FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Ephman573]

Angus Leary named to D3football.com's Preseason All-American 3rd team. He gets the only nomination from the NESCAC

[nescac1]

Interesting that Leary is the lone representative.  He's certainly a legitimately great player, but I've been on record before as saying some of Bowdoin's individual defenders get a bit more love (including in all-league rankings) that they otherwise would because of the hyper aggressive scheme they play, which leads to guys (including Leary) year after year wracking up huge stats in sacks and TFLs at the same time the defense is often getting chewed to dust by opponents. 

Surely we will start to see more NESCAC players in the all-American picture now that at least one NESCAC team per year can establish its level against non-league opponents, leading to more visibility for NESCAC players as a whole.  Some guys who I think COULD be in the all-American and certainly in the all-region picture by the end of the season, at least guys with that sort of talent, if they stay healthy and keep improving as players:

QBs: Matt Fitzpatrick, Wesleyan and Owen Johansen, Williams
RBs: Ryan Lynskey, Bates and Connor McClellan, Middlebury
WRs: Zach Falls, Williams, Nolan O'Brien, Trinity, Jack Nye, Colby and Donte Kelly, Wesleyan (with O'Brien coming back a loaded position this year)
TE: Jimmy Montesano, Williams
OL: Miles Roberts, Amherst (maybe a few others but doesn't seem like a loaded position right now)

DL: Leary and Ben Yedid, Williams
LB: Ryan Rozich, Bates and Austin Baker, Wesleyan
DB: Ameer White, Colby
RS: Nolan O'Brien, Trinity and Keller Rogers, Tufts

Trinity will have a few others on the defensive side of the ball but they are very balanced there so hard to pick out one in particular. 

[Patrick Coleman]

We've never had a Bowdoin defensive player on our All-America team, so I don't think they're getting too much love from us.

[BrownBagBowdoin]

I've been on record before as saying some of Bowdoin's individual defenders get a bit more love (including in all-league rankings) that they otherwise would because of the hyper aggressive scheme they play, which leads to guys (including Leary) year after year wracking up huge stats in sacks and TFLs at the same time the defense is often getting chewed to dust by opponents. 

Happy Friday—- Here's my rant for the day:

I'll acknowledge my bias as a Bowdoin supporter, but some of the takes on this board about Bowdoin's pass rushers feel like they're based on a preconceived notion rather than the actual film.

The idea that Angus' production is simply a product of an "hyper-aggressive scheme" is hard to buy when he gets full slides, RB/TE chips, and double teams on a regular basis and still consistently wrecks games. Go watch his career sacks. An overwhelming majority come from four-man pressures where he simply beats the protection.

And the idea that Bowdoin pass rushers only rush the passer is just false. Leary, Price, and Ortiz before him all have run responsibilities and pass drops. They're defensive players within a scheme, not designated pass-rush specialists.

Also, since when did we start judging individual defensive players by team success? Would we have denied Myles Garrett DPOY because the Browns were bad? Individual performance is individual performance.

I think the curmudgeons on this board need to check their egos a little. Some of this is starting to feel less like analysis and more like cope.

[nescac1]

I mean I've watched Bowdoin play.  Every year they have like 4-5 guys who are among the league leaders in TFLs and sacks. Every year Bowdoin supporters hype up some Bowdoin defensive player as the second coming / POTY. And every year there are multiple games where a tailback puts up like 260 yards on 15 carries against Bowdoin's array of near-NFL level front seven players. 

I'm not saying these top Bowdoin guys aren't very good players.  I'm just saying that every Bowdoin star defender is anointed here as an all-timer based on highlight reel plays in the offensive backfield that are enabled in part by a hyper aggressive scheme that most years ends with Bowdoin getting chewed up in total yardage rankings.   And I think the top pass rushers on most NESCAC teams (who of course also get loads of attention from opposing coaches) would put up massive stats in the Bowdoin system, too.   

[lumbercat]

Bowdoin is always undersized and they deploy a gambling defensive scheme based on quickness. Their DC McAlister is a former Bates all conference player who has really grown in that job. There have never been any bull rushers on that D. They guess a lot..... but McAlister has structured a very good defensive scheme in that program.
But let me say specifically that Koy Price was easily as good as any D player in the league including the ultra all conference guys at media factory Wesleyan and hype center Trinity. And let's add N1s flawless purple to the group----if Price was with any of those programs he would be viewed much differently and elevated to a much higher level. Price was one of the premier defensive talents in the conference for at least 2 years.
So, yes, some players from other schools might have achieved some comparable Defensive statistical success in the Bowdoin scheme but I say if was at Price at Trin, Wes, Williams he would blow conference D stats away. Leary will continue to excel at Bowdoin but he also might well perform even better with a stronger program.

[Trin9-0]

The Bill Connelly 2026 SP+ ratings with data will be released later this week but he did share a listing of every college football program in America. Here's his preseason ranking of the NESCAC among D3 programs:

35. Trinity
58. Wesleyan
92. Williams
100. Middlebury
123. Tufts
137. Amherst
149. Colby
192. Bates
195. Bowdoin
202. Hamilton

[Trin9-0]

Updated list of known Trinity Class of '31 commitments and offers (other known offers included):

Commitments:
Luke Benato, DT, Choate, Wallingford, CT
Max Brown, LB, Wachusett, Holden, MA (Bates)
Aidan Cassidy, WR, Iona Prep, New Rochelle, NY (Colby)
Samson Davis, RB, St. Paul School, Concord, NH (Bates, Endicott, St. Anslem)
Jack Donnelly, QB, John Burroughs School, St. Louis, MO (Illinois College, McPherson, Simpson, Westminster)
Luke Gialanella, RB, Pope John XXIII, Sparta Township, NJ
Jack Guinipero, ATH, Pomperaug, Southbury, CT
Thomas Hall, WR, Noble and Greenough School, Dedham, MA (Bates)
Ajani Kromah, WR, Belmont Hill, Belmont, MA
Tucker Larson, DB, Choate, Wallingford, CT (Colby, West Point, Colgate)

Offers:
Maxwell Blake, OL, Dennis-Yarmouth, Yarmouth, MA (Middlebury, Wesleyan, RPI, Rochester, Union)
Eric Camacho, LB, Iona Prep, New Rochelle, NY
John Breton, DE, Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale, IL
Thomas Esposito, OL, Bergen Catholic, Oradell, NJ
Logan Evans, ATH, Haverford School, Haverford, PA (Colby, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Ithaca, Union)
Jarrett Hercules, DL, Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, NJ
Jacob Macarz, RB, Cheshire Academy, Cheshire, CT (Amherst, Colby, Tufts, Bentley)
Alex Menard, OLB, Choate, Wallingford, CT (Colby, Middlebury, Wesleyan, UChicago)
Yemi Onamade, OLB, St. John's Prep, Danvers, MA (Colby, Oberlin)
Willie Reeves, OLB, Iona Prep, New Rochelle, NY
Will Tassmer, OL/DL, Arlington, Arlington, MA (Bates, Endicott, Dickinson)
Ayden Watkins, CB, BC High, Boston, MA (Bates, RPI)
Jacob Webster, OL, Gilman, Baltimore, MD (Middlebury, Tufts, Gettysburg, Carnegie Mellon, RPI)