FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

Started by admin, August 16, 2005, 04:58:09 AM

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Trin9-0

I finally got around to tallying the number of commitments from NESCAC schools announced via Twitter. The totals for each, excluding Williams who doesn't announce their incoming players, are listed below:

Tufts 30
Trinity 29
Colby 28
Middlebury 23
Bowdoin 21
Wesleyan 21
Hamilton 19
Amherst 17
Bates 17

It's a little surprising to see only 17 incoming first year players for the Mammoths. Their average class has been in the mid-twenties the past few years. We've previously discussed the notably larger incoming class for Colby. In both cases, it can't be said often enough that quality is more important that quantity.
NESCAC CHAMPIONS: 1974, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023
UNDEFEATED SEASONS: 1911, 1915, 1934, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1993, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2022

NBC93

I just counted 19 commits on the Amherst Instagram. I think the biggest positional question for the Mammoths is LB considering they lost 4 quality seniors at that position ad well as Tamin at the Buck position.

Jonny Utah

Quote from: Trin8-0 on June 12, 2019, 12:22:20 PM
I finally got around to tallying the number of commitments from NESCAC schools announced via Twitter. The totals for each, excluding Williams who doesn't announce their incoming players, are listed below:

Tufts 30
Trinity 29
Colby 28
Middlebury 23
Bowdoin 21
Wesleyan 21
Hamilton 19
Amherst 17
Bates 17

It's a little surprising to see only 17 incoming first year players for the Mammoths. Their average class has been in the mid-twenties the past few years. We've previously discussed the notably larger incoming class for Colby. In both cases, it can't be said often enough that quality is more important that quantity.

One of the toughest HS football players I've seen was an Amherst football "recruit" but ended up playing lax.  So not sure if these numbers mean anything.

nescac1

Both based on numbers and anecdotally, Colby's new coaching staff seems to be killing it.  And considering they had a stellar frosh QB last year, the prognosis for the Mules is very bright.  They may be a middle-of-the-pack NESCAC team faster than folks anticipate.   That's a massive class for Tufts (and based on reports of some recruits, the quality is very high-caliber, as well) and the Jumbos do suffer I'd say the most significant losses to graduation in the league, especially on offense, which was really senior-dominated.  So some of those frosh may get a chance to compete early. 

Here are all the recruits I've seen (informally) listed as headed to Williams, 20 in total.  There may well be a handful of others, but this I expect will be the bulk of the class.  Unless there is one that hasn't been announced anywhere, no pocket QBs in the class, which doesn't shock me with Maimaron and Bischoping seeming to have that position locked down for the next 2-3 years. 

Charlie Giunta, 6'4 215 DE (St. John's Prep)
Colton Tangney, LB (St John's Prep)
Terry Zapf, 6'6 280 OL (New Trier, IL)
Braden O'Connell, 5'11 185 QB/ATH (Lincoln-Sudberry)
Drew Michalik, 5'10 185 DB (Marietta, GA)
John Freeman, 6'5 280 OL (BC High)
Brian Anderson, 5'11 160 WR/DB (Pine Crest, FL)
Andrew Word, 6'0 180 WR/DB (Evansville, IN)
Michael McCutcheon, 6'1 195 LB (Duxbury H.S.)
Paul Harshbarger, 5'10 185 RB (Schulerville, NY)
Joel Nicholas, 5'11 190 RB/LB (Buffalo, NY)
Harry Walsh, 6'5 230 OL/DL (Summit, NJ)
Daniel Vataj, 6'2 235 OL/DL (Armonk, NY)
Elijah Parks, 5'10 190 RB (Maret School, D.C.)
Tallon Garelli, OL (Easthampton, MA)
Michael Bedard, 6'2 215 WR/TE (Barrington, IL)
Josh Wax, 5'11 180 DB (Belmont Hill)
Will Litton, 5'9 180 RB, (Andover)
Brandt Mandia, 5'11 165 DB (Staten Island, NY)
Chaz Cotton, 5'10 175 DB (Los Angeles, CA)

JEFFFAN

Quote from: jumpshot on June 12, 2019, 09:47:35 AM
Williams College wins its 22nd out of 24 Directors' Cup with 12 teams in the top 10 nationally this year.

The Ephs further advance their stature as the world-wide recognized long-standing gold standard of excellence in academics and athletics in a year in which neither men's or women's tennis, nor women's rowing made the NCAA playoffs, and being forced to tally a zero in one of the required available slots as women's basketball ended at the end of the regular season.

Two national championships were won by women's soccer (3rd National Championship in past 4 years), and women's indoor track (despite having no indoor training facility due to renovations), bringing the total National Championships to 38.

High points earned by men's lacrosse (two regular season wins over lordjeffs), women's ice hockey (three wins over each lord jeffs and Middlebury), softball, golf, etc., and wins over Trinity in football, #1 ranked Whitman in men's basketball, as well as many individual academic and athletic awards.

Middlebury, a well-respected competitor for many years, finished 4th and Tufts 7th. Larger schools such as Johns Hopkins, Washington University (St. Louis, Emory, and University of Chicago also did well.

Winning this award is not a goal of Williams College, simply the end result of attracting outstanding student/athletes, superb coaches (full members of the faculty), and balanced, intelligent, and fair administration.

Kudos to the Ephs but can we stop saying that it is not a goal?  Of course its a goal and a good one at that.   Also - was this a write-up down by the school?   If so, it is a good write-up on their part.

amh63

#15725
Nice comments here....even on football :).  Some random inputs.
See that Williams is bringing in some big OLs.....need to protect their talented QBs.  Mass HS/prep schools cited have also produced fine players for Amherst.
The Amherst athletic site has a good report on the Director's Cup standings!  Amherst joins Williams, Midd, and Tufts in the top 10..at 8th place.  Wesleyan rises to 14th place as the conference leads the D3 schools with five...yes five schools in the top 25!  Nice to see the "little three" do so well.  Expect the Cardinals to continue their rise in the future.
JEFFFAN...agreed that it is an goal at Williams.  The Ephs' athletic website, NOW no longer has the Director's Cup trophy and wins as a "fixture" since the arrival of its new Prez.
Would not be surprised to see Colby rise in the standings with their new facilities are completed...to attract talented student-athletes.

Trin9-0

In an email from Coach Devanney to football alumni, which covered various topics, the big news was that the Board approved plans to move forward with a major renovation to Jessee/Miller Field. The project is set to be completed next summer and ready for the 2020 season.

No word on the exact scope of the project. I know there were discussions about keeping the single-side seating similar to Middlebury. Not sure if a locker room, VIP seating, or other facilities will be included in the project. There was also talk of building stands on the reverse side for seating at the turf field hockey and women's lacrosse field.

I imagine renderings will be coming soon to further whet the appetite of potential donors. This should help boost an already strong football recruiting program at Trinity.
NESCAC CHAMPIONS: 1974, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023
UNDEFEATED SEASONS: 1911, 1915, 1934, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1993, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2022

nescac1

Football recruits are always very difficult to project, especially at this level, but Zapf and Freeman seem like they could be a pair of bookend tackles for the future.  I expect the Williams O-line to be very strong next year, as only one senior was lost to graduation, and while he ended up having an all-league year, he was actually an injury replacement.  With the added talent, and now a lot of experience, the offensive line truly goes two deep with guys who should be ready across the board for the first time in Coach Raymond's tenure.  Next year's projected top six linemen include four seniors and two juniors, including four multiple-year starters. 

The Eph offense should really benefit next fall from all the guys who saw time due to injury.  Maimaron and Bischoping provide very different looks at QB, but in my mind are two of the most talented QBs in the league, so there is great depth at that position.  It will always be a challenge for Maimaron to stay healthy given the punishment he takes, but obviously, even with a great back-up, you want him on the field as much as possible.   TJ Dozier should be one of the best TBs in the league if he can manage to stay healthy, and Carter Begel showed as a frosh that he has starting-caliber ability as well.  Justin Burke is an excellent tight end, hopefully the Ephs will find someone else to step up at that position as well as he plays nearly every down.  Ryan Pruss is a name to watch, he did not play last year, I think due to injury, but he can be a devastating blocker playing in the backfield or at TE.  WR is the biggest question mark on offense, Frank Stola is clearly established as the go-to guy but (again largely due to injuries, but also to inexperience) the Ephs had a rotating and not-overly-productive cast throughout the year at the other two WR positions, and this year need to establish reliable, consistent second and third options.  Juniors Rashad Morrison and Justin Nelson will hopefully bounce back from injury-riddled years and build on the promise they showed as frosh.  Look for sophomores Dan Vaughn (in particular), Ryan Kingman, Michael DeGasperisis and Will Lofredo (who was injured, unfortunately, very early last season, but could be a big red zone threat) to have a bigger impact as well.  Should be a great competition for the 2/3 slots in pre-season. 

The Ephs have more uncertainty on defense than on offense.  If Rothmann returns 100 percent, the LB unit is absolutely loaded with proven talent, and safety also looks very strong, but the Ephs will need a lot of younger guys to emerge at cornerback and on the defensive line.  It does seem like the Ephs are bringing in a lot of frosh at CB for the second year in a row, so that unit will likely feature younger faces this season, including I'd guess at least one rookie.  The Eph scheme puts the LBs in a position to make the most plays, while the DL are mainly gap-fillers.  Still, the Ephs had only 8 sacks total last year, and they lose the only DL who managed to accrue even one sack (DeMarco, who had 2), plus they also lose Austin Thomas, who played a LB/DE hybrid and had 1.5.  The defensive front generated few tackles for losses in the aggregate, and most of those were from guys who graduated.  For the Ephs to win a few more games they will need the DL to generate significantly more pressure in the offensive backfield.  The defense did a great job of bending-but-not-breaking until Rothmann got hurt in the Middlebury game, but there is just too much pressure on the LBs to make plays up front and on the defense more generally to keep teams in check without generating many negative plays and challenging down-and-distance situations for the opposing offense. The Ephs did rotate quite a few frosh into the defensive front as the season progressed, and that is a position where guys can improve dramatically after a year in a college program, so hopefully that groups is ready to make a big leap forward next season.  Or perhaps a frosh will contribute up front (maybe one of the St. John's Prep guys?). 


Trin9-0

Quote from: nescac1 on June 13, 2019, 09:08:54 PM
Hah:

https://twitter.com/mikegiardi/status/1139288107294109697?s=21
You beat me to it, nescac1! Despite being a Wesleyan alum, Belichik has some Trinity ties as well. His son Brian graduated from Trin in '16; I believe he was on the football team for a year and he played lacrosse and golf for the Bantams as well. He's also befriended legendary Trinity squash coach, Paul Assaiante, and has brought him to Foxboro speak to the Patriots in the past.
NESCAC CHAMPIONS: 1974, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023
UNDEFEATED SEASONS: 1911, 1915, 1934, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1993, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2022

JEFFFAN

Quote from: Trin8-0 on June 14, 2019, 09:31:18 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on June 13, 2019, 09:08:54 PM
Hah:

https://twitter.com/mikegiardi/status/1139288107294109697?s=21
You beat me to it, nescac1! Despite being a Wesleyan alum, Belichik has some Trinity ties as well. His son Brian graduated from Trin in '16; I believe he was on the football team for a year and he played lacrosse and golf for the Bantams as well. He's also befriended legendary Trinity squash coach, Paul Assaiante, and has brought him to Foxboro speak to the Patriots in the past.


Not a Pats fan in any way, but I also think that Belichik might have helped Amherst get access to the stadium for practices leading up to the NCAA lacrosse final.   Good for him for looking out for the NESCAC.   He has not forgotten his roots.

lumbercat

#15731
Coach Cosgrove has quietly revamped his Colby coaching staff. 4 new hires since the end of the 18 season.
Only 2 coaches remain from his inherited staff when he took the job. He essentially waited a year to make his moves.
Only long time assistant Coach Dexter and OL Coach Dugan remain.

GameBall14

Quote from: JEFFFAN on June 14, 2019, 09:53:55 AM
Quote from: Trin8-0 on June 14, 2019, 09:31:18 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on June 13, 2019, 09:08:54 PM
Hah:

https://twitter.com/mikegiardi/status/1139288107294109697?s=21
You beat me to it, nescac1! Despite being a Wesleyan alum, Belichik has some Trinity ties as well. His son Brian graduated from Trin in '16; I believe he was on the football team for a year and he played lacrosse and golf for the Bantams as well. He's also befriended legendary Trinity squash coach, Paul Assaiante, and has brought him to Foxboro speak to the Patriots in the past.


Not a Pats fan in any way, but I also think that Belichik might have helped Amherst get access to the stadium for practices leading up to the NCAA lacrosse final.   Good for him for looking out for the NESCAC.   He has not forgotten his roots.

Brian did not play football but was a member of the lacrosse team and then the golf team.

PBPOP20

Question for the group - If a player that graduates undergrad from a NESCAC school with one more year of eligibility, can they play for one of the schools that has graduate programs after graduating from another NESCAC? 

nescac1

I seem to recall there being a discussion here about that, and this may even have been a recent change.  If memory serves, you can do a graduate year at the institution you are already attending, but you can't transfer in from another NESCAC school (or possibly from any school? not sure if the rule is limited to other NESCAC schools) and play as a graduate student.  But my memory on this may be wrong, hopefully someone else knows for sure.  I think it's a way to limit the significant competitive advantage the few NESCAC schools with significant graduate programs (namely, Tufts and Wesleyan) would have.