FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[lumbercat]

Worth sharing during the handicapping exercise that Williams QB Owen McHugh is out for the season with a torn UCL (Tommy John surgery)

Williams recruited a glut of excellent QBs in McHughs class. I was critical of that on this board largely because I thought some potentially very good NESCAC QBs would never get on the field. The Ephs moved a couple of those QBs to other positions-- one was Johanssen. I thought he would be the Williams QB of the future until I learned that departed Ephs OC told McHugh in the recruiting process that he was their guy at QB. McHugh then decommitted on full Baseball grant in aid to UM Lowell and decided on Williams.
Now the Ephs don't look so bad in view all the QBs they brought in that year.
The only QB in that class they didn't move was Drew Renzella out of Williston Prep. Looks like he might be the guy and has some talent.
As for my guy Johannsen he's one of the best athletes in the conference. They have bulked him up a bit and last year he was in a HBack Slot /TE role where he excelled so doubt they return him  to the QB position.
Either way, watch the kid this year.

[Trin9-0]

Trinity announced their new AD today: http://www.trincoll.edu/news/trinity-college-announces-new-director-of-athletics-and-recreation/

Looks solid. Interesting that the incoming Trinity President and the new AD both have impressive fundraising backgrounds.

Also, the new addition the Athletics Center officially opens on Monday.

[nescac1]

Not football related, but the Tufts lacrosse coach (who, just based on the replies, seems to have plenty of non-fans) going on social media to bitch about a Williams recruiting announcement in a different sport (on the same day that everyone else makes announcements, but he's claiming it was a few hours too early) is a ... strange look:

https://x.com/CoachDAnnolfo/status/1940044203158815170

[lumbercat]

With the official opening of the recruiting season on 7/1 a lot of lot of NESCAC Football offers flying out there already. For the most part all programs seem very active in the early going.

[lumbercat]

Unprecedented aggressive recruiting in the NESCAC--Championship eligibility must be driving this, good to see.
This St Pauls recruit reports 5 offers in a few hours today.

[Trin9-0]

Coast Guard and Merchant Marine will be playing the Secretaries Cup game at Fenway this fall. VERY cool!

A while back there was some discussion about the possibility of a NESCAC game there given the numerous connections between the league and the Red Sox and the existing Frozen Fenway ice hockey involvement.

Maybe this opens the door further...?

[Brady12]

Would love to see a Amherst/Williams game at Fenway.

Coast Guard and Merchant Marine will be playing the Secretaries Cup game at Fenway this fall. VERY cool!

A while back there was some discussion about the possibility of a NESCAC game there given the numerous connections between the league and the Red Sox and the existing Frozen Fenway ice hockey involvement.

Maybe this opens the door further...?

[NESCACFball24/7]

Let's be real if any nescac teams hosts a game at Fenway it would be tufts(you know cuz they are actually in Boston). My guess would be a tufts Wesleyan game.

Would love to see a Amherst/Williams game at Fenway.

Coast Guard and Merchant Marine will be playing the Secretaries Cup game at Fenway this fall. VERY cool!

A while back there was some discussion about the possibility of a NESCAC game there given the numerous connections between the league and the Red Sox and the existing Frozen Fenway ice hockey involvement.

Maybe this opens the door further...?

[lumbercat]

Ever since the concept emerged a few years ago of a possible NESCAC game at Fenway I assumed that Trinity would be involved. Red Sox President/CEO Sam Kennedy is a Trinity alum and a key guy in these Football events at Fenway. I thought it would be a done deal- Trinity vs Tufts as the Jumbos would be the logical local choice.

Surprised the Trinity syndicate has not pulled this off. Maybe they are working on it.

[Charlie]

Has Anyone have any inside tracksfor starting QB this season based on Spring practices. Seems to be a great deal of conjecture out there. I know Trinity released a couple QB who were not in future plans but no indication who starters may be there and around the league.

[Trin9-0]

The Athletic ranked Williams-Amherst as the 93rd best rivalry game in all of college football and noted the 2001 battle of unbeatens as its biggest game.

[nescac1]

I think Williams-Amherst have the long-term history to earn a place on the rivalry list, but man, I was checking back and the once-great rivalry has really dropped off quite a bit.  They've played very few competitive, meaningful games (outside of being meaningful for the rivalry itself) for the past 20 years - in particular recently, Amherst dominated most of the Kelton era and immediate aftermath, and over the past five years, Williams has been up and down while Amherst has fallen off a cliff.  2021, 2012, 2009, 2008 were close games between teams that were at least pretty good.  The rest of the games over the past two decades were mostly blow-outs and typically at least one and sometimes both teams were bad.  Doesn't seems likely that changes this year.

Regarding the QB question, here is an updated version of my speculation about the QB situation next year.  But this is not informed at all by any insider knowledge.  Drake and Moran seem like the surest-things at QB in the league right now, everywhere else, I think there are at least potential openings (with Tufts, Wesleyan, Williams, Trinity seemingly wide-open, and the way Bates has been bringing in talent and relying on frosh, I would not be shocked if they have a FY in to challenge Moore).  * = returning starter

Amherst - Marek Hill* (part-time starter Mason Morrow also returns but Hill seems like he's the guy)

Bates - Seneca Moore

Colby - Miles Drake*

Bowdoin - Peter Macauley (Michael Wolfendale also in mix)

Hamilton - Luke Kurzum* (Henry Rubey also will get snaps, it seems)

Middlebury - Brian Moran*

Trinity -

Tufts - Hudson Weidman (Justin Keller also in the mix and will at least get some snaps as a wildcat QB)

Wesleyan - Chase Vaughn (Cooper Tyszko and Matt Fitzsimons also in the mix)

Williams -

[Trin9-0]

I could be wrong, but I think Jake Robbins (the former Don Bosco Prep star QB who transferred to Trin from West Virginia) will be back in Hartford as a grad student. He'd be my bet to take the reigns at signal caller for the Bantams. Otherwise junior Jaxon Carroll (Choate) or possibly his classmate Vince Ferrara (Wellesley) will likely be running the offense for the Bants.

[Former CAC Coach]

Nescac1 may have forgotten this one from 2017 - in a thriller, Williams beat visiting Amherst 31-24 in OT with the Mammoths going for league crown. Amherst stormed back after being down 24-3 tying game on a pick-six.  Bobby Maimaron scored four TDs for the Ephs, including the game winner.  Amherst finished 7-2 and Williams 6-3 - both behind Trinity 8-1 that year.

[nescac1]

Former CAC Coach, yes, that is my bad! 

There is no reason that Williams and Amherst can't return to the era of more consistent games like that -- both have great football traditions, prominent football alumni, tremendous football facilities, ample institutional resources, tons of recruiting pull, and established coaches each of whom has shown he can win a league title.  All it really takes is a few winks here and there from the admissions Dep't ...