Dartmouth IOL Delby Lemieux — It seems like every year, an FCS offensive lineman turns heads throughout the draft process, and that might just be Lemieux in 2026. While he took his occasional losses during practice due to his frame (6'5", 305, 9" hands, 31" arms), Lemieux does show the knack for excelling in zone situations, out on the move. He's not always going to be a stalwart in a phone booth, but with some development of his strength and frame, he already has the mobility to be a successful player.
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And from the Draft Countdown site (LINK):
The Sr Bowl has developed somewhat of a showcase reputation as a supplier of lower-level OL, with past players like Trevor Penning, Quinn Meinerz, Cody Mauch, Grey Zabel finding this venue to be a stepping stone to being drafted and playing in the NFL. And so I would like to introduce you to this year’s candidate from the IVy League, Delby Lemieux #50 from Dartmouth College. The 6’5/305# OT in college spent most of the week trying his hand as an OC. His under-32″ arms led to the position change. And he impressed in his new position. Hopefully, he did enough to earn an invite to the Combine.
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The Super Bowl is still a few days away and at least one school has started spring football, although most definitely not in the east, where even in the south there's snow on fields. That's most definitely not a problem for these guys:
#HawaiiFB up early for the start of spring ball. Rainbow Warriors getting their 15 spring practices in early again under Timmy Chang in order to focus on strength and conditioning at the end of the semester, a strategy that worked particularly well in 2025. pic.twitter.com/KdDstvQGE3
— Christian Shimabuku (@c_shimabuku) February 3, 2026
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If you like great sportswriting, this is really sad. From an Awful Announcing story (LINK):
(T)he Washington Post announced mass layoffs on Wednesday, including the shuttering of its sports department in its current iteration.
Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray announced the news in a video call with employees, who were told to stay home amid the anticipated changes.
And . . .
(T)he paper said that it plans to retain several reporters to join its features department and cover sports as a “cultural and societal phenomenon.” A few employees will also remain on its printed sports section.
And . . .
The Washington Post sports desk was, for much of the last 100 years, the apex of the business. Once the sportswriting home of Shirley Povich, George Solomon, Thomas Boswell, Jane Leavy, Sally Jenkins, John Feinstein, Tony Kornheiser, and Michael Wilbon, it had remained one of the pinnacles of the American sportswriter’s dream until recently, when prominent names accepted buyouts, editorial standards dipped, and the quality of local coverage began to suffer.
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EXTRA POINT
When the temperature is in the single digits I don't run into many people on my daily hikes up the mountain. But with the mercury tiptoeing into the upper teens late yesterday afternoon I crossed paths with a fellow on the trail accompanied by an excitable black lab mix.
Like the lab mix, Griff the Wonder Dog absolutely loves to hike. But unlike the lab, he tends to have snow quickly ball up in the fur between his toes. It can get so annoying to him that every couple of minutes he'll sit and chew the snow out. We bought booties for him a few years ago, but he didn't like them. (They seemed to always fall off, anyway.)
And so, until the snow melts, I have to be very careful not to use the word "hike" when I'm headed out. Griff's disappointment is obvious when he hears the word and I leave him behind. I even suspect he's starting to figure it out when I tell Mrs. BGA that I'm headed out to "H-I-K-E," which is why I use phrases like, "I'm going to hit the trail," when he's within earshot.
