crunching the Data
Jimmy Yukevich
Here are some of the things I've been able to gather about the three new names on the Columbia football roster that I did not know about previously.
T.C. Williams OL Luke Dorris seems like a great get. At 6-4 and 275 pounds, he's the second biggest kid in the class. He was listed as one of the nation's top offensive line prospects by expert Jim Stefani.
Dorris is one of those great Ivy prospects who becomes more available to our league after a junior year injury. Dorris broke his foot his junior year.
LB Zac Olinger comes from a very competitive high school conference in Alabama. It seems like he had a knack for recovering fumbles in big games.
OL Jimmy Yukevich was his high school team's captain and was also on Dartmouth's radar before choosing Columbia. He's listed as 6-6 on the Columbia roster right now, but most other reports have him at 6-7 which would put him in a three-way tie for tallest on the Lions with Jeff Adams and Scott Ward.
As far as the still missing Tyler Kirkland and James Valeiras go, the fact that their names are not on the roster now does not mean they won't be on the team in the fall. They may not have been officially recruited players, or the list may not even be complete yet, etc. Every summer around the time training camp starts, we see new names added to the roster.
Some other quick facts about the class of 2014 so far:
-16 of the incoming frosh come from high schools where Columbia has successfully recruited players in the past. 15 are from new high schools on my feeder school list. At least two players also went to postgraduate programs, one at a school that was already on the feeder list and the other at a new school to add to the list.
-Two of the incoming players rejoin former high school teammates who are upperclassmen on the Columbia roster. They are Paul Delaney, who rejoins Alec Kosminskas from Loyola Academy and Griffin Lowry, who rejoins Ben Evans from St. Louis University HS.
-On their high school rosters, the incoming frosh were often listed at multiple positions. But the Columbia roster keeps them to one position. So here are the players who have been cut down to just one position:
Chris Alston-DB (was WR/DB in high school)
Marquel Carter-DB (was a QB/DB in high school)
*Hunter Coleman-DL (was a TE/OL in high school)
Bruce Grant-WR (was a RB in high school)
Eddie Hitchcock-LB (was a LB/FB in high school)
Brad Losee-DL (was a DE/TE in high school)
*Mark McClain-LB (was a WR/S in high school)
Zach McKown-TE (was a TE/LB in high school)
Jeremy Mingo-DB (was a DB/WR in high school)
Joe Raimondi-DL (was a DL/OL in high school)
Maurice Rothschild-WR (was a WR/DB in high school)
*Coleman and McClain appear to be slotted in positions they did not play in high school.
MORE LATER
posted by Jake @ 10:03:00 PM
19 comments
19 Comments:
Jake, this is a truly excellent report on very quick notice. Thanks for pulling all of this together.
Jake,
I don't see Luke Norris on Jim Stefani's list. Can you copy? (although Parker Mack, who's going to Princeton, is pretty high up there).
First team Connecticut All-State Tackle,Joe Ghergurovich, is a solid prospect on the offensive line for the Lions. Jake, do you know if he is related to Jon Ghergurovich who played tackle for Penn a few years ago?
Assuming the information posted on the Columbia Athletics Website is correct, the Lions intend to use Alston, Carter, DiTomasso and Mingo in the defensive backfield. If so, that should be one terrific backfield as all four of those guys are very promising players who could start in a year or two.
Unlike most of the other Ivies, Columbia does not seem to have lost any significant publicly named recruits to "preferred walk-on" status at schools like U.C.L.A or Stanford where walk-ons of most any kind rarely play on game day. I'm glad our guys realize what a great opportunity they have at Columbia.
McClain played linebacker his junior year in high school. Here is a link to two videos of McClain as a junior ans senior. The junior video shows a pretty fast and good linebacker.
Jake, about five years ago we lose a highly touted running back to UCLA, where he was a "preferred walk on". I never head a thing from or about him again. These D 1 schools are always looking for cannon fodder for the scout team.
Don't down play preferred walk on status. Many of those players didn't get the free ride because of an injury. Many get on scholarship the next season. Coaches are not looking at those players for scout teams as a priority. They are looking for someone that has issues that could turn into a super star.
Many players that are in that position do go to the Ivys or a D2, D3 schools because they have a better chance at playing or getting a partial athletic/academic scholarship. In the case of the Ivys the degree is also a major consideration.
Does anybody remember the young man who went to UCLA as a walk on?
Re Joe Ghergurovich, I am willing to wager that if you posted the question on voyforums about whether he is related to Jon Ghergurovich at least one well known Penn blogger will answer the question and then gratuitously add that Penn could have had Joe but passed on him, even though I know of no information which suggests that that is the case. Any takers?
I doubt that many kids with "preferred walk-on" status get scholarships the next season. Show me the numbers. No need to mention names, but Shoop in his last year, lost a decent running back prospect to UCLA, and a quarterback to an immediate full scholarship at Mississippi. Another lineman recruit also walked on at Northwestern. I can see where turning down an Ivy League School for a full scholarship, might make some sense, but you cannot convince me that turning down an Ivy to become a "walk-on" on someone's scout squad makes any sense at all.
Hilarious. I agree with you that the Penn booster you mentioned seems to claim that Penn has passed on every decent athlete who has gone to another Ivy League school in the last ten years.
One thing to remember when it comes to Ivy vs. preferred walk on. Most of the major schools (assuming your in state) cost a lot less than an Ivy school (50% in some cases). Also, the prestige of being on a USC, Texas, OSU, UM, etc football team with than chance of possibly playing is a big factor too.
Your continued diligence is much appreciated, Jake.
Tidbits: (1) Incoming Freshman Defensive Tackle, Hunter Coleman, is listed on the Columbia Football roster at 6'3", 200 lbs., whereas the Loyola College High School roster has him at 6'4", 225 lbs. On film, he looks even bigger than 6'4", 225; (2) Incoming Freshman Offensive Lineman, Duncan Dickerson, is also an outstanding long snapper; (3) Only one freshman is listed as a quarterback although several of the freshmen played that position in high school.
The RB who went to UCLA was Craig Sheppard. Listed at 6' 205lbs as a senior in 09. Never did anything of note on the field for the Bruins. Ran 10.79 hundred in highschool in San Diego area.
To the poster with the links to McClain, I think you forgot something!
Jake ... more data on the class of 2014 .... Zach Mckown is the son of Utah Jazz strength and conditioning coach Mark McKown ...
Marquel Carter is Carter is so fluent in Japanese and served as a translator for his grandfather several years ago. His grandfather is a jazz musician who uses his music as a ministry, Carter's grandfather took Marquel to Japan and the football player served as a translator during the missionary trip.
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