Naming Names

Online recruiting lists are hit-or-miss and if the past is any indication of the future, mostly miss. Still, they are fun to watch.

Here are some of the players who the Rivals and ESPN sites suggest have interest in Dartmouth – or Dartmouth has interest in. What's interesting is how few of the names appeared on both lists. In fact, of the 29 names below, only two appeared on both lists: Erik Walker and Trevor Niemann, who has been "offered" by Dartmouth. The combined list:

WR John Alexander, 6-2, 180, Arroyo Grande HS (Calif.)
S Montell Allen, 6-0, 210, La Jolla CDS (Calif.)
QB Brandon Bialkowski, 6-1, 181, Gilbert HS (Ariz.)
ATH Giles Chapman, 5-6, 144, Castro Valley HS. (Calif.)
FB Clay Cleveland, 6-1, 225, Phillips Academy (Mass.)
ILB Mark Donatelli Jr., 6-1, 220, Fenwick HS (Ill.)
OT Fred Eggert, 6-4, 273, Mater Dei HS (Calif.)
WR John Ferreira, 5-10, 185, Timberline HS (Wash.)
OT Wes Gavin, 6-5, 260, Francis Parker HS (Calif.)
C Chandler Hubbard, 6-4, 257, Salinas HS (Calif.)
QB Connor Kelley, 6-1, 197, Batesville HS (Ind.)
OLB Alex Kelln, 6-2, 208, Brentwood School (Calif.)
RB Max Leonesio, 6-0, 180, Brophy Prep (Ariz.)
OLB Jordan Lance, 5-11, 200, Cathedral Catholic HS (Calif.)
OG Conor McFadden, 6-3, 260, Saint Thomas Academy (Minn.)
OT Shane Moniz, 6-2, 263, Canyon HS (Calif.)
WR Trevor Niemann, 6-0, 158, Chadwick HS (Calif.)
RB Mike Read, 5-8, 180, Barrington HS (R.I.)
S Carson Rajcan, 5-11, 173, Wheaton North HS (Ill.)
QB Brody Rohach, 6-4, 175, Moorpark HS (Calif.)
S Michael Santacaterina, 5-10, 199, Geneva HS (Ill.)
S Ryan Silva, 5-11, 185, Portsmouth Abbey School (R.I.)
S Wayne Swinson, 5-11, 190, Notre Dame HS (Calif.)
QB Kerr Taubler, 6-3, 206, Bullard HS (Calif)
TE Hank Thayer, 6-3, 255, Bellevue HS (Wash.)
WR Weslyn Wagner, 5-8, 160, Channelview HS (Texas)
CB Erik Walker 5-10, 165, Park City HS (Utah)
OG Rob Wasielewski, 6-3, 280, New Trier HS (Ill.)
OT Jim Yukevich 6-6, 273, Palos Verdes HS (Calif.)

Hard to believe but former tight end Casey Cramer '04 has spent at least part of five seasons in the NFL. A special teams ace, Cramer made one tackle for the Tennessee Titans in yesterday's Hall of Fame game against the Buffalo Bills before being taken to the locker room with a shoulder injury. The Tennesseean has a quick mention.

Speaking of Cramer, click on this link to hear ESPN's Chris Berman call of a Chad Pennington to Cramer TD connection in a Miami Dolphins game. In case you are wondering, it was a two-yard pass on Nov. 23, 2008.

That recent Bloomberg.com article about cost-cutting in Ivy League athletics has stirred up a little chatter on the top forum for FCS football, and some of it is a little unfair. Check out a thread on AnyGivenSaturday.com where one poster says the story, "Lends credence to the claims that Dartmouth is more and more becoming a glorified D-III athletic program, Division I mostly in name."