Our Best Foot Forward

Anthony Maschek

I’m 1,000,000% certain that the people who laughed at and heckled veteran Anthony Maschek last week at Columbia were NOT student-athletes.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that none of the hecklers has even been to a Columbia sporting event.

I hope at least some of them weren’t actually students, but I’m not holding my breath.

Anyhow, I think the athletic department and the football team in particular can make lemonade out of this batch of lemons.

I’d like to see each and every one of our veteran students, grad and undergrad, honored at halftime of a Columbia football game this fall.

But since that’s about seven months away, I think honoring them at one of the remaining basketball games at Levien Gymnasium would be a very classy touch.

Giving some of the vets the chance to throw out the first pitch at an upcoming baseball game at our fabulous new ballpark is a good idea too.

Imagine how great it will be for the news organizations to play sound of a deafening roar of the crowd when these veterans are introduced.

Let’s show the world not just how great Columbia is, but how much greater the Columbia student-athletes are when compared to the “norm.“

I invite everyone who reads this to join me in this cause.

Jack Oliver 1923-2011

I missed this sad news when it happened last month, but a great Columbia scholar-athlete passed away in January.

His name was Jack Oliver ’47. And his story is extraordinary.

He started playing serious football at Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio where a man you MIGHT have heard of, Paul Brown, was the head coach of the football team.

After playing for the freshmen in 1941 and the varsity in 1942, Oliver left school to join the U.S. Navy and became a Seabee in the Pacific theater.

He came back to play on the 1946 team that went 6-3 with historic wins over Navy, Yale and a 59-31 thrashing of Syracuse.

Then things got really interesting.

Oliver went on to become one of the world’s leading geologists, putting a realistic spin on the so-called “Rocks for Jocks” stereotype.

His work eventually proved the once controversial theory of continental drift.

He went on to teach at Columbia and then Cornell for many decades.

Thank you Professor Oliver for your years of service to Alma Mater and your country.

And thank you Columbia football for making it all possible.

Spring Wish List

Think Spring!


The spring game date and time has been announced.

The game will be at 7pm on April 22nd at Wien Stadium.

The evening start times the team has been using for spring games lately seem to be more convenient for everyone, and more fun.

Last year, the weather was great too and that helped.

Sometimes, the spring game can answer a lot of questions about the upcoming season.

Other times, injuries and big contributions from the incoming freshman class change everything that we “learn” from the game.

This year, it would be nice if the spring game gives us at least some clues to the following questions:

-Who will be the starting running backs?
-Who starts at tight end?’
-Who looks like the best defensive tackles/run stoppers?
-Who looks like the most effective linebackers and safeties?


Feel free to list the questions you’ll be looking to get answers to in the comments section.

New DC in the House

Chris Woods

Columbia has found its new defensive coordinator.

FootballScoop is reporting Chris Woods will come to us after three years coaching the defensive line at Bryant College. Before that, he coached linebackers at Harvard in the 2007 season when the Crimson won the Ivy title.

He also has head coaching experience, having that job at Stonehill College and Mansfield College.

Woods is a 1991 graduate of Davidson.

Once again, I will make Mr. Woods’ top job very clear:

STOP THE RUN!

Good luck Chris! We’re all behind you.

But seriously, stop the run!



Recruiting News

First team California All-State, (small schools), DB/RB Alec Fisher from La Jolla Bishop’s High School is coming to Columbia.

It appears the 5-11 185 lbs. Fisher is more renowned for his defensive play, but he was a sparkling running back as well. Fisher scored four TD’s in his division’s state championship game in mid-December.

Here are some highlights of Fisher on YouTube.


Millie’s Quest

M.A. Olawale ’10 is deep into his battle to win a job with the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul.

Here is a brief interview with Olawale after his first series of practices.

School of Choice

Percee Goings


There’s a good article out of Washington, DC that includes a note about incoming frosh QB Percee Goings.

I love the part where he talks about why he chose Columbia over Yale, but I was even more interested in his high school.

Percee attends a year-round charter school in DC.

It’s the kind of school teachers unions HATE.

It’s the kind of school lower-income parents pray for.

It’s the kind of school that the Ivy League admissions officers should mine for that diversity thing they say they’re so interested in achieving.

Rare Pick II

Sean Brackett: Simply the Best


In late 2006, I wrote a piece about the amazing ability then-Columbia QB Craig Hormann had for not throwing interceptions.


In ’06, Hormann threw just one pick for every 54 passes thrown. That was the best ratio in the league.

That was when Hormann was a junior with a full year of starting under his belt the previous year.

But current QB Sean Brackett almost matched Hormann’s amazing INT stats last year with only four starts coming into the 2010 season under his belt.

In 2010, Brackett threw just six INT’s overall, or one for every 48 passes thrown. That was tops in the league.

This from a player who was tabbed as primarily a running QB by most of the “experts” following Ivy football last summer.

Meanwhile, I and a few others declared Brackett the best overall QB in the Ivies well before the 2010 season started.

What Brackett actually did on the field made me a prophet.

Here are some of the highlights:

-Led the league in total offense with 2,588 total yards from scrimmage.

-Led the league in TD passes with 19, the guy who came in second had just 12.

-Achieved an incredible 7.2 yards per pass attempt average; leading the Ivies. Just to be clear, a 7.2 YPA is the kind of stat Joe Montana would drool over.

-Ran for more than 500 yards net, but since most of his lost “rushing yards” were really sacks, he actually ran for about 700 yards on the season. Either way, he led the Lions in rushing.

And those stats don’t include how Brackett absolutely was the biggest reason for the wins over Princeton, Lafayette, and especially Cornell. He also did all of this with his best wide receiver injured for more than 90% of the season.

If he stays healthy, Brackett should give the Lions 20 more starts at QB before his college career is over.

What will Columbia do with this once-in-a-generation’s final two years?

Let’s hope that when Brackett graduates, the word “squander” doesn’t come to anyone’s mind.

Above Average Averages

Marcellus Wiley led Columbia's top overall defense in 1996, (but Harvard was tops against the run)


A reader commenting on my list of the leading Ivy League rush defenses since 1992 asked whether the overall rushing yardage misers each season were also the top teams when it comes to fewest yards allowed per carry.

In all but two cases, the overall rushing defense leader was also the leader when comes to fewest yards allowed per carry.

The two instances occurred just two years apart and they involved the same two teams, Harvard and Penn. In both cases, Harvard was the overall rushing defense leader, but Penn actually allowed fewer yards per carry.

Here’s the year by year breakdown:

2010: Penn 2.4

2009: Penn 2.1

2008: Brown 2.6

2007: Harvard 2.5

2006: Harvard 2.2

2005: Cornell 2.5

2004: Cornell 2.9

2003: Penn 2.7

2002: Penn 1.9

2001: Penn 2.0

2000: Harvard 3.3

1999: Penn 2.4* (Harvard overall rushing defense leader)

1998: Princeton 2.1

1997: Penn 2.2* (Harvard overall rushing defense leader)

1996: Harvard 2.4

1995: Dartmouth 2.8

1994: Penn 2.7

1993: Penn 2.4

1992: Princeton 2.2

It’s interesting to note that a YPC average of about 2.5 usually gets a team the top spot in the league. Columbia came close to that number in 2008 when its rush defense allowed just 2.7 yards per carry. The Lions went 2-8 that season, but the defense was really not to blame and certainly not the rush defense. Remember that Columbia lost four games that year by a touchdown or less.

The Stable

Ben Popeck


Does Columbia have the horses at defensive tackle to really stop the run effectively next season?

There are some players a lot of Lions fans may not be aware of who offer real hope in this category.

Leading this crew is rising senior Ben Popeck. Despite being a senior, Popeck may still be flying under the radar for some of us but he had some good games last year and finished as the team’s fourth leading tackler. I wouldn’t call 2010 exactly a breakout year for Popeck, but it was close. He has an excellent chance to make an impact no one will fail to notice in 2011.

Fellow senior Chris Groth has all the tools to make the same kind of impact he made in 2009. Last season, Groth dropped off a bit but I don’t think he was 100% healthy. At 291 lbs., he can be a force.

Speaking of health, there are few players in the last few years who have had as much attention on their health as Owen Fraser. The rising senior obviously was too banged up last season to return to his 2008 form. I’m not a doctor and I don’t have Fraser’s x-rays in front of me, but it’s obvious that he needs to recover more and no one can really bank on that.

Luckily, there are some underclassmen who show a lot of promise as well.

Rising junior Shad Sommers got a lot of work as a sophomore in 2010. He played in seven games and two of his seven tackles were for a loss. At 275 lbs., he fits the profile and will fit it even more if he puts on a bit more muscle in the offseason.

I am also very impressed with rising sophomore Joe Raimondi. He cracked the two-deep early in his freshman season, and got into four games. Raimondi is 6-4 and 270 lbs. with a wrestling background to boot. He could be a force for the next three years.

After that, the cupboard seems a bit bare, but you never know who will emerge from out of the light blue.

Job 1

That's COLUMBIA's Tyler Hamblin

An extraordinary young man from Minnesota joins our unofficial list of incoming Columbia football freshmen.

He is Cretin-Derham Hall's co-captain Tyler Hamblin, a stellar cornerback who has already written a few books.

Yep, he's an accomplished author.

Coming in at 6-0 and 190 lbs, he also made 2nd Team All State at defensive back.

Hambling will be the third documented Cretin-Durham Hall grad to join the Lions, including rising sophomore LB Eddie Hitchcock.

And how's this for odd?:

There is another young man named Tyler Hamblin from the Syracuse area and he is going to play for Harvard!

What are the odds of that?

My UNOFFICIAL incomplete list of our incoming class of 2015 is now at 23:

Colton Bishop DB 5-10 180 lbs. Chaparral HS Scottsdale, AZ

John Brady LB 6-2 220 lbs. Lakota East HS Liberty Township, OH

Tom Callahan OT 6-6 280 lbs. Lyons Township HS LaGrange Park, IL

Wells Childress* DE 6-4 263 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

Sean Coffinger LB 6-4 215 lbs. Desert Vista HS Phoenix, AZ

Ryan Flannery WR 6-3 185 lbs. North Attleborough HS North Attleborough, MA

Percee Goings QB 6-1 180 lbs. Friendship Collegiate HS Washington, DC

Tyler Hamblin CB 6-0 190 lbs. Cretin-Durham Hall Eden Prairie, MN

John Keefe WR 6-1 185 lbs. Choctawhatchee HS Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Josh Keiles 6-3 OL 295 lbs. Lakewood HS Lakewood, CA

Joe Kopp OL 6-4 260 lbs. Arundel HS Gambrills, MD

Hunter Little DL 6-4 225 lbs. The Webb School Knoxville, TN

Connor Nelligan 6-2 190 lbs. Benet Academy Lisle, IL

Ijeoma Odigwe DL 6-2 220 lbs. Chandler HS Chandler, AZ

Ray Pesanello LB 6-2 215 lbs. Mahwah HS, Mahwah, NJ

Kal Prince QB 6-4 198 lbs. Owensboro HS Owensboro, KY

Vinny Pugliese LB 6-1 210 lbs. Walsh Jesuit HS Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Roy Schwartz DL 6-2 240 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX

Mike Skalitzky DB 6-1 180 lbs. Marist High School Chicago, IL

Dan Slivka WR 6-3 196 lbs. North Allegheny HS Wexford, PA

Malcolm Thaxton CB 6-0 190 lbs. Fuquay-Varina HS Fuquay-Varina, NC

Ryan Thomas OL 6-4 275 lbs. Buchholz HS

Chad Washington DL/TE 6-2 220 lbs. Bishop O'Dowd Oakland, CA


*=Transfer from Texas A&M


Opening Weekend

Fordham has announced its 2011 schedule and it turns out both the Rams and the Lions will be opening the season against each other. Every other season since 2000, Fordham has played at least one game before taking on Columbia in what has always been the Lions' season opener, (with the exception of the 2001 season, when the Lions-Rams game was postponed until Thanksgiving Day because of 9/11).

It will be very interesting to see how this change affects the game if at all.


Job 1

I’ve made a huge deal about how important it is for Columbia to do a better job of stopping the run in the coming season.

Here’s another great piece of evidence for my case:

Just look how the league’s top rushing defenses over the past 19 seasons have fared in the standings

(Year, Top Rushing Defense Team, Finish)

2010 Penn, 72.0 YPG, Champion

2009 Penn, 63.2 YPG, Champion

2008 Brown, 77.1 YPG, Co-Champion

2007 Harvard, 77.5 YPG, Champion

2006 Harvard, 73.7 YPG, 3rd Place

2005 Cornell, 88.3 YPG, 4th Place

2004 Cornell, 101.1 YPG, 3rd Place

2003 Penn, 92.9 YPG, Champion

2002 Penn, 55.8 YPG, Champion

2001 Penn, 58.4 YPG, 2nd Place

2000 Harvard, 115.9 YPG, 3rd Place

1999 Harvard 80.2 YPG, 5th Place

1998 Princeton, 72.9 YPG, 4th Place

1997 Harvard, 81.9 YPG, Champion

1996 Harvard, 91.0 YPG, 6th Place

1995 Dartmouth, 103.0 YPG, 4th Place

1994 Penn, 95.7 YPG, Champion

1993 Penn, 63.4 YPG, Champion

1992 Princeton, 58.6 YPG, Co-Champion

I’d take this list back further, but I only have full league stats from 1992-on.

More than half of those past 19 seasons have seen the top rushing defense win the championship, including the last four in a row.

Only two of the last 19 rushing defense leaders didn’t finish in the first division.

Meanwhile in that same period, Columbia has only finished in the first division three times and no higher than the 2nd place finish in 1996.

Columbia’s rushing defenses may be the #1 reason why.

The Lion rush defense has finished 6th the last two seasons in a row after an encouraging third in the league in 2008.

Before that, Columbia finished dead last in rush defense in 2007, 2006, 2005, and 2004.

They were 7th in 2003, last in 2002, 7th in 2001, 6th in 2000, and last in 1999.

The exciting 1998 squad was 3rd against the run, but the Lions were last in 1997, 5th in 1996, 7th in 1995, 5th in 1994, last in 1993, and 6th in 1992.

Yikes!

I listed each of these rough numbers to hammer the point home as much as I can.

In basketball they say: “No rebounds, no rings.”

In Ivy football, if you don’t stop the run you won’t win.

Stopping the run, or at least getting a lot better at it, should be job #1 this year.

Another NFL Connection

Ed Brady was a part of the best Illini team of our lifetme


Make that two incoming Lions who are the sons of great NFL veterans.

We already knew about transfer DL Wells Childress was the son of Oilers sack master Ray Childress. But today I learned that LB John Brady is the son of Ed Brady who played 12 NFL seasons with the L.A. Rams, Cincinnatti Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 1995.

The elder Brady starred at linebacker and long snapper for the University of Illinois, and helped the team get to the 1984 Rose Bowl.

In the pros, Ed was almost only used as a long snapper, but he was one of the best. He played in Super Bowl XXIII with the Bengals.

Son John is also a talented long snapper.

The NFL connections on the current Lions squad are actually three as rising sophomore kicker Tyler Feely is the little brother of NFL kicker Jay Feely




UNOFFICIAL incomplete list of our incoming class of 2015:

Colton Bishop DB 5-10 180 lbs. Chaparral HS Scottsdale, AZ

John Brady LB 6-2 220 lbs. Lakota East HS Liberty Township, OH

Tom Callahan OT 6-6 280 lbs. Lyons Township HS LaGrange Park, IL

Wells Childress* DE 6-4 263 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

Sean Coffinger LB 6-4 215 lbs. Desert Vista HS Phoenix, AZ

Ryan Flannery WR 6-3 185 lbs. North Attleborough HS North Attleborough, MA

Percee Goings QB 6-1 180 lbs. Friendship Collegiate HS Washington, DC

John Keefe WR 6-1 185 lbs. Choctawhatchee HS Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Josh Keiles 6-3 OL 295 lbs. Lakewood HS Lakewood, CA

Joe Kopp OL 6-4 260 lbs. Arundel HS Gambrills, MD

Hunter Little DL 6-4 225 lbs. The Webb School Knoxville, TN

Connor Nelligan 6-2 190 lbs. Benet Academy Lisle, IL

Ijeoma Odigwe DL 6-2 220 lbs. Chandler HS Chandler, AZ

Ray Pesanello LB 6-2 215 lbs. Mahwah HS, Mahwah, NJ

Kal Prince QB 6-4 198 lbs. Owensboro HS Owensboro, KY

Vinny Pugliese LB 6-1 210 lbs. Walsh Jesuit HS Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Roy Schwartz DL 6-2 240 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX

Mike Skalitzky DB 6-1 180 lbs. Marist High School Chicago, IL

Dan Slivka WR 6-3 196 lbs. North Allegheny HS Wexford, PA

Malcolm Thaxton CB 6-0 190 lbs. Fuquay-Varina HS Fuquay-Varina, NC

Ryan Thomas OL 6-4 275 lbs. Buchholz HS

Chad Washington DL/TE 6-2 220 lbs. Bishop O'Dowd Oakland, CA


*=Transfer from Texas A&M

M.A. to the AFL!

Great news for Millie Olawale ’10, who has found a way to continue his football career.

Today, the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul announced they signed Olawale.

The Soul’s season begins a month from tonight with the opener against the Pittsburgh Power.

I will do my best to follow Millie’s new career and would appreciate reports from anyone who gets to see him play live or even on TV this season.

Cutting out the Crazy

E.J. Odigwe

The Arizona Republic has an interesting article about incoming Columbia freshman E.J. Odigwe.


E.J. certainly seems to have his priorities straight, but I hope he shows just a little more enthusiasm for football before it’s all “said and done!”


Pry-ed Out

Columbia isn't the only school looking to fill a coaching vacancy at the coordinator level right now.

Dartmouth and offensive coordinator Jim Pry have parted ways after just one season.

Pry had been criticized for being too verbally abrasive and harsh with the players and that seems to have been his downfall.

It’s very interesting that after a very successful recovery season for the Big Green, Head Coach Buddy Teevens was willing to tinker with the formula and get rid of the brash Pry less than two months before the start of spring practice.

The key quote about Pry came from Teevens and it was this:

“We've got intelligent kids and coaching them is a learned process once you get into this league.”


Words to live by in the Ivies... words to live by.

I’m not saying some of our football players in the Ancient Eight don’t need a kick in the pants once in a while, but the constant tearing down of players verbally or otherwise is just plain stupid in this league. And when I hear about such cases, I fear they are the actions of coaches who are too insecure or immature to coach serious student athletes.

Teevens has made a great move.

Rating the Recruits... of 2007

Alex Gross was the crown jewel of the Class of '11

As we continue to ponder our growing list of incoming freshmen for the class of 2015, it seems like a good time to consider the overall quality of the soon-to-graduate class of 2011.

I’ll write something more about each of the graduating seniors as we get closer to the Gold Dinner, but for now the question is:

How good was that recruiting class overall?

First, remember that some key members of the class of 2011 are not finished with their Lion careers as of yet. Co-Captain Mike Stephens, Paul Havas, and Mike Murphy will all return this fall for medical 5th years.

If Stephens contributes like he truly can and Havas and Murphy add to their emergence on the varsity last season, then the class of ’11’s stock definitely goes up.

Until then, there are a lot of criteria you have to consider:

Overall Wins

Not exactly the best here as the class of ’11 went 11-29 overall, compared to the 12-28 for the class of ’10. But in Ivy play, the ‘11’s went 7-21 compared to the same 7-21 record posted by the class of ’10.

And it the jump from a 1-9 season their freshman year to back-to-back 4-6 seasons in their final two years was a great sign of some progress.

All Ivy Players

This class did well in this category. Alex Gross was a three-time All Ivy, starting with his Ivy League Rookie of the Year win in 2007.

Andrew Kennedy and Adam Mehrer were the only other multiple All Ivy honorees, but senior year brought first time honors to Calvin Otis and Nico Gutierrez.

Great Wins

The class of ’11 played a prominent role in the greatest Columbia win of the 2000’s, the 2009 28-14 win over Brown in the season finale. They also chipped in nicely in the routs over Princeton in 2009 and 2010, the win over Lafayette in 2010 that ended a decade-long losing streak to the Leopards, and the three-game winning streak over Cornell from 2008-2010.

Staying Power

The large number of seniors who stayed all four years, (and the three more who will make it five), continued the Norries Wilson trend of great class retention rates.

Columbians for Life?

There some members of the class of ’11 who you just know will be jewels in the Columbia alumni crown forever. Alex Gross is one of those people, and I would put Kennedy, Otis and Mehrer on that list as well. And we know guys like Dan Cohen, whose family spearheaded four great years of massive tailgates at Wien Stadium, will remain with us on gameday for a long time.

Don’t be surprised if these guys become the people who back this program to the hilt sometime in the near future.

Hollywood Drama

Josh Keiles and his Lakewood teammates sign on the dotted line

Last week, I wrote about how big Josh Keiles is coming to Columbia to play on the offensive line.

Keiles had also been considering Penn and Dartmouth, but we snagged him.

Keiles’ story has a lot fewer ups and downs than his fellow Lakewood OL Torian White. White is a 6-5 275 lbs. OL prospect who has had L.A.-area college football fans suffering from whiplash lately.

First, White said he had committed to UCLA.

Then, he said he was switching to USC.

But last week he actually signed with the Bruins.

I am still confused.

Getting back to Keiles, if you check his MySpace page, it would appear he is, er… a big fan of a certain character from “Inglorious Basterds.”

Schedule Clarity

Chad and his fellow Bishop O'Dowd college signees


6-2 220 lbs. DL/TE Chad Washington is coming to Columbia.

Chad comes to us from the Bay Area’s Bishop O'Dowd. He would be the fourth documented grad from O’Dowd to play football for the Lions. He is preceeded by Andy Boli ’02, Rocky Roberts ’01, and Pierce Rowe ’07.

Chad was honored as a National Football Foundation scholar athlete last year. At that point, he listed his college choice as Cornell. Perhaps we stole him away from the Big Red?

This season, Chad made Honorable Mention on the San Francisco Chronicle’s All-Metro team.

You can see Chad explaining why he chose Columbia here.


Way to Go, Joe!

Incoming OL Joe Kopp has just been named Maryland All-State, Big Schools.


Schedule Released

It was fun to speculate for weeks, but now we have the official announcement from the athletic department on the 2011 slate.

2011 Columbia Football Schedule
Sept. 17 at Fordham
Sept. 24 ALBANY - 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 01 at Princeton
Oct. 08 SACRED HEART - 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 15 PENN - HOMECOMING
Oct. 22 at Dartmouth
Oct. 29 YALE - 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 05 HARVARD - 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 12 at Cornell
Nov. 19 BROWN - 12:30 p.m.
I like the following things about the schedule:

-Six home games.

-Seven of the first eight games of the season are either home games or very short trips from the Columbia campus.

-I still think setting the bar very high for Homecoming every other year and making it against Penn is a good idea. We won’t be serious contenders in this league until we start truly challenging and beating Penn and Harvard. Why not try to set up that breakthrough win on the biggest stage?

The only “negative” I can think of is that Sacred Heart and Albany aren’t exactly the kind of opponents that will spark the imaginations of many Columbia fans.

But will any of us care if the Lions turn out winning those games?

Windy City Speedster

Connor Nelligan

Another Chicago-area recruit is on the way.

6-2 190 lbs. WR/DB Connor Nelligan is coming to Columbia.

Nelligan also can fill in at QB and kicker, as he did in an early season win this past September when he scored three TD's, threw for another, and kicked extra points.

He's also put in time at tight end, linebacker, punter, and holder.

His highlight video is here.




Nelligan breaks away for a 77-yard TD

Nelligan's 40 yard dash speed is listed at 4.54.

Nelligan will rejoin his former Benet teammate, DL Nick Melka '14, and they are the only two documented Benet players to join the Lions.

Our unofficial list of probable incoming frosh and newcomers now stands at 21.

Colton Bishop DB 5-10 180 lbs. Chaparral HS Scottsdale, AZ

John Brady LB 6-2 220 lbs. Lakota East HS Liberty Township, OH

Tom Callahan OT 6-6 280 lbs. Lyons Township HS LaGrange Park, IL

Wells Childress* DE 6-4 263 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

Sean Coffinger LB 6-4 215 lbs. Desert Vista HS Phoenix, AZ

Ryan Flannery WR 6-3 185 lbs. North Attleborough HS North Attleborough, MA

Percee Goings QB 6-1 180 lbs. Friendship Collegiate HS Washington, DC

John Keefe WR 6-1 185 lbs. Choctawhatchee HS Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Josh Keiles 6-3 OL 295 lbs. Lakewood HS Lakewood, CA

Joe Kopp OL 6-4 260 lbs. Arundel HS Gambrills, MD

Hunter Little DL 6-4 225 lbs. The Webb School Knoxville, TN

Connor Nelligan 6-2 190 lbs. Benet Academy Lisle, IL

Ijeoma Odigwe DL 6-2 220 lbs. Chandler HS Chandler, AZ

Ray Pesanello LB 6-2 215 lbs. Mahwah HS, Mahwah, NJ

Kal Prince QB 6-4 198 lbs. Owensboro HS Owensboro, KY

Vinny Pugliese LB 6-1 210 lbs. Walsh Jesuit HS Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Roy Schwartz DL 6-2 240 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX

Mike Skalitzky DB 6-1 180 lbs. Marist High School Chicago, IL

Dan Slivka WR 6-3 196 lbs. North Allegheny HS Wexford, PA

Malcolm Thaxton CB 6-0 190 lbs. Fuquay-Varina HS Fuquay-Varina, NC

Ryan Thomas OL 6-4 275 lbs. Buchholz HS

*=Transfer from Texas A&M

Brother vs. Brother

Westlake High, home of the Chaparrals


Twin brothers and twin defensive linemen Roy and Matt Schwartz from Westlake HS just outside of Austin were both recruited by numerous Ivy schools.

The Texas twin brothers are splitting up.

The 6-2, 240 lbs. Roy has committed to Columba and Matt is going to Penn.

Roy made his district’s first team defense, a big deal in Texas high school football.

Here’s a local TV news report on the Schwartz brothers and their personal rivalry… that’s about to get a lot edgier I think. Roy is #48. He will be the first documented Westlake alum to play for the Lions.

Westlake’s team nickname is the Chaparrals, not to be confused with incoming freshman Colton Bishop who comes from Chaparral HS in Arizona.

New Canaan HS senior WR Kevin Macari is still up for grabs after not getting the big scholarship offers he was hoping for earlier this week. He does still have an offer from Columbia.

Perhaps senior Nico Gutierrez, who also went to New Canaan High should talk to him?

Speaking of Nico, the Columbia football roster still lists him as being on the team, but since he stayed on the roster for his sophomore season despite a second ACL tear, I’m not sure he is getting a 5th year exemption from the Ivy League. But if he is, that’s great news for the Lion receiving corps.

Our unofficial list of probable incoming frosh and newcomers now stands at 20.

Colton Bishop DB 5-10 180 lbs. Chaparral HS Scottsdale, AZ

John Brady LB 6-2 220 lbs. Lakota East HS Liberty Township, OH

Tom Callahan OT 6-6 280 lbs. Lyons Township HS LaGrange Park, IL

Wells Childress* DE 6-4 263 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

Sean Coffinger LB 6-4 215 lbs. Desert Vista HS Phoenix, AZ

Ryan Flannery WR 6-3 185 lbs. North Attleborough HS North Attleborough, MA

Percee Goings QB 6-1 180 lbs. Friendship Collegiate HS Washington, DC

John Keefe WR 6-1 185 lbs. Choctawhatchee HS Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Josh Keiles 6-3 OL 295 lbs. Lakewood HS Lakewood, CA

Joe Kopp OL 6-4 260 lbs. Arundel HS Gambrills, MD

Hunter Little DL 6-4 225 lbs. The Webb School Knoxville, TN

Ijeoma Odigwe DL 6-2 220 lbs. Chandler HS Chandler, AZ

Ray Pesanello LB 6-2 215 lbs. Mahwah HS, Mahwah, NJ

Kal Prince QB 6-4 198 lbs. Owensboro HS Owensboro, KY

Vinny Pugliese LB 6-1 210 lbs. Walsh Jesuit HS Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Roy Schwartz DL 6-2 240 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX

Mike Skalitzky DB 6-1 180 lbs. Marist High School Chicago, IL

Dan Slivka WR 6-3 196 lbs. North Allegheny HS Wexford, PA

Malcolm Thaxton CB 6-0 190 lbs. Fuquay-Varina HS Fuquay-Varina, NC

Ryan Thomas OL 6-4 275 lbs. Buchholz HS

*=Transfer from Texas A&M

Three More

John Keefe

The effort to replace once-in-a-generation wide receiver Austin Knowlin ’10 got off to a bit of a choppy start last season.

Two pickups for the class of 2015 should help the effort.

Choctawhatchee High School's John Keefe is 6-1 185 lbs. and North Allegheny High School’s Dan Slivka is 6-3 196 lbs. Both seem like good wide receivers from excellent high school programs.

Keefe is the first documented Choctawhatchee grad to come to the Lions.

Slivka would be the second North Allegheny alum to play football for Columbia, the first since John Hite ’83.



Dan Slivka

You can see Slivka’s highlight video here.

Keefe’s highlight video is here..

And long-rumored to be coming to Columbia, 6-1 180 lbs. Mike Skalitzky’s commitment to Columbia is now confirmed. Skalitzky will reportedly play DB for the Lions.

Skalitzky’s highlight video is here.



Mike Skalitzky


Our unofficial list of probable incoming frosh and newcomers is at 19. This is just about exactly the same number of known commitments we had at this time last year:

Colton Bishop DB 5-10 180 lbs. Chaparral HS Scottsdale, AZ

John Brady LB 6-2 220 lbs. Lakota East HS Liberty Township, OH

Tom Callahan OT 6-6 280 lbs. Lyons Township HS LaGrange Park, IL

Wells Childress* DE 6-4 263 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

Sean Coffinger LB 6-4 215 lbs. Desert Vista HS Phoenix, AZ

Ryan Flannery WR 6-3 185 lbs. North Attleborough HS North Attleborough, MA

Percee Goings QB 6-1 180 lbs. Friendship Collegiate HS Washington, DC

John Keefe WR 6-1 185 lbs. Choctawhatchee HS Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Josh Keiles 6-3 OL 295 lbs. Lakewood HS Lakewood, CA

Joe Kopp OL 6-4 260 lbs. Arundel HS Gambrills, MD

Hunter Little DL 6-4 225 lbs. The Webb School Knoxville, TN

Ijeoma Odigwe DL 6-2 220 lbs. Chandler HS Chandler, AZ

Ray Pesanello LB 6-2 215 lbs. Mahwah HS, Mahwah, NJ

Kal Prince QB 6-4 198 lbs. Owenboro HS Owensboro, KY

Vinny Pugliese LB 6-1 210 lbs. Walsh Jesuit HS Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Mike Skalitzky DB 6-1 180 lbs. Marist High School Chicago, IL

Dan Slivka WR 6-3 196 lbs. North Allegheny HS Wexford, PA

Malcolm Thaxton CB 6-0 190 lbs. Fuquay-Varina HS Fuquay-Varina, NC

Ryan Thomas OL 6-4 275 lbs. Buchholz HS

*=Transfer from Texas A&M



THANKS!!!

Visits to this blog in January were up an incredible 45.2% compared to January of 2010!!! Thanks for reading!

Two Big Additions

Josh Keiles gets ready to block

6-3 295 lbs. OG Josh Keiles is coming to Columbia.

Keiles comes from Lakewood HS in the Long Beach, CA area. He will be the first Lakewood alum to play football for the Lions.



Ryan Thomas


Joining Keiles is another offensive lineman, this time 6-4, 275 lbs. center Ryan Thomas from Buchholz HS in the Gainesville, Florida area.

Thomas was a 1st Team All-Area selection in the Gainesville Sun and was recruited by several schools including South Carolina and Georgia Tech.

He seems like he could be the real, real deal.

Thomas is the first documented Buchholz player to join the Lions.

That brings our unofficial list of probable committed recruits and newcomers to 16, (about half of what the incoming number should be by the time we know for sure in May).

Colton Bishop DB 5-10 180 lbs. Chaparral HS Scottsdale, AZ

John Brady LB 6-2 220 lbs. Lakota East HS (Liberty Township, OH)

Tom Callahan OT 6-6 280 lbs. Lyons Township HS LaGrange Park, IL

Wells Childress* DE 6-4 263 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

Sean Coffinger LB 6-4 215 lbs. Desert Vista HS Phoenix, AZ

Ryan Flannery WR 6-3 185 lbs. North Attleborough HS North Attleborough, MA

Percee Goings QB 6-1 180 lbs. Friendship Collegiate HS Washington, DC

Josh Keiles 6-3 OL 295 lbs. Lakewood HS Lakewood, CA

Joe Kopp OL 6-4 260 lbs. Arundel HS Gambrills, MD

Hunter Little DL 6-4 225 lbs. The Webb School Knoxville, TN

Ijeoma Odigwe DL 6-2 220 lbs. Chandler HS Chandler, AZ

Ray Pesanello LB 6-2 215 lbs. Mahwah HS, Mahwah, NJ

Kal Prince QB 6-4 198 lbs. Owenboro HS Owensboro, KY

Vinny Pugliese LB 6-1 210 lbs. Walsh Jesuit HS Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Malcolm Thaxton CB 6-0 190 lbs. Fuquay-Varina HS Fuquay-Varina, NC

Ryan Thomas OL 6-4 275 lbs. Buchholz HS


*=Transfer from Texas A&M

Malcolm in the Corner

Malcolm Thaxton

6-0 190 lbs. CB Malcolm Thaxton is coming to Columbia.

Thaxton comes to us from Fuquay-Varina HS in North Carolina, making him the first documented alum from his high school to play for the Lions.

The link above is to an interview Thaxton did where he discusses why he chose Columbia.

Highlight video is here on YouTube.



Marty in his Day

I found this YouTube gem today featuring QB Marty Domres ’69, leading the Baltimore Colts to a 1973 win over Jim Plunkett and Patriots.

Brady Joins the Bunch

John Brady

6-2, 220 lbs. linebacker John Brady is coming to Columbia.


Brady comes from a good conference in Ohio and you can see some of his highlights here.

Brady was good enough this past season to be named a
McDonalds Student Athlete of the Week.

Brady would be the first documented Lakota East HS alum to play football for the Lions.


Now our unofficial list of incoming players is at 13:

1) Colton Bishop DB 5-10 180 lbs. Chaparral HS Scottsdale, AZ

2) John Brady LB 6-2 220 lbs. Lakota East HS (Liberty Township, OH)

3) Tom Callahan OT 6-6 280 lbs. Lyons Township HS LaGrange Park, IL

4) Wells Childress* DE 6-4 263 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

5) Sean Coffinger LB 6-4 215 lbs. Desert Vista HS Phoenix, AZ

6) Ryan Flannery WR 6-3 185 lbs. North Attleborough HS North Attleborough, MA

7) Percee Goings QB 6-1 180 lbs. Friendship Collegiate HS Washington, DC

8) Joe Kopp OL 6-4 260 lbs. Arundel HS Gambrills, MD

9) Hunter Little DL 6-4 225 lbs. The Webb School Knoxville, TN

10) Ijeoma Odigwe DL 6-2 220 lbs. Chandler HS Chandler, AZ

11) Ray Pesanello LB 6-2 215 lbs. Mahwah HS, Mahwah, NJ

12) Kal Prince QB 6-4 198 lbs. Owenboro HS Owensboro, KY

13) Vinny Pugliese LB 6-1 210 lbs. Walsh Jesuit HS Cuyahoga Falls, OH


*=Transfer from Texas A&M