Meanwhile, At The High School Level . . .

The National Federation of State High School Associations is adopting new rules on blindside blocking and so-called "pop-up" onside kickoffs. (LINK)

From the NFHS release:

The definition of a blindside block established by the committee is “a block against an opponent other than the runner, who does not see the blocker approaching,” and now results in a 15-yard penalty.

The committee stated that the blindside block “involves contact by a blocker against an opponent who, because of physical positioning and focus of concentration, is vulnerable to injury. Unless initiated with open hands, it is a foul for excessive and unnecessary contact when the block is forceful and outside of the free-blocking zone.”

A pop-up kick, per the NFHS Rules Committee, is . . .

 "a free kick in which the kicker drives the ball immediately to the ground, the ball strikes the ground once and goes into the air in the manner of a ball kicked directly off the tee."

Po-up kicks "will be penalized as a dead-ball free-kick infraction."

In case you are wondering about the future of the game, the release ends this way:

According to the 2015-16 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, football is the most popular sport for boys at the high school level with 1,084,308 participants in 11-player football. Another combined 28,943 boys participated in 6-, 8- and 9-player football. In addition, 2,140 girls participated in one of the four football offerings during the 2015 season.

FootballScoop takes a look at the new rules HERE. From the Scoop:

. . . (A)sking a referee to make a call during a game on whether or not a defender saw a block coming seems a bit silly. One has to wonder if this includes blocks inside of the tackle box, because a defender never sees a well executed trap block coming until it’s too late.

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Kudos to Holy Cross and Cornell, the first Dartmouth opponents to post their 2017 spring rosters. Find the Holy Cross roster, which includes standout fifth-year quarterback Peter Pujals, HERE. The Cornell roster can be found HERE.

More JV Numbers

In the week since posting the unofficial Dartmouth junior varsity offensive football statistics, several emails have arrived here on the shoulder of Moose Mountain asking about the availability of defensive statistics for the jayvees.

Before offering up what I can, please know that stats are not available for junior varsity portion of the Harvard preseason game because there was a media blackout of the contest. In addition, the Williams game was canceled by the DIII school because of a lack of healthy bodies. That leaves just two games with statistics.

Going back to the recaps I wrote on the two contests played at Memorial Field, here's the best I can offer. The numbers are unofficial, and with a few players changing uniform numbers just for the jayvee games there could be errors beyond those made by a single person trying to keep statistics for two games. Caveat emptor.

MIDDLEBURY (13-6 loss with 10-minute quarters in the second half)
Ryan Roegge had a team-high eight tackles for Dartmouth. Linebacker Nigel Alexander added seven stops while fellow linebacker Andrew Lemkuil had five. TJ Simpson had four tackles with a sack, as did Seth Simmer.

NORWICH (42-0 win in a game called after three quarters after Dartmouth outgained the Cadets in total yards, 254-19, while limiting the Division III Vermont team to a single first down.) Tackles:
Seth Simmer 7, TJ Simpson 6, David Emanuels 4, Andrew Lemkuil 3, Ryan Roegge 3, Ross Andreasik 3, Niko Lalos 3, Jimmy Knight 2, Harrison Farber 2, Jordan McGriff 2, Rivers Cahee 1, Brandon Hester 1

Value Added

Former Dartmouth linebacker Folarin Orimolade gets top photo billing in a STATS story about "undervalued" pro prospects in the FCS. Read the full story HERE.

Craig Haley, senior FCS editor for STATS, and a former beat writer covering Princeton sports, writes:

Some players not going to the combine who I would put on this list are Dartmouth linebacker Folarin Orimolade and San Diego cornerback Jamal Agnew. Both were not invited and yet they can play. I understand why Orimolade did not get one because he is a little pigeon-toed and was a little overweight at the NFLPA Bowl, but he can rush the passer and is fun to watch.

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Brian White '95, a former Dartmouth football and lacrosse standout who got a pro look in both sports,  instead has made his name in show business and he's about to get another star turn. From an NBC press release:

Brian White launched his acting career playing the role of Jason in "The Matchmaker" in 1997, graduating to the role of Omar in BET's hit show, "The Parkers." Brian White went on to star in the movies "Stomp The Yard," "The Cabin In The Woods," and ABC's show "Scandal." Now, White takes on a new role as Michael Jones in TV One's latest TV-movie, "Media."

For the "cliff notes" version of White's career, check out his Wikipedia page. A first-team All-Ivy League defensive back at Dartmouth, White is the son of former Boston Celtics hall-of-famer JoJo White.

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Remember that Swedish football player who moved to San Diego and was being recruited as a defensive back by Notre Dame? As this STORY notes, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound high school senior is headed to South Bend. From the story:

Notre Dame-bound Jordan Genmark-Heath "had offers to play quarterback at Cal Poly, San Jose State and Dartmouth." 

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It was one of those days when Griff the Wonder Dog and I head outside for his morning constitutional and I end up going back in for the camera. Strong winds cleared the skies and we were able to see five Vermont ski areas from across the road: Killington and Pico (pictured), Okemo, Stratton Mountain and Ascutney (defunct). Click the photos to enlarge them.

Mount Ascutney, a monadnock, or free-standing mountain, is the nearest of the areas.

Hard At Work

This video from the Dartmouth football office will wear you out just in the watching:

Success Stories

Dartmouth Alumni Magazine writes about football recruit-turned-storyboard artist Ray Prado '89 (The Hunger Games, X-Men and more). Find the story about Prado, who lives locally, HERE.

By the way, Prado stopped by a Dartmouth practice last fall (BGA Daily note) and even got put to work by Coach Buddy Teevens ;-)

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Incoming linebacker recruit Naaem Morgan of Middlesex High School in New Jersey has been chosen for the Central Jersey Snapple Bowl, an all-star game that is set to be played July 20 at Kean University. Expect a good number of Dartmouth recruits to be selected for various all-star games around the country. (And if you see something about it in your local paper or online, do let me know.)

 

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Olympian and Dartmouth grad Abbey D'Agostino '14, the most decorated track and field athlete in Ivy League history, returned to campus this week and did a Q&A with The Dartmouth HERE. Fabulous to learn that after suffering an ACL injury last summer in Rio that she's already running.

(I often have to double-check graduation years for Dartmouth athletes but that will never be the case with Abbey because she and That Certain Dartmouth '14 were classmates and teammates as well as roommates – along with the rest of the sophomore distance corps – in a Hanover hovel during their Sophomore Summer.)

Winter (?) Carnival

The Dartmouth football office takes a look at Winter Carnival (sadly, sans a snow sculpture):



(The mercury [silicon] could hit 60 degrees in the Upper Valley today. We still have about 18 inches of snow on the ground here on Moose Mountain but it's been melting away the past several days.)

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A Valley News story about a change in youth football includes a reference to how Dartmouth has changed under coach Buddy Teevens:

The Vermont Principals Association is phasing out tackle football at the middle school level.

Citing safety concerns and efforts to maintain participation, the VPA Middle School Football Committee is mandating a transition from tackle football to a “padded flag” version of the game.

The Dartmouth reference:

“Football has been under attack, and it’s an issue of safety,” (VPA associate executive director Bob) Johnson said. “When a program like Dartmouth starts doing away with tackling at practice, that’s huge because of the precedent it sets. I think we’re going to continue to see changes.”

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They are still called "camps" but these are not your father's "camps." From the FAQs:

This is NOT an overnight camp. Registration begins at 8am and activities conclude by 5pm.

Any question about the nature of college football camps these days is answered by the day-long sessions being termed "specialist" and "prospect" camps, and a helpful listing of travel distances under the headline: How far are we from other IVY LEAGUE camps?

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It's not exactly "breaking" news, but it's now official. Kevin Lempa is leaving his role as defensive coordinator at Hawaii to be an "analyst" on Jim Harbaugh’s staff at Michigan. Lempa worked for Wolverines defensive coordinator Don Brown at Boston College and Maryland. From an MGoBlue report:

Lempa coached Dartmouth's defensive backs for six seasons (1991-96) and served as the defensive coordinator for the final four seasons (1993-96), his first opportunity as a coordinator.

Don Brown, like Lempa, was a Dartmouth assistant.

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The Yale Daily News has a lengthy story under the headline: UP CLOSE: Understaffed, Yale sports medicine struggles with student injuries. The story goes into great detail about the rash of injuries among Yale football players and compares training room staffing to other Ivies, including Dartmouth. The feeling here is that the story will ruffle some feathers.

Snow Fun

From the Dartmouth football office comes a video look at the program's "Skate With a Date," an annual event that started in 2007 and features ice skating (weather permitting ;-), sledding, snowshoeing, hot chocolate and camaraderie shared between football players and staff and their dates:

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Say this for Dartmouth football coaches in their recruiting efforts: They don't mind mixing it up with the big guys. They may lose a lot more than they win in those efforts, but they give it a shot.

Case in point, a story out of Pittsburgh Sports Now about Pitt extending an offer to Washington, D.C., and Gonzaga High School's Aidan Rafferty, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive lineman. From the story:

Pitt is one of many schools to offer Rafferty in February. Dartmouth, Maryland, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Virginia, and Virginia Tech extended scholarship offers to the offensive tackle as well. 

If you are playing a game of, Which of These is Not Like the Others, it's a pretty easy answer ;-)

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Former Dartmouth linebacker Flo Orimolade is one of a dozen NFL hopefuls training at the St. Vincent Sports Performance’s EXOS training program in Indiana. Others come from Michigan, Purdue, Ball State, Buffalo, Youngstown, Lindenwood, Marian, Illinois State and Maine. Five of the 12 are headed to the Combine.

The list of players training at St. Vincent is in the notes at the end of a Fox59 story spun out of one of the players becoming a new father. (LINK)

Draft Musings

The CBS Sports website has posted updated position rankings in anticipation of the 2017 NFL Draft and Dartmouth has two of the nine Ivy League players who are ranked. (NFL Draft Rankings)

Flo Orimolade is ranked as the No. 27 inside linebacker prospect out of 46 ranked. Behind him are players from Arizona State, Colorado, Penn State, UCLA, Missouri and Kansas State, among others. Conversely, listed ahead of him are players from Lindenwood and British Columbia's Simon Fraser.

Charlie Miller is ranked the No. 28 free safety prospect. He's listed ahead of players from North Carolina, Arizona, South Carolina and Pitt. Conversely, he's behind New Hampshire's Casey DeAndrade.

Here's the entire list of Ivy Leaguer's listed, from highest-to-lowest:

• No. 4 fullback – Anthony Firkser, Harvard

• No. 9 punter – Chris Fraser, Cornell

• No. 16 quarterback – Alek Torgersen, Penn

• No. 27 inside linebacker – Folarin Orimolade, Dartmouth

• No. 28 free safety – Charlie Miller, Dartmouth

• No. 28 strong safety – Dorian Williams, Princeton

• No. 32 offensive tackle – Max Rich, Harvard

• No. 45 strong safety – Sean Ahern, Harvard

• No. 135 wide receiver – Alex Jette, Brown

The only players on the list projected as potential draft picks are Firkser (seventh round or free agent) and Torgersen (seventh round or free agent).

The site lists Miller with a 4.45 in the 40 and Orimolade with a 4.76.

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If Firkser happens to make the NFL, he would join a group of three other former Harvard tight ends/H-backs who played in the NFL last fall. Astonishingly, all three were on the Crimson roster at the same time. Kyle Jusczyk '13 played last fall for the Ravens, Cameron Brate '15 for the Buccaneers and Ben Braunecker '16 for the Chicago Bears.

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The Ivy League has become an NFL breeding ground for the H-back/fullback/tight end positions. In addition to the three Harvard players at H-back last fall, Penn's Ryan O'Malley saw action at tight end for the Raiders, Brown's James Develin was a true fullback for the Patriots and Princeton's Seth DeValve was a tight end with the Browns.

Interestingly, the last Dartmouth player chosen in the draft was Casey Cramer '04, a tight end drafted by the Buccaneers as a fullback/H-back. Also chosen by the Bucs that fall? Yale tight end Nate Lawrie.

Green Alert Take: If I'm an Ivy League recruiter, I know what angle I'm going to pitch to promising high school tight ends ;-)

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For what it's worth, the Patriot League has four players listed by CBS in its draft projections:

• No. 12 offensive tackle –  Julie'n Davenport, Bucknell (fourth round)

• No. 34 tight end – Phazahn Odom, Fordham

• No. 69 defensive end – Josh Klecko, Fordham

• No. 43 free safety – Jihaad Pretlow, Fordham

Catching Up

Better late than never ;-). Here are unofficial offensive statistics leaders from regular Dartmouth junior varsity games played last fall:

PASSING
Harry Kraft 8-12–101 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int
Cole Douglas 9-13–88, 1 Int
Jake Pallotta 7-16–86 2 TD, 1 Int
Jared Gerbino 4-5–18, 1 Int

RUSHING
Matthew Shearin 8–108 yards
Caylin Parker 8–49
Jordan Argilagos 7–36

RECEIVING
Zack Hawkins 7–95 yards, 2 TD
Brandon Hester 6–36, 1 TD
Jordan Argilagos 3–36
Joseph Cook 3–38

Sunday Stuff

WMUR 9 TV in Manchester, N.H., has a quick minute with Flo Orimolade as he prepares for his NFL tryouts:

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Click to read.

Say this for John Jackson, who died Thursday in California, his timing as a football coach was pretty good.

Jackson arrived in Hanover in time for for the legendary 1970 season, coaching running backs and ends on the undefeated and 14th-ranked Big Green. He left with Bob Blackman for Illinois the next year and moved on to USC from 1976-81, where he helped Charles White to the Heisman Trophy and also coached All-American Ricky Bell and fullback Mosi Tatupu.

Jackson was 81. Find a story HERE.

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Martin Mooney, a member of the 1989 Dartmouth football team, has been named Head of School at Bridgton Academy. (LINK)

Green Alert Take: For a while, Bridgton was fixture on the Dartmouth junior varsity football schedule. Given the Big Green's lackluster jayvee schedule, here's hoping the Dartmouth connection at least leads to discussions about bringing Bridgton back to Hanover.

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Perfect "lede" for last night's Dartmouth men's basketball victory over Columbia:

It's not often that you get a second chance to be the hero.

It was quite a game. Read the story HERE.

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It's THON weekend! Nuff said.



Catch a little of the live webcast of this year's THON at this LINK. (There's entertainment 24 hours a day to keep the dancers going ;-)

Fifth Years?

In answer to several inquiries, there's nothing official on fifth-year seniors at this point.

Defensive back Danny McManus and receiver Joseph Cook made it clear last fall that they intend to petition for medical redshirt seasons and play in 2017.

Also keep an eye on defensive lineman Jeremiah Douchee and defensive back Darius George, who have both expressed interest in potentially returning for another year.

Offensive lineman Mike Langman, linebacker Brian Fordon and defensive lineman Michael Warren are each listed in their bios has having missed entire seasons due to injury. Not sure if there are any others.

With no final word yet from Floren, we'll have to wait and see who is returning.

Combine Countdown

From the Dartmouth football  office:



(A little more about our snow on Moose Mountain at the bottom of today's posting.)

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For a full list of players invited to the Feb. 28-March 6 NFL Combine, CLICK HERE.

Although Dartmouth's Folarin Oriomolade and Penn quarterback Alek Torgersen are considered potential draft picks, there were no Ivy League players invited to the NFL showcase this year with one from the Patriot League, one from the Northeast Conference and two from the CAA on the guest list. Here are the FCS players heading to Indianapolis:

OT Julie'n Davenport, Bucknell
OG Erik Austell, Charleston Southern
DE Keionta Davis, Chattanooga
OG Corey Levin. Chattanooga
RB De'Angelo Henderson, Coastal Carolina
TE Eric Saubert, Drake
WR Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
WR Kendrick Bourne, Eastern Washington
OG Cameron Lee, Illinois State
CB Brendan Langley, Lamar
RB Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T
SS Lorenzo Jerome, Saint Francis (PA)
OT Javarius Leamon, South Carolina State
OG Jessamen Dunker, Tennessee State
CB Ezra Robinson, Tennessee State
DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, Villanova
OT Jerry Ugokwe, William & Mary
DE Derek Rivers, Youngstown State
DE Avery Moss, Youngstown State

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One of the high school seniors I was watching in January as a potential Dartmouth recruit decided instead to walk on to a Power 5 conference team. What goes into the thinking of a kid who chooses that path over the Ivy League? MLive considers the case of a wide receiver who backed off a commitment to Columbia in favor of walking on with Michigan of the Big Ten. (LINK)

From the story:

Less than a month ago, (Jack) Young had never even been to Ann Arbor and was committed to play at Columbia as he planned a future at the Ivy League school in New York City. Then he visited Michigan in late January, was offered a preferred walk-on spot and didn't hesitate.

"To me, it was a no-brainer," said Young, who was recruited as a wide receiver. "Once I got the opportunity to go play here, I had to take it."

Said the player:

"The school also has amazing academics - you can't get much better than Michigan. Columbia is a really good academic school, but Michigan is as well and the football aspect at Michigan is always what I dreamed for, like a big-time FBS school."

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"Lede" of a story in the Los Angeles Times:

In November 1951, the Dartmouth and Princeton football teams played a season-ending game that resulted in a seminal work on the nature of human cognition. 

The newspaper explains what the "psychological case study" derived from the game illustrated:

Princeton students saw the Dartmouth team commit twice as many infractions as Dartmouth students. And Dartmouth students saw their team make only half the infractions that Princeton students professed to see.

Even though students watched the exact same clips, perceptions were vastly different based on their rooting interest.

The famous study from the 1951 game comes up from time to time. Why now? The headline of the LA Times story: There's a lot a 1951 football game can tell us about attitudes toward President Trump.

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Now back to the snow. As noted yesterday, the stake in our front yard shows 27 inches of standing snow. But that tells just half the story. Literally.

Snow piling up outside our "sun" room.

A few years back we put a standing-seam metal roof on our house, the better to shed the winter snow. It works like a wonder. What we didn't take into account, however, is the location of the filler pipes for our basement oil tank.

As it turns out the delivery people need to walk over the snow that has come tumbling  off the roof to fill the tank. On occasion in the past the driver would strap on snowshoes to drag the hose to the pipes, but the fellow yesterday had only boots. He got halfway there and judging by the depth of his tracks, he got stuck in four-plus feet of snow before wisely turning around.

Wanna guess what I was doing last night and will be doing again today? We are down to about 1/8 of a tank and there's plenty of winter left. . . . Ah, life in the north country ;-)

MVP In The Desert

Watch the video report above HERE.

Former Dartmouth and NFL kicker Nick Lowery '78 introduces the Mobile Virtual Player during a morning bit on 3TV in Phoenix, Ariz. The appearance was spun out of the Nick Lowery Youth Foundation Future of Football event. Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens and MVP CEO John Currier were in town to help out.

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Cruising Twitter I came across the following Tweet. Maybe the Ivy League has changed its rules. Nah  ;-)

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And in case you are wondering, with a couple more storms the snow at the stake in our front yard here on Moose Mountain has hit the 27-inch mark. It's becoming tough for Griffin the Wonder Dog to get around :-(

Winter Night In Hanover

With more snow due on a slow "news" day, here's a gorgeous look at Hanover in the winter. This is a year old but well worth the three minutes or so. Amazing what drones can do.

Now And Then

Credit to FootballScoop for the idea: Where Were They Then?: Every FBS head coach’s job 10 years ago.

In a posting that includes information on every FBS head coach, FootballScoop found that 24.6 percent of FBS head coaches were head coaches in '07, 23.4 percent were FBS coordinators and 21.5 percent were FBS position coaches. Five current head coaches were out of coaching completely.

That got me thinking about Ivy League head coaches. Where they were 10 years ago? As it turns out, most of them weren't very far (geographically at least) from where they are now. Here's the list:

Phil Estes, Brown – head coach at Brown

Al Bagnoli, Columbia – head coach at Penn

David Archer, Cornell – first-year assistant at Cornell

Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth – head coach at Dartmouth

Tim Murphy, Harvard – head coach at Harvard

Ray Priore, Penn – associate head coach at Penn

Bob Surace, Princeton – assistant coach, Cincinnati Bengals

Tony Reno, Yale – assistant coach at Yale

In the FBS, 13.1 percent of head coaches are head coaches at the same school where they were head coaches 10 years ago. In the Ivy League it's 30 percent ;-)

To access the full FootballScoop story and learn exactly where each FBS coach was 10 years ago,  CLICK HERE.

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Do check out a touching Runners World tribute to Maribel Sanchez Souther, the former Dartmouth All-American runner, Big Green head coach, and mother of three young children who passed away on New Year's Eve at age 41.

The Way Things Were

Times have changed. Check out Dartblog's report on his year's "snow sculpture" on the Green HERE.

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Former Dartmouth quarterback Brian Mann gets yet a little more air time for his completed pass at the Super Bowl HERE.

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In case you are wondering, we got 10 inches of snow here at the Moose Mountain world headquarters of BGA over the last day or so. We now have 23 inches at the snow stake out front.

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And finally, a delayed thank you to those of you who continue to support BGA Premium.

I always figured the breakthrough for BGA readership would come the year after the program got back to the top of the Ivy League mountain because of the excitement generated by a championship. Finally getting around to my year-end accounting I confirmed what I had come to suspect. I couldn't have been more wrong with subscriptions plummeting to the lowest level in 10 years. Good thing we wrapped up our final college payments last spring ;-)

Flo Q&A

Missed this a while back but "Draft Diamonds Prospect Interviews" had a Q&A with Dartmouth's Flo Orimolade that included this:

Q: What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it?

A: The biggest obstacle is graduating from an Ivy League institution 2 terms early, while giving all I had to football. I just had to sacrifice certain times that I wanted to do other things. I had to be a better time manager and be more decisive in everything I did.

Green Alert Take: I knew Flo had accelerated his studies but it wasn't until reading this that it occurred to me he finished his classroom work ahead of those NFL hopefuls in the '16 class who left after the '15 season and have been on campus this fall and winter wrapping up their degrees. Impressive.

Here's another Draft Diamonds question:

Q: Football is about giving back, what is the coolest thing you have done off the field? 

A: Giving food and jackets to the homeless in Washington DC for the Christmas holidays with my Church. 

Green Alert Take: "Football is about giving back." Seriously?

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New Jersey's St. Peter's Prep 4x200 relay team featuring incoming receiver Masaki Aerts and running back Dakari Falconer finished fourth in the Eastern Boys 4x200 at the legendary Millrose Games in New York City yesterday. Bullis (Potomac, Md.) won the race with East Orange (N.J.) second and Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) third.

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Dartmouth grad Ben True '08, who narrowly missed a berth in the Rio Olympics, got a little sweet revenge by winning the two mile over an American gold medalist at the Millrose Games. Ryan Hill was second while Matthew Centrowitz, who won the 1,500 at Rio, was seventh.

From an NBC report (LINK):

True clocked 8:11:33 to notch one of the biggest wins of his career and complete a unique New York trifecta. In 2015, True became the first American man to win a Diamond League 5000m, at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York. He also won the 2015 Healthy Kidney 5K road race in Central Park.

“It’s something special,” said True, a Maine native. “I’m a New England and a Boston fan for cities, but I’ve had some incredible luck down here in New York City for races.”

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Seven years of college football? SEVEN? The NCAA has OK'd it for a player who had four tackles against Dartmouth last fall. (LINK)

Saturday Show Business

CLICK HERE to read the full story.

You have and will read a lot of stories in this electronic precinct about what former Dartmouth football players are doing, but this one is a little different ;-)

Former offensive lineman Cohle Fowler '14, is a world champion in the International Medieval Combat Federation.

A legislative assistant in Government Relations with the Cherokee Nation based in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Fowler helped the U.S. 16 vs. 16 team win the world title last year in Portugal. He told the Tulsa World:

“When I’m all geared up, it’s about 75 pounds,” Fowler said. “The handmade helmets are about 18 pounds. I really enjoy it. It is a great outlet for aggression.

“And, I have a real nerdy interest in medieval history. It just fits together for me.”

Fowler, who once did a post-practice presentation for Dartmouth players using foam swords, was a 6-foot-5, 315-pound O-lineman for the Big Green who earned All-Ivy and All-New England FCS first-team honors.

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Boston Globe graphic:

The Globe follows up on the story of former Dartmouth quarterback Brian Mann completing the most-watched pass of his life to Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl. Brian told the Globe about how it all came about after the planners of the halftime show called Rice University to see if anyone there could help out:

“They couldn’t tell me anything about it other than they needed me to make a throw. Then they told me I had to work every day from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., that I would not be able to watch the game, and that they couldn’t pay me. So me being the great negotiator I am, I said ‘I’m in.’”

Find the story HERE.

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New Dartmouth offensive coordinator Kevin Daft gets a mention in the notes following a story about Dan Hawkins becoming head coach at UC Davis, Daft's last stop before Dartmouth. (LINK)

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And finally, a little levity in the NBC Evening News, even if it didn't get mentioned. Check out this screen shot from a report last night on yet another Donald Trump protest:

Look closely at the sign being held up behind the fellow with the orange hat.

Back when I used to do profiles of Dartmouth football players for the media guide I would ask them their favorite movie. After Shawshank Redemption and Braveheart perhaps the most popular movie was The Sandlot, the sweet 1993 coming-of-age baseball flick. (LINK)

Take another look at the sign above and then watch the first 30 seconds of this one-minute clip from the movie:

Winter Wandering

Winter in Hanover is a subject that occasionally comes up when high school football players are considering Ivy League schools, right? If you like to ski and skate, winter at Dartmouth is great. And if you don't? Well, check out how three Dartmouth football players spent last winter, a huge benefit of the school's quarter system, which allows Big Green players to compete in the fall and be on campus for spring practice – after doing a winter abroad. Where do I sign up for this?



Once again this winter Dartmouth athletes are studying abroad including running back Vito Penza in Italy:

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Just saw a note that Mercer University in Macon, Ga., began spring football practice on Monday, if you can believe it. (LINK) The Bears, who start a series with Yale in 2018, practice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8 a.m.

In case you are wondering, Dartmouth's spring game is tentatively scheduled for April 29. (You did notice that said tentatively, right?) If that schedule holds, the expectation is that Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday practices will begin on April 3. That's 54 days from now ;-)

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Thanks to a BGA reader for sharing this photo and a reminder that Dartmouth recruits Masaki Aerts (front left) and Dakari Falconer (front right) will be competing  for St. Peter's Prep (NJ) at the legendary Millrose Games tomorrow in New York City. The wide receiver and running back are scheduled to run at 5:35 p.m. in the "Boys 4x200 Meter Relay Eastern HS." The Millrose games will be aired from 4-6 p.m. on NBC.

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Interesting story in the Columbia Spectator about the awakening of the Columbia athletic program under athletic director Peter Pilling. As you might expect, the hiring of Al Bagnoli as football coach is central to the piece. Find it HERE. From the story:

Pilling has hired a new batch of coaches and administrators and consciously revamped the culture within athletics. He’s also shown a staid consistency in responding to the problems that his department has faced.

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And the Dartmouth commencement speaker this spring will be . . . wait for it . . . onetime cartoonist for The Dartmouth and CNN anchor Jake Tapper '91. Gee, you think he'll have anything to talk about? (LINK)

Fitting Honor

Dartmouth has posted a video celebrating Dr. Thomas Clarke '66, the team's honoree at the recent Ivy Football Association Dinner in New York City:



For a story I wrote about Clarke for the IFA page, click HERE.

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The Bay State Banner retells the story of Matthew Bullock, Class of 1904, the first black football player at Dartmouth, an honorable mention All-American, the first black head coach of a predominantly white college (Massachusetts Agricultural College, precursor of UMass), and a Harvard Law School Graduate who would go on to serve nine governors as a member of the Massachusetts Parole Board.

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Ultimate Rugby Sevens has a story about new Penn State rugby coach James Willocks, who has traded the Upper Valley for Happy Valley. In addition to working with Dartmouth rugby, Willocks was an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Buddy Teevens' team in Hanover before heading out to State College.

Asked, "What made Dartmouth special and what most excites you about the new program," he answered this way:

Dartmouth will always hold a special place with my family and I. The people, Coach Hickie, Coach Magleby, Coach Teevens are all incredible and I learnt so much from all of them and will be forever thankful for my time there. Anyone who has been to the Corey Ford Rugby Club will know that it is, in my opinion, the best rugby facility in the country. This alone is a huge draw card for students to attend USCD camp!

Signing Day 2

No new names but two more "Signing Day" ceremonies of high school seniors already on the BGA list . . .



The Record (Stockton, Calif.) writes about 6-foot-4, 225-pound Dartmouth-bound tight end James "JJ" Jones III of Tracy, Calif. Jones managed to draw the attention of recruiters despite playing on an 0-10 team.

Find the story HERE.

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Incoming linebacker/safety Mac Battle of Hazel Green High School in Alabama joins the Dartmouth family. Battle is listed at 6-1, 195.

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Hawaii defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa, who coached at Dartmouth from 1991-96 and did his most recent Ivy League stint at Columbia in 2012, could be reunited with onetime Dartmouth defensive assistant Don Brown at Michigan according to a story in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which notes:

Lempa had worked under Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown at Boston College for three seasons through 2015 and at Maryland in 2009 and 2010. Brown was hired at Michigan in 2016.

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Speaking of former Dartmouth assistant coaches, SB Nation has a story under the headline, Coastal Carolina joins FBS with the most interesting coach in college football.

Want to guess who the story is about? Find the story centered around coach-turned business mogul-turned coach Joe Moglia HERE.

Oh, Mann

Looking Back

A lot of the "coaching" film uploaded to the Internet is pretty much unwatchable but the abbreviated 1977 Dartmouth-Harvard game isn't bad . . . unless you happen to be rooting for the Big Green, which dropped a 31-25 decision before 26,500 at Harvard after starting the year 4-0. Dartmouth would go on to finish 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the Ivy League.

Keep an eye out for Buddy Teevens, who came on to complete 9-of-14 passes for 76 yards and for Curt Oberg, now special assistant to Teevens, who carried 14 times for 52 yards. Doing the kicking for Dartmouth was future NFL great Nick Lowery.

Teevens (5) throws a short TD pass around the 30:15 mark and then runs for the two-point conversion.

Following up on yesterday's posting about the geographical representation on recent Dartmouth teams, here's how this 1977 team shaped up:

15 - Massachusetts
12 - New Jersey, New York
10 - California
8 - Connecticut
7 - Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota
6 - Ohio
4 - Maryland, Pennsylvania
3 - New Hampshire
2 - Delaware, Iowa, Virginia, Wisconsin
1 - Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C.

Curious about the 14th-ranked and undefeated 1970 team that won the Lambert Trophy over Penn State? Here's where its players came from:

19 - New York
9 - Ohio, Pennsylvania
8 - Illinois, Massachusetts
5 - California, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey
4 - Michigan
3 - Arizona, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Texas
2 - Arkansas, Connecticut, Missouri, Montana, Virginia
1- Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin

BMann Behind The Scenes

Former Dartmouth quarterback Brian Mann, who might just be football's version of Forrest Gump was at it again at the Super Bowl, this time making a pass at (OK, to) Lady Gaga ;-)

https://twitter.com/mannbriand

As for the Gump reference, check out the "Movies" entry in BMann's Wikipedia page. He just keeps showing up ;-)

Brian Mann '02 and Lady  Gaga after the halftime show.

Geography Lesson

BGA emailer last week:

"This class has a very different geographical makeup compared to recent classes.  Just one each from Texas and California and only 3 from Florida???"

Curious about that, I dug up each recruiting class from 2010 through 2017 and compiled numbers you might find interesting. Keep in mind, this year's class likely still has several players who have yet to be identified. Also, this list does not include walk-ons in the freshman classes. Players are listed by their home state (or Canadian province), not the location of their school. Given the number of prep school players in the Ivy League, that could have gone either way. Caveat emptor ;-)

States with most recruits since 2010 (number this year):
California 27  (1)
Florida 25 (3)
Illinois 25 (4)
Texas 18 (1)
New Jersey 17 (3)
Massachusetts 16 (2)
Georgia 10 (0)

Reported recruits this year by state:
4 - Illinois
3 - Florida, New Jersey
2 - Arkansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Pennsylvania
1 - Alabama, California, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington

States* represented each year:
2010 - 17
2011 - 17
2012 - 17 (* counting Washington, D.C.)
2013 - 13
2014 - 17 (* counting Quebec and Alberta)
2015 - 16
2016 - 15
2017 - 15

Top states each year:
2010 - California, Massachusetts 6 each
2011 - California, Florida, Massachusetts 4 each
2012 - Florida 6
2013 - Illinois 4
2014 - Illinois 4
2015 - Illinois 5
2016 - California 6
2017 - Illinois 4

Most recruits from one state in one year:
6 - California (2010, 2016), Florida (2012), Massachusetts (2010)

Surging States:
Virginia - no recruits first four years of survey, seven over second four years
Louisiana - one recruit over first four years, six in second four years
Georgia - two recruits over first four years, eight in second four years
New Jersey - six recruits over first four years, 11 in second four years

State falling off the map:
Oklahoma - nine recruits over first four years of survey, none in second four years

Home field disadvantage – Northern New England recruits:
3 - New Hampshire 2, Maine 1, Vermont 0

Bookend state: Alabama - two recruits in 2010 and then none until 2017

States with at least one recruit each year 2010-2017:
California
Florida
Illinois
Texas

States without a recruit 2010-2017:
Alaska
Delaware
Iowa
Kansas
Michigan
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming

Editor's Note: This is intended to paint a picture. There was a lot of back-and-forth compiling a spreadsheet on this stuff and no proofreader catching mistakes. Corrections are encouraged ;-)

1st And Future Winners

As it turns out, there were winners in each of the three categories at the 1st and Future competition presented by The Texas Medical Center and the NFL in Houston. The Mobile Virtual Player won the Training the Athlete category. The MVP effort was rewarded with a $50,000 prize as well as two seats to tonight's Super Bowl.

The winners (from an NFL release) were:

Training the Athlete: Mobile Virtual Player, a company that designs, markets and distributes 'virtual players' -- motorized tackling dummies -- that reduce the risk of getting injured while tackling during practice.

Communicating with the Athlete: GoRoute a startup that created on-field wearable technology to enhance communication and allow players to receive digital play diagrams, promoting quicker learning and practicing techniques.

Materials to Protect the Athlete: Windpact, a startup, led by former NFL cornerback Shawn Springs, that developed a padding system designed to absorb and disperse impact energy to improve the performance of helmets and other protective gear.

The Houston Chronicle covered the event HERE.

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Coincidentally, the Manchester Union Leader business section features a story about the Upper Valley turning into a breeding ground for sports technology. The story covers the MVP, the Riddell InSite Impact Response System being developed by Simbex in Lebanon and tested for several years by Dartmouth football (website), and Insight Replay of Hanover (website), which evolved from a night at Thompson Arena.

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Enjoy the Super Bowl!

Here And There

Dartmouth football has produced this graphic welcoming new offensive coordinator Kevin Daft, who comes East from Cal Davis.

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Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens and Mobile Virtual Player CEO John Currier are in Houston today to take part in the 1st and Future competition for the advancement of safe practices in football, presented by The Texas Medical Center and the NFL. From a release about the program (LINK):

1st and Future is a unique pitch competition that will take place at the Texas Medical Center Accelerator (TMCx) in Houston on February 4, 2017. Up to nine startups will be invited to present their game-changing technologies to an exclusive audience including a panel of judges, NFL team owners and executives, and other invitees of the NFL, the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee and the TMC.

And . . .

. . . (T)he winning team from each theme will receive a $50,000 check from the NFL, two tickets to Super Bowl LI and acceptance into the Texas Medical Center Accelerator (TMCx).

The MVP is expected to have its "star turn" at You can watch the competition live at 11:30 a.m. Eastern (10:30 a.m. Houston), by clicking anywhere on the screenshot below:

 

Offensive Coordinator Named

Dartmouth's new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach is Kevin Daft, a former Cal assistant most recently at Cal-Davis, where he was an All-American quarterback. Daft, who worked under Joe Moglia with the Omaha Nighthawks, was a fifth-round draft choice of the Tennessee Titans and got looks from the San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. He also played in NFL Europe and the Arena Football League.

Find the full story about Dartmouth's new offensive coordinator on the Dartmouth website HERE, his Cal bio HERE and his UC Davis bio HERE. He has a Wikipedia page HERE.

Elsewhere In Coaching News . . .

Still no puff of smoke above Floren Varsity House signaling the hiring of three new football assistants (although it is widely believed that at least two of them are ready to go).

That said, there's news about former Dartmouth coaches on the Internet today.

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The Penn website formally introduces former Big Green tight ends/tackles coach Kyle Metzler as its new TE coach HERE. Metzler, a Yale grad and former Bulldog standout, was on the staff at Dartmouth from 2012 through last fall. Find his Dartmouth bio HERE.

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James Perry, the innovative former Princeton offensive coordinator who did a short coaching stint at Dartmouth after a record-setting career as a Brown quarterback is the subject of a story in the Brown Daily Herald after taking the head coaching job at Bryant.

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No official word yet out of Cornell but former Dartmouth running backs coach Chad Nice has accepted the same position at his alma mater after two seasons in Hanover.

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FootballScoop reports that Matt Smiley, a member of Buddy Teevens' original staff when he made his return to Dartmouth, has been named assistant special teams coach for the Buffalo Bills. Smiley was most recently a special teams coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Former Dartmouth wide receiver Ryan McManus gets a mention in a Wall Street Journal story under the snarky headline, How to Serve a Suspension Like Tom Brady.

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Dartmouth celebrated the dedication of the Wielgus Lounge in the basketball office complex of the Berry Center with a luncheon for 250 at the Hanover Inn Saturday afternoon. Legendary (yes, that's the right term) former women's basketball coach Chris Wielgus was the guest of honor and gave one of the most inspiring (and certainly the most entertaining) speeches I've ever heard by anyone associated with Dartmouth athletics.

There's a five-minute video highlight from the luncheon (and halftime celebration of that night's game) HERE. Here's hoping the full speech is available somewhere because it is essentially an oral history of women's sports, not just at Dartmouth but in the country.

Wrapping It Up

Whew! Now that was a long day ;-)

Given that Signing Day turned up just one new name (receiver Sam Laurent) here's what we know for certain (early admits have an *) and what Signing Day seems to have confirmed about the incoming Dartmouth class. The guess here, and it's just a guess, is that there are several more recruits that either haven't been ferreted out or perhaps are still in limbo. Anyone?

Here's the class by best guess at positions. Remember, this is educated guessing and some of these positions are sure to be wrong. (Corrections encouraged and will be noted.)

Offensive Line
Donny Carty,  6-7, 265, Episcopal HS/Dallas*
Sean Dowling, 6-4, 284, St. Stephens/Alexandria, VA*
Jake Guidone, 6-4, 275, Xaverian Brothers/Westood, Mass.*
Evan Hecimovich, 6-3, 260, Naperville North HS/Naperville, Ill.*

Hunter Ziegelmeyer, 6-6, 270, Covington Catholic/Park Hills, Ky.

Tight End
James "JJ" Jones, 6-4, 235, West HS/Tracy, Calif.
Holden Wilmsen, 6-4, 250, Priory HS/St. Louis*

Wide Receiver
Masaki Aerts, 6-2, 170, St. Peters/Jersey City, NJ*
Sam Laurent, 6-3, 175, Xaverian Brothers HS/Westwood, Mass.
Niko Mermigas, 5-11, 180, North Allegheny HS/North Allegheny, Pa.

Running Back
Dakari Falconer, 5-11, 180, St. Peters/Jersey City, N.J.
Ethan Maenza, 6-1, 185, North Allegheny HS/North Allegheny, Pa.

Quarterback
Jimmy Fitzgerald, 6-3, 220, Centennial HS/Illinois/Champaign, Ill.
Derek Kyler, 6-1, 180, KeKalb HS/DeKalb, Ill.

Defensive Line
Thomas Ciesla, 6-3, 240, Neuqua Valley HS/Naperville, Ill.
Miles Sanders, 6-3, 290, Parkway Center/Chesterfield, Mo.
Jackson Yost, 6-3, 274 Archbishop Murphy/Everett, Wash.

Defensive End
Nathanael Boone, 6-3, 225, Penn HS/Mishawaka, Ind.*
DE Seth Walker, 6-4, 240, Manatee HS/Bradenton, Fla.

Linebacker
Miles Battle, 6-1, 195, Hazel Green HS/Hazel Green, Ala.
Tanner Cross, 6-2, 220, Northside HS/Fort Smith, Ark.
Naaem Morgan, 6-2, 205, Middlesex HS/Middlesex, N.J.

Defensive Back
Harrison Herskowitz, 6-0, 180, Gulliver Prep/Miami
Jayden Minchew, 6-1, 175, Springdale HS/Springdale, Ark.
Darren Stanley, 6-0, 175, Conway HS/Conway, S.C.
DeWayne "DJ" Terry,  6-1, 174, Gulliver Prep/Hialeah, Fla.

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Winston-Salem State University has a short writeup on Bruce Dixon IV, the quarterback who is transferring from Dartmouth after two years in Hanover. (LINK)

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A familiar name in Football Scoop:

After 43 years in the profession, Bethune Cookman offensive coordinator Jim Pry is retiring sources tell FootballScoop. Before joining Bethune Cookman’s staff 5+ years ago, Pry coached at Dartmouth, Illinois, Akron, Duke, East Stroudsburg, Buffalo, VMI & more. Congratulations on a well earned retirement coach Pry.

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Condé Nast Traveler has a rundown of what it calls The 20 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America and Dartmouth makes the cut. So do Princeton, Yale and Colgate. (Thanks for the link.)

OK, One (Or Two) More

DT Jackson Yost, 6-3, 274 Archbishop Murphy/Everett, Wash. (Tallest in back row)

DL Thomas Ciesla, 6-3, 240, Neuqua Valley HS/Naperville, Ill.

Signing Day, Signing Off?

QB Derek Kyler, 6-1, 180, KeKalb HS/DeKalb, Ill.

LB/S Mac Battle, 6-1, 195, Hazel Green HS/Hazel Green, Ala.

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Another talented prospect who at one time had SEC offers did not sign, and is still on the table. From a story in The State on three-star receiver Austin Connor:

“I would say take all your visits early and find out the best place to call home,” said Connor, who carries a 4.3 GPA. “I took too long. I didn’t know much and how fast paced dealing with ACC and SEC (schools) during this would be. I thought I could wait until Signing Day but a lot of receivers committed quickly.”

And this:

The receiver said he is hearing from Marshall and has three official visits left. He visited Dartmouth, where former Dutch Fork teammate Cole Douglas plays, in January but has his sights on a bigger school.

Another

LB Tanner Cross, 6-2, 220, Northside HS/Fort Smith, Ark.

Two – Including A New Name!

OL/DL Jake Guidone, 6-4, 275, Xaverian Brothers/Westwood, Mass., and WR Sam Laurent, 6-3, 175, Xaverian Brothers HS/Westwood, Mass.

Try as you might, it's hard to find 'em all. A Twitter search this afternoon found Xaverian HS in Westwood, Mass., congratulation 12 seniors headed to college football. Guidone was early decision. Wide receiver Sam Laurent is a new name.

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Laurent Tweeted in mid-December that UConn had come through with his second full-scholarship offer. (LINK) He caught 10 passes for 305 yards last fall despite missing four games.

Find his highlights HERE.

And Another

OL Sean Dowling, 6-4, 284, St. Stephens/Alexandria, VA

Two More

DB DeWayne "DJ" Terry,  6-1, 174, Gulliver Prep/Hialeah, Fla., left, and S Harrison Herskowitz, 6-0, 180, Gulliver Prep/Miami

4 p.m. Update - And Another

OL Donny Carty ,  6-7, 265, Episcopal HS/Dallas

Time Out (3 P.M.)

Checking a few names from a Twitter query about "Dartmouth offers" and two that have been on the radar have chosen Harvard and Stanford. Can't win 'em all. Still need your help finding stories and links!

To email updates, corrections on heights/weights/positions and photos/links for Signing Day CLICK HERE. That will address an email to me with the subject line, SigningDay.

Hello???

Plus One, Minus One

DE Jayden Minchew, 6-1, 175, Springdale HS/Springdale, Ark.

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It's now official. The Winston-Salem State University football website has included former Dartmouth quarterback Bruce Dixon IV in its recruiting class HERE.

Dixon started one game in his two seasons at Dartmouth and finishes his Big Green career with seven appearances, going 5-for-11 passing for 60 yards with one interception. He rushed 13 times for 36 yards. Find his Dartmouth bio HERE.

Division II Winston-Salem State finished last season 9-3 overall and 7-0 in conference.

1 P.M. Update? Nothing To Report

Maybe the lull before the storm?

Noon Update

RB Ethan Maenza, 6-1, 185, North Allegheny HS/North Allegheny, Pa. (left) and once-and-future teammate WR/DB Niko Mermigas, 5-11, 180, North Allegheny HS/North Allegheny, Pa.

DB Darren Stanley, 6-0, 175, Conway HS/Conway, S.C.

11 A.M. Update

DE/LB Naaem Morgan, 6-2, 205, Middlesex HS/Middlesex, N.J.

TE Holden Wilmsen, 6-4, 250, Priory HS/St. Louis (left) and DL Miles Sanders, 6-3, 290, Parkway Center/Chesterfield, Mo.

10 A.M. Update

WR Masaki Aerts, 6-2, 170, St. Peters/Jersey City, NJ

RB Dakari Falconer, 5-11, 180, St. Peters/Jersey City, N.J.

Aerts and Falconer are joined by Ivy-bound teammates Mitchell Jones (Cornell) and Benji Mowatt (Penn).

DE Seth Walter, 6-4, 240, Manatee HS/Bradenton, Fla.

College Football's National Holiday Upon Us

First photo in: DE Nathanael Boone of Penn HS in Mishawaka, Ind.

It's National Signing Day and I need YOUR help to once again post photos of high school seniors "signing" with Dartmouth. To be completely accurate, they aren't signing a Letter of Intent, but they are taking part along with their teammates in very special ceremonies.

I'll be updating this site hourly (or every couple of hours if emails are slow to come in) starting at noon 10, so be sure to come back and meet the newly minuted Dartmouth commits.

To email updates, corrections on heights/weights/positions and photos/links for Signing Day CLICK HERE. That will address an email to me with the subject line, SigningDay ;-)

Thanks for your help.

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Here's what I've got so far on my recruiting list. A position change or two has been noted. There are a handful of mystery commits still out there and with any luck most of them will be identified today!

24 Identified Dartmouth Recruits As Of Feb. 1, at 8 a.m.
WR Masaki Aerts, 6-2, 170, St. Peters/Jersey City, NJ*
LB/S Mac Battle, 6-1, 195, Hazel Green HS/Hazel Green, Ala.
DE Nathanael Boone, 6-3, 225, Penn HS/Mishawaka, Ind.*
OL Donny Carty ,  6-7, 265, Episcopal HS/Dallas*
DL Thomas Ciesla, 6-3, 240, Neuqua Valley HS/Naperville, Ill.
LB Tanner Cross, 6-2, 220, Northside HS/Fort Smith, Ark.
OL Sean Dowling, 6-4, 284, St. Stephens/Alexandria, VA*
RB Dakari Falconer, 5-11, 180, St. Peters/Jersey City, N.J.
OL/DL Jake Guidone, 6-4, 275, Xaverian Brothers/Westood, Mass.*
OL Evan Hecimovich, 6-3, 260, Naperville North HS/Naperville, Ill.*
S Harrison Herskowitz, 6-0, 180, Gulliver Prep/Miami
DE/TE  James "JJ" Jones, 6-4, 235, West HS/Tracy, Calif.
QB Derek Kyler, 6-1, 180, KeKalb HS/DeKalb, Ill.
RB Ethan Maenza, 6-1, 185, North Allegheny HS/North Allegheny, Pa.
WR/DB Niko Mermigas, 5-11, 180, North Allegheny HS/North Allegheny, Pa.
DB Jayden Minchew, 6-1, 175, Springdale HS/Springdale, Ark.
DE/LB Naaem Morgan, 6-2, 205, Middlesex HS/Middlesex, N.J.
DL Miles Sanders, 6-3, 290, Parkway Center/Chesterfield, Mo.
DB Darren Stanley, 6-0, 175, Conway HS/Conway, S.C.
DB DeWayne "DJ" Terry,  6-1, 174, Gulliver Prep/Hialeah, Fla.
DE Seth Walker, 6-4, 240, Manatee HS/Bradenton, Fla.
TE Holden Wilmsen, 6-4, 250, Priory HS/St. Louis*
DT Jackson Yost, 6-3, 274 Archbishop Murphy/Everett, Wash.
OL Hunter Ziegelmeyer, 6-6, 270, Covington Catholic/Park Hills, Ky.
*=confirmed early decision, others are from the Internet (mostly via Twitter).

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The Mobile Virtual Player was featured Monday night on WMUR-TV's New Hampshire Chronicles. Here's the report:

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Ivy League Home Football Attendance per the NCAA. (LINK)
1. Harvard 14, 742
2. Princeton 8,990
3. Yale 8,795
4. Cornell 7,445
5. Dartmouth 5,638
6. Penn 5,590
7. Columbia 5,212
8. Brown  4,419

Ivy League Home Attendance Ranked by Percentage of Capacity
1. Dartmouth 51.3 percent (11,000 capacity)
2. Harvard 47.7 (30,898)
3. Columbia 30.7 (17,000)
4. Princeton 29.9 (30,000)
5. Cornell 29.1 (25,597)
6. Brown  22.1 (20,000)
7. Yale 13.7 (64,269)
8. Penn 10.6 (52,958)

Others of interest from last year or the coming year . . .
New Hampshire, 9,630 average, 11,011 capacity, 87.5 percent
Holy Cross, 7,211, 23,500 capacity, 30.7 percent
Stetson 3,438 average, 6,000 capacity, 57.3 percent
Sacred Heart 2,375 average, 4,000 capacity, 59.4 percent