FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

lumbercat · July 07, 2025, 06:03:23 PM

Good to see the QB projections across the league. Can't a recall a situation like this where the QB position has only a couple of returning starters league wide.
It will be fun to see how things unfold.

I note an interesting fact regarding QB's from Milton (Ma) High School (Not to be confused with Milton Academy)
Owen McHugh at Williams and potential starter Chase Vaughn at Wesleyan graduated from Milton in consecutive years. Their successor Patrick Miller will be a FY at Colby this year. Potentially there might be 3 QBs from the same HS competing against one another in the NESCAC at some point in the next couple of years. Useless trivia I guess but don't think we've seen that before.

Head Coach Dembrowski at Milton is a program builder who has revived the Milton program and has been a great QB mentor and groomer of NESCAC talent.

Brady12 · July 08, 2025, 08:48:56 AM

Bowdoin also has 2 Milton High products in Becket and Collins

Quote from: lumbercat on July 07, 2025, 06:03:23 PMGood to see the QB projections across the league. Can't a recall a situation like this where the QB position has only a couple of returning starters league wide.
It will be fun to see how things unfold.

I note an interesting fact regarding QB's from Milton (Ma) High School (Not to be confused with Milton Academy)
Owen McHugh at Williams and potential starter Chase Vaughn at Wesleyan graduated from Milton in consecutive years. Their successor Patrick Miller will be a FY at Colby this year. Potentially there might be 3 QBs from the same HS competing against one another in the NESCAC at some point in the next couple of years. Useless trivia I guess but don't think we've seen that before.

Head Coach Dembrowski at Milton is a program builder who has revived the Milton program and has been a great QB mentor and groomer of NESCAC talent.

lumbercat · July 08, 2025, 11:15:46 AM

Collins had a great FY.

Charlie · July 08, 2025, 07:10:12 PM

Quote from: Trin9-0 on July 07, 2025, 02:27:07 PMI 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.

Robbins will not be starting QB rumor Mill has Jake Robbins , Bob Wiesenhahn and Voncent Ferrara all being cut from team. Front runners being Jaxon Carroll from Choate and Cam Holland from Hotchiss.

lumbercat · July 08, 2025, 09:27:03 PM

Charlie-

It always concerns me when you start a post with "I may be wrong but..."

However if you are correct I feel bad for Wiesenhahn and Ferrara who were both from good HS programs and were briskly recruited throughout the NESCAC. They had multiple opportunities with other programs. With all the QB opportunities open this year they would presumably be competing for a starting position in other NESCAC venues.

Can't blame either kid for setting their personal bar at the highest level. I'm sure they competed hard and worked hard......but they got beat out.
The recruiting game is difficult for QBs.....but we all hate to see talent go to waste when a QB can't adapt to another position if unable to secure QB reps. How much depth at the QB position do the top programs really need.

JEFFFAN · July 10, 2025, 10:43:52 AM

Quote from: nescac1 on July 07, 2025, 02:36:02 PMFormer 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 ...

As a Lord Jeff fan, I remain baffled by this drastic drop-off. The drop-off in basketball was disappointing but reasonable with a new coach coming on board. New hires don't always work out, which appears to be the case with Amherst hoops. But Mills has been in the saddle for so long that the drop off had to be related to changes in admissions philosophy. One can only hope that the new president will provide a better climate for Mills than the disastrous former president did in her latter years.

Trin9-0 · July 10, 2025, 02:50:48 PM

Quote from: lumbercat on July 08, 2025, 09:27:03 PMCharlie-

It always concerns me when you start a post with "I may be wrong but..."

However if you are correct I feel bad for Wiesenhahn and Ferrara who were both from good HS programs and were briskly recruited throughout the NESCAC. They had multiple opportunities with other programs. With all the QB opportunities open this year they would presumably be competing for a starting position in other NESCAC venues.

Can't blame either kid for setting their personal bar at the highest level. I'm sure they competed hard and worked hard......but they got beat out.
The recruiting game is difficult for QBs.....but we all hate to see talent go to waste when a QB can't adapt to another position if unable to secure QB reps. How much depth at the QB position do the top programs really need.

To be fair to Charlie, it was I who posted "I could be wrong, but...". I haven't heard the QB rumors he shared. I'm not saying he's wrong but it would certainly be surprising for Trinity to cut three upperclassmen at QB unless they felt very secure about their presumed starter. Possibly just a numbers game with the new roster limitations.

Lumber is correct in that Ferrara, at the very least, was recruited by Tufts and received an "offer" from Colby. It looks like both Ferrara and Bobby Wiesenhahn received a little bit of Ivy League interest as well. Wiesenhahn is a BC High product who did a PG year at Hotchkiss. Interestingly Cam Holland was his backup for a year and then ultimately followed Wiesenhahn to Trinity.

As for lumber's question about "How much depth at the QB position do the top programs really need?" The answer is as much as you can possibly get! It's by far the most important position in the sport. Why would you ever not recruit as much talent as possible?!

lumbercat · July 10, 2025, 04:20:59 PM

Trin 90-
My apologies to Charlie, my bad-wrong guy.

Of course QB depth is an asset, no doubt about it. However, in the NESCAC, coaches are dealing with tight roster limitations and very strict admissions procedures where most schools limit the number of incoming athletes typically to a range of 20-25 recruits per year. How many QBs should they take in an incoming class of say 23 without certainty that the player will be an asset at another position and is open to being to moved.

How many extra guys do you need in baseball hats walking around with clipboards on game day? That's not a luxury you can afford in this league. Only 1 QB on the field at a time. You need depth at the position but if you're cutting 3 QB's in a year that raises questions about management of the recruiting process.

Charlie · **Yesterday** at 08:33:42 AM

Quote from: lumbercat on July 10, 2025, 04:20:59 PMTrin 90-
My apologies to Charlie, my bad-wrong guy.

Of course QB depth is an asset, no doubt about it. However, in the NESCAC, coaches are dealing with tight roster limitations and very strict admissions procedures where most schools limit the number of incoming athletes typically to a range of 20-25 recruits per year. How many QBs should they take in an incoming class of say 23 without certainty that the player will be an asset at another position and is open to being to moved.

How many extra guys do you need in baseball hats walking around with clipboards on game day? That's not a luxury you can afford in this league. Only 1 QB on the field at a time. You need depth at the position but if you're cutting 3 QB's in a year that raises questions about management of the recruiting process.

Trinity has a way of quickly evaluating if QB's pan out or not during an Since the Fetter period they have recruited a great deal at the position and to date none have panned out. I guess they know what they are looking for sadly for students Trinity could bring in a bunch of QB like a Williams with no roster limts and if they pan out great if not they simply will quit and now they will be cut. This year recruiting class they are Trinity is bringing in two QB's. What I am perplexed at is that don't future College recruits look at depth charts playing time etc. Some would be better off doing more due diligence if there desire is to play NESCAC and go to programs where they have better chance at seeing the field.

I think recruits need an eye opening Hgh School football is dramatically different then College football.

lumbercat · **Yesterday** at 11:19:56 AM

Quote from: lumbercat on July 10, 2025, 04:20:59 PMTrin 90-
My apologies to Charlie, my bad-wrong guy.

Of course QB depth is an asset, no doubt about it. However, in the NESCAC, coaches are dealing with tight roster limitations and very strict admissions procedures where most schools limit the number of incoming athletes typically to a range of 20-25 recruits per year. How many QBs should they take in an incoming class of say 23 without certainty that the player will be an asset at another position and is open to being to moved.

How many extra guys do you need in baseball hats walking around with clipboards on game day? That's not a luxury you can afford in this league. Only 1 QB on the field at a time. You need depth at the position but if you're cutting 3 QB's in a year that raises questions about management of the recruiting process.

Charlie wrote this and attached it my post:

Trinity has a way of quickly evaluating if QB's pan out or not during an Since the Fetter period they have recruited a great deal at the position and to date none have panned out. I guess they know what they are looking for sadly for students Trinity could bring in a bunch of QB like a Williams with no roster limts and if they pan out great if not they simply will quit and now they will be cut. This year recruiting class they are Trinity is bringing in two QB's. What I am perplexed at is that don't future College recruits look at depth charts playing time etc. Some would be better off doing more due diligence if there desire is to play NESCAC and go to programs where they have better chance at seeing the field.

I think recruits need an eye opening Hgh School football is dramatically different then College football.

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Brady12 · **Yesterday** at 02:59:40 PM

I could be wrong but from what I see it looks like a lot of the QB's also played on the other side of the ball in high school with most a DB and some at LB. Some also dabbled at RB/TE/WR before becoming QB1. In past some school had huge rosters but now they may have to adapt to what I think the smaller roster schools do and have a strategy of recruiting overall athletes and hoping their desire to play will out weigh their desire to only be QB1. With smaller rosters Recruit horses for the line and athletes with versatility.

Gray Fox · **Yesterday** at 03:38:57 PM

Quote from: Brady12 on Yesterday at 02:59:40 PMI could be wrong but from what I see it looks like a lot of the QB's also played on the other side of the ball in high school with most a DB and some at LB. Some also dabbled at RB/TE/WR before becoming QB1. In past some school had huge rosters but now they may have to adapt to what I think the smaller roster schools do and have a strategy of recruiting overall athletes and hoping their desire to play will out weigh their desire to only be QB1. With smaller rosters Recruit horses for the line and athletes with versatility.

Going back to single platoon football might solve lots of problems.