FB: Liberty League

[Bartman]

Unionpalooza, freshman year is a big retention issue for many teams , but UMHB stats are crazy. Everyone knows a big roster in D3 helps the tuition bucket, but to have that kind of churn is sad. I think having a strong JV program and  healthy schedule is very important for retention. If a kid gets a season ending injury , or even a nagging injury during pre season camp as a Freshman, it's really tough to pump yourself up for Sophomore year. If you have a JV program you can give it a shot and get game experience. I wish Hobart had a stronger JV schedule, I think the retention rate would improve, and you can give the coaching staff valuable experience  as well. It is often a budget issue....have more salary for support staff or invest in a JV program. The Coaching staff is also a big factor. Hobart lost their DC( Mike Green) to the HC job at Gettysburg, I wish him all the best but he did a great job the last few years recruiting and on the field coaching. Looks like Union should be strong again based on those stats.

[IC798891]

Right, and for St. John's and UMHB and a number of other similar programs that don't limit how many people can be on the team, the additional question is: How many people stay at your school once they stop playing football?

That's not as easily divined in a search.

I'm fascinated by this, because in 2024 UMHB made an announcement that their overall university retention rate was 69%, which is lower than their stated goal of 76%.

If the football team is retaining a significantly lower percentage than even the 69% (and to be fair, as Pat points out, we can't know this number for sure just by looking at a roster page), you have to wonder how the rest of the university feels about that. Because obviously, one-year retention affects your graduation rate, and you certainly don't want to get a reputation for doing poorly at that.

Is a higher incoming football class worth it for possibly lowering important long-term metrics? One thing you can be sure of, parents of prospective students care about outcomes. Will my child graduate? Will they get a job? Those numbers send a message about how well a college does that, and no one is going to be saying "Well, you gotta exclude football players from those figures, obviously"

And hey, maybe everyone in enrollment in UMHB is fine with the way things are. But those look like there could be some STARK differences.

FWIW, at Ithaca, the student-athlete retention and graduation rate is higher than that of the overall student body

[Bartman]

Like Ithaca, Hobart retention rates are higher for athletes. It is one of the reasons we added additional sports(M&W volleyball, W Bowling, new in 2027 W Flag Football, M&W Alpine Skiing) and all of these new sports had success with either  playoff spot or a named All American. Retention helps when the teams are successful , as I know Ithaca's are.
More importantly, ess than 2 weeks to Football .

[Bartman]

Watched most of the Hobart-Cortland scrimmage last night. The first half was mostly first strings and both defenses were strong as the offenses were working out the kinks , resulting in no scores. Each were able to force a turnover . Hobart D looked strong up the middle and the LB talent looked good. The second half saw mostly second and third stringers vying for playing time when the season opens. Hobart has a few  fast and well skilled Freshman that look like they'll see playing time . Overall, the Cortland depth showed in the second half as they scored three TDs to Hobart's one. It was great to see some live action.   

[UfanBill]

Union scrimmages nearby Hartwick every year and that took place on Sunday. After starting out with each team taking repetitions of special teams play it was evident the Garnet have a very sound kicking game led by LL Honorable Mention PK Francesco Pileggi and a trio of capable punters. Caden Gore showed a burst with speed while returning both kickoffs and punts...The Garnet offense featured Cole Brisson at QB and Jah'Cire Jones at RB taking the first snaps. Each team scored a TD in goal line scenario and then they morphed into game type play. Brisson showed good accuracy with his throws with the O-line, with 2 freshmen starters, giving him ample time...Defensive should be the strength of this team and it showed well especially against the run. Things ended with the Garnet Chargers hitting a last play 45 yard TD bomb...The Garnet seemed to be relatively injury free with only a couple walking wounded and no apparent further injuries. Bring on the Susquehanna River Hawks. FTC 

It was hard to identify the new first years by number as no updated roster was available at scrimmage time. Alas the 2026 Roster was posted today... https://unionathletics.com/sports/football/roster

[unionpalooza]

Now that everyone but Buff. St. Has their 2026 roaster up, here's a roster breakdown for each team, including retention rates from 2025 for last year's freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

Ithaca and RPI have a ton of seniors, and the largest rosters.  Next year, Union and Hobart are likely to look that way. Rochester is holding pretty steady; a lot of turnover at SLU. Ithaca shed a pretty decent chunk of last year's freshmen and sophomores, which seems like something to watch.

Hilbert only fields 52 guys, half of whom are new.  I'll let that speak for itself.


School          26 FY  26 SO  25FY>26SO  26 JR  25SO>26JR  26 SR  25JR>26SR  26 GR  Total  Total Ret.
--------------  -----  -----  ---------  -----  ---------  -----  ---------  -----  -----  ----------
Hobart             40     22      65.6%     26      85.3%     15      88.2%      1    104       78.3%
Ithaca             37     37      75.5%     17      77.3%     31      91.2%      1    123       81.0%
Rochester          41     27      80.6%     17      72.7%     20      90.9%      1    106       81.3%
RPI                32     36      81.0%     23      84.6%     29     100.0%      1    121       87.5%
St. Lawrence       32     27      71.1%     19      62.1%     15      83.3%      0     93       70.6%
Union              38     29      87.9%     27      93.1%     16      88.9%      2    112       90.0%
Hilbert            26     16      38.9%      4      40.0%      6      54.5%      1     53       42.1%