Naming Names

Scan the web and names of Ivy League football recruits are starting to pop up in newspapers across the country. Something to keep in mind reading those names: Coaches are allowed at this time to comment only on the early decision recruits formally admitted in December.

Because the Ivies don't recognize the National Letter of Intent, Ivy coaches can't talk about – or even identify for the media – the regular-decision class until spring. That turns compiling a list of recruits into a scavenger hunt for the media (which are allowed to report those names).

With that out of the way, there's a pretty exhaustive list of names from the eight schools on the most trafficked Ivy League message board. The guess here is that almost all of the high school seniors on the list are indeed football recruits. But probably not all of them.

There may be several kids on the list who were recruited for other sports and their local paper, which knows them best for football, will have incorrectly included them as football recruits. Scanning a major newspaper yesterday I stumbled across a kid mentioned as a Dartmouth football recruit who apparently will be playing lacrosse. But there he was, included with the football players. In the past I've seen track athletes, wrestlers and even a basketball player listed as football players as well.

There will also be a few kids – and I know this because I've seen it before – who were accepted early-decision without recruiting support of any kind from a coach but intend to give football a shot as walk-ons. Because, like the kids who got "likely letters," they know where they are going, they are recognized as "recruits" either by their local paper or their school. But they are not recruits and some end up not even playing.

So when you scan down to the list of Dartmouth recruits below, keep in mind that there might be a name or two that isn't official.

One more thing. Yes, I cover the Big Green program with a magnifying glass, but you should know the Dartmouth coaches absolutely follow the rules on this stuff. I haven't heard even a whisper out of the football offices about the regular decision class, and out of respect for the rules and the coaches, I will not pry.

Are all the names below accurate? Most will be. But to be completely honest, we won't know what isn't correct until spring or a parent/or athlete emails me ;-)

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Now back to the business of building that list . . .

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Email brought three new names last evening. (Thanks for the tips ;-)

First up is offensive lineman Brendan Johnson, a 6-foot-5 or 6-6, 265- or 270-pound (depending on your source) offensive lineman from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. Check out his highlight reel. He was first-team WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) won the Iron Eagle Award as the strongest player on his team and was presented the Gonzaga Scholar-Athlete Award.

Here's an interview with Johnson:



Next up are a couple of Dartmouth-bound athletes listed in the Houston Chronicle.

Jerry Uwaezuok is a 6-3, 250-pound lineman from Houston's Westbury High. He was second-team 20-5A All-District Defense. Find his highlights here.

The Chronicle also lists defensive back Omete Anassi as being on his way to Dartmouth. A senior at Houston's Westside High, the 5-9, 154-pound Anassi was recognized by the Houston Touchdown Club for being a scholar-athlete and was chosen all-state academic by the Texas High School Coaches Association. There's a very interesting video of him running the 40 here. There's no date on the video, it's possible that it's a year old and he's now bigger than the listed 5-7, 140-pounds. Nice piece on him here.

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The Sports Network has a column about top-rated recruits pencilled in for FCS programs and Penn wide receiver Cameron Countryman shares the top spot on the ESPN list with a 6-6, 290-pound lineman who chose South Carolina State over Clemson. Columbia-bound center Austin Stock also gets a mention.

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Interesting column in the Daily Dartmouth by senior Chad Hollis, a standout special teams player for the Big Green last fall.

From the column:

For most of my athletic career, I’ve been somewhat of an anomaly. For starters, I’m from Florida, but one of my main sports growing up was ice hockey. Even more uncommon for a hockey player, I’m black.

And then the kicker:

If I show up to a pickup basketball game, I’ll probably be picked early if the captains have never seen me ball. If I show up to a pond hockey game, I’m one of the last people chosen. I’m a terrible basketball player and a pretty decent hockey player, and I’m sorry if my skin color confuses you.

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The Latest (Unofficial) List of High School Football Players Headed Dartmouth Way:

QB

Thomas Militello, 6-4, 180, Mary Institute, St. Louis
Dalyn Williams, 6-, 205, Lake Highlands, Texas

TB

Kyle Bramble, 5-11, 187, Floyd Central HS, Ind.
Brian Grove, 5-10, 191, King's Academy, West Palm Beach, Fla.
David Daines, 6-1, 202 Weber HS, Utah

WR

KJ Booze, 5-9, 160, Spiro HS, Okla.
Victor Williams, WR, 5-9, 158, Muskogee HS, Okla.

TE

Jonathan Moran, 6-5, 230, Loyola Blakefield HS, Baltimore
Jack Sheehy, 6-5, 230, St. Andrews School, Boca Raton, Fla.
Sam Laptad (or DE), 6-4, 215, Jenks HS, Okla.

OL/DL

Josh Clark, 6-5, 273 Bradenton Christian, Fla.
Jacob Flores, 6-4, 275, Grace Prep, Arlington, Texas
Cody Fulleton, 6-2, 265, O’Dea HS, Seattle
Brendan Johnson, 6-6, 272, Gonzaga, Washington, D.C.
Niko Mamula, 6-4, 275, Chartiers Valley, Pa.
Jake Young, 6-3, 255, Avon Lake, Ohio
AJ Zuttah, 6-3, 290, Cheshire Academy, N.J.

LB

Will McNamara, 6-1, 210, St. Rita HS, Ill.

DB

Omar Anassi, 5-9, 154, Westlake, Houston, Texas
David Caldwell, 5-11 1/2, 177, Groton School (Charlotte, N.C.)
Paddy Clancy, 5-10 1/2, 165, St. Thomas Academy, Minn.
Jordan Greenwood, 6-0, 180, Lutheran High, Orange, Calif.
Vernon Harris, 6-0, 166, St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Frankie Hernandez, 5-10, 190, Belen Jesuit, Fla.
Will Konstant, 6-2, 190, Lyons Touwnship, Ill.

Did I mention that list is unofficial ;-?