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Two Signing Day predictions of sorts came through.

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First, as expected there wasn't a single email with photos of school celebrations or links where to find those Signing Day photos. I'm starting to wonder if BGA is passé. ;-(

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And second, while I didn't exactly predict it, I had a hint this was coming. Dartmouth has a final (?) addition to the recruiting class:

Committed to the Process! Go Big Green 🌲 pic.twitter.com/St8VZMg8Tf

— James Rush (@wavyjames_4x) February 3, 2026

If my research is accurate, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound running back/safety/corner who is expected to play safety at Dartmouth, was originally committed to Princeton. He also had reported offers from Penn, Buffalo, Kent State, Bowling Green and Navy.

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Jim Kenyon, a fellow alum of our local daily, started at my old newspaper as a sportswriter and eventually became a columnist on the news side. Until his retirement last fall he was well known for holding Dartmouth's toes to the fire.

BGA linked last week to a story in The Dartmouth about the college's role in a student's opinion piece about its Evergreen.AI initiative. Now Kenyon has gone nuclear on the issue in a guest opinion piece of his own under the headline Dartmouth Ran a PR Sting on Its Own Students. The column begins this way (LINK):

The College’s website lists 43 people working in the Office of Communications. With an army of in-house flacks at its disposal, why then would the College need to employ a student and secretly work with him on an op-ed hyping Evergreen.AI for The Dartmouth?

Simple.

The independent student newspaper has credibility — an essential commodity, which under the Beilock administration, the College sorely lacks. 

Green Alert Take: To quote the late Dartmouth sports information director Kathy Slattery, "Ouch, babe."

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EXTRA POINT
Not to get political or anything, but how many of us knew the word "tranche" before, let's see, Dec. 19, 2025? I could be wrong, but I'm going to guess many of the commentators using the word these days had to look it up, just as I did.

Signing Day – Ho Hum

Signing Day used to be like Christmas for college football fans, but the early signing day (lowercase) in December put the kibosh on that.

Dartmouth might be adding one more name to the list below, but we'll see.

In the meantime, if you have photos or links from Signing Day celebrations, click HERE to send an email to me with the subject line SigningDay. Attach your photo or paste in a link and I'll toss something up on Big Green Alert.

Here's what we think we know about this year's recruiting class. Use the link above to send along corrections or clarifications.

• WR Blake Betette, 5-1, 185, Richard Northeast HS/South Carolina

• LB JJ Bolz, 6-2, 220, Bishop Verot HS/Florida

• DB David Brown III, 6-1, 162, Cypress Woods HS/Texas

• QB Jack Cannon, 6-2, 210, Holmdel HS/New Jersey 

• OL Tim Church, 6-5, 300, Buckingham Browne & Nichols/Massachusetts

• LB/WR George Duggins, 6-3, 200, Mona Shores HS/ Michigan

• DL August Dupree, 6-3, 215/Folson HS/California

• DE/TE Quinn Enguita, 6-4, 215, Bishop Verot HS/Florida.

• WR Kareem Fisher, 6-2, 180, St. Vincent Pallotti/Maryland

• RB/DB Jacob Henry, 5-11, 190, Maumelle HS/Arkansas

•LS Will Hester, 6-1, 215, Lexington Christian/Kencuky

• S Kiyanté Ingram, 6-0, 195, McEachem HS/Georgia

• LB/DB Emory Jones, 6-1, 180, Cass Tech/Michigan

• DB/WR Gavin King, 6-4, 230, Loyola Academy/Illinois

• DL Kayden Lee, 6-2, 275, Mishawaka/Ind.

• DL/TE Will Maloof, 6-5, 210, St. Peter's Prep/New Jersey

• WR George Loop, 5-11, 170, Isidore Newman/Louisiana

•  LB Parker Maiers, 6-1, 220, Brebeuf Jesuit HS/Indianapolis

• DB Trey McFadden, 6-3, 190, Montgomery HS/New Jersey

• OL Brody McLeod, 6-4, 280, Ponte Vedra HS/Florida

• OL Mikey McMahon, 6-4, 290, Bergen Catholic HS/New Jersey

• OL Jake Namnum, 6-2, 292, St. Josephs Prep/Pennsylvania

• K/P Tanner Pidwell, 6-2, 175, Park City HS/Utah

• TE Ayden Sadler, 6-5, 215, Green Hill HS/Tennessee

• OL Nick Schenkel, 6-4, 270, Liberty HS/Pennsylvania

• DL Roman Sosnovyy, 6-3, 245, Lyons Township HS/Illinois

• DL Harlem Taylor, 6-3, 240, St. Paul's/New Hampshire

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From a ColtsRoundtable story headlined  Senior Bowl Stars Who Shined at Indianapolis Colts' Biggest Needs (LINK):

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.

More Buddy T's

WCAX TV, the CBS station in Burlington, Vt., doesn't get down to Hanover all that often, so this is special:

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The Virginia Cavaliers SI site has a story on former Dartmouth defensive back Patrick Campbell signing with the Wahoos HERE.

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Campbell's announcement comes one day ahead of the traditional National Signing Day, which used to be one of the biggest days of the year for college football – and one of the craziest days of the year for Big Green Alert.

Although the introduction of a December signing period has turned the first Wednesday in February into an afterthought, there are still some schools that have Signing Day ceremonies. BGA used to do hourly updates on this day with photos from school ceremonies as parents and others forwarded pictures and links this way. I've continued to encourage player families to share photos for this site but haven't received any for several years. But like Linus awaiting the Great Pumpkin, I continue to hold out hope that maybe this year will be different.

If you stumble across photos on social media and want so share them, click HERE and it will set up an email to me with the subject line SigningDay. Just attach your photo or paste in a link and I'll take it from there. Thanks!

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The MetroWest Daily News in Massachusetts has a story headlined Who is Jake Bobo? Seahawks player from Massachusetts in Super Bowl 60. From the story, which confirms Dartmouth tried to lure him this way (LINK):

Bobo was a three-star receiver and the No. 6 prospect in Massachusetts as a senior. The 6-foot-4 receiver had offers from Duke, Boston College, Wake Forest, Army and Dartmouth.

And . . .

Who are Jake Bobo's parents?

Mike Bobo and Casey Bobo both graduated from Dartmouth. Mike Bobo played wide receiver for the Big Green and won an Ivy League Championship in 1992. ...  Jake's dad Mike was Belmont Hill's quarterbacks coach during his time at the school.

And . . .

Jake Bobo has two younger brothers. Luke Bobo played quarterback at Williams College, graduating in 2024. Their youngest brother Michael Bobo followed his parents to Dartmouth and is a junior on the rowing team.

Green Alert Take: When I was at the newspaper we always worked hard to find a way to localize a Super Bowl story. To be completely honest, some of the stories were stretches. If the local daily still chased stories the way we did back when I was at the paper, a current Dartmouth athlete with a brother playing in the Super Bowl would have been a dream come true.

Given that I don't expect the local daily will offer up anything, here is young Mike Bobo's rowing BIO.

Green Alert Take II: Yeah, it's kind of weak not mentioning his family's deep connection to Dartmouth, or  that he has a brother in the NFL.

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EXTRA POINT

It hit 5-below zero at our Vermont hillside home yet again last night. To be completely honest, the negative temperatures are getting a little boring. So are the daily highs in the upper single digits. Fortunately, after seemingly weeks of gloomy, overcast skies, we can actually see the sun for the third morning in a row. When you have two electric cars and an electric tractor that has to remain charged all winter, and you rely on a large solar tracker to harvest sunlight for electricity, that's a very good thing.

A Super Story

From a Boston Herald story headlined Storybook journey to Super Bowl LX pits Seahawks’ Jake Bobo against childhood team (LINK):

Bobo’s father, Mike, died nearly two years ago at age 55 after a battle with cancer. His presence will still be felt, though, in the discussions the Bobo family has as they get ready for the game and in the pre-game conversation Bobo has with his father that has become a ritual.

Bobo learned football from his father – he played for the legendary Buddy Teevens at Dartmouth – but, more importantly, learned life lessons that are a guiding force to this day.

Bobo insists his father wouldn’t care about the outcome of Super Bowl LX. He put more importance on how his son carried himself off the field. A shining example of that comes from a story his mom relayed about Bobo leaving the on-field celebration following the NFC title game to give his championship hat to a young fan in the stands with cerebral palsy.

In that sense, Bobo is already a winner. And everything that comes after now follows the words Mike told his son when he first joined the Seahawks, and what has become a go-to family phrase.

“It’s sort of the family mantra: ‘It’s gravy,’” (Jake's mother) said. “Like, how could it get better than this? It’s just gravy whatever happens now.”

Mike Bobo '92 captained the 1991 Ivy League championship Big Green and shares the Dartmouth record of 10 touchdown catches in a season. He had 112 catches in his career.

Green Alert Take: Before starting Big Green Alert I was the beat writer covering all Dartmouth sports, including the football team Mike Bobo captained. I didn't really get to know football players the way I would after BGA came along, but when Mike returned to campus after graduation he always had a wonderful smile, a warm hello and a firm handshake. It seems as if Jake is a chip off the old block, and that makes me smile.

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Jan 28, 2026; Mobile, AL, USA; National Team offensive lineman Delby Lemieux (50) of Dartmouth looks for a block during National Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

From a New York Giants on SI story headlined 6 Senior Bowl Standouts Who May Have Caught the Giants' Eye (LINK):

Lemieux was one of the best offensive linemen in the entire FCS in 2025, and potentially over the last two seasons. He is smart, physical, and possesses great quickness, so it was not a surprise to see him receive an invite to the Senior Bowl.

What was surprising was seeing him drop down to the center position and take snaps there. During the Senior Bowl, he played every snap at center and comported himself extremely well. 

At 6'5" and over 300 pounds, he is going to be a prospect that many scouts and front offices look at as someone who could potentially be their option in the middle of an offensive line. Giants fans should definitely keep an eye on this prospect.

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Under the headline Steelers Complete Second Interview for Special Teams Coordinator Opening in a story from SteelersNow (LINK):

Former Buffalo Bills STC Matthew Smiley completed an interview for the same opening with the Steelers according to reports.

​Smiley most recently served in the same role in Buffalo from 2022 to 2024, following five seasons as an assistant. Prior to that, he served as a special teams assistant in Jacksonville from 2013 to 2016.

And that's of interest because . . .

The Illinois native has 20 years of coaching experience, dating back to 2005 when he started as an assistant at Dartmouth.

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EXTRA POINT
When we bought this house the listing said something about view of the sunrise and the sunset. There was a lot of exaggeration in the listing, but that part was spot on. Yesterday's sunset cast a dramatic pink/purple hue over Mount Moosilauke to our east and revealed interesting cloud stripes to the west.

New Beginnings

A little grad transfer news from yet another chilly morning (minus 5.4 degrees) at our Vermont hillside home . . .

Linebacker Zyion Freer-Brown will play next fall at The Citadel. Freer-Brown led Dartmouth with 83 tackles last fall, including five for a loss with two sacks. He also had an interception and a fumble recovery.

Nickel Tyson Grimm is headed to Rhode Island. He was third on the Big Green last fall with 57 tackles. He had 1.5 tackles for a loss and brought an interception back 75 yards for a touchdown in the win over Columbia.

Jamal Cooper should have no problem remembering the name of his new head coach. The Big Green corner, who finished with 18 tackles and two pass breakups, is headed to Northwestern State, coached by Blaine McCorkle, cousin of Dartmouth's Sammy McCorkle.

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Yesterday's BGA reposted congratulations to Duane Brooks and Don Dobes from Alex Schmidt. The former Dartmouth defensive lineman is now in his first year working in athletics in the Patriot League. From his Lafayette College bio (LINK):

Schmidt comes to Lafayette from New England College, where he served as director of football operations as well as the defensive line coach. Early in his career, he had helped structure and launch New England College's football program into the NCAA. Overseeing key aspects of compliance, student-athlete recruitment, operations, and eligibility tracking. 

Schmidt earned his MBA with a focus in Sports and Recreation Management from New England College in 2025.

At Lafayette, Schmidt works under Athletic Director Sherryta Freeman '01, who helped the Dartmouth women's basketball team to a pair of Ivy League championships.

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EXTRA POINT
Mrs. BGA and I went to Thompson Arena last night where we saw Dartmouth men's hockey post a 3-1 win over RPI. Here's a friendly reminder I could have used.

Although it might be a little cool in the arena – it is an ice hockey facility after all – you might still want to take your outside jacket or coat off during the game. Otherwise, when the game is over and you head out into brutally cold night, you will feel really cold.

It is safe to say the game was a lot more fun than the walk to our car in the Hanover High School parking lot when it was over. 🥶 

Story For A Saturday

Justin LaFleur of the Dartmouth office of athletic communications has a 2,000-word opus on Delby Lemieux, the Big Green senior offensive lineman who hopes a strong performance in today's Senior Bowl will help his chances in the NFL Draft. Find the story– which features a few videos from Senior Bowl week – HERE.

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The Detroit Free Press has a story under the headline Delby Lemieux, Ivy League star OL, snapping up NFL draft hopes that begins this way (LINK):

Delby Lemieux had never played a day of center in his life. But the best offensive tackle in the FCS knew a position change might be coming, so he spent time this fall working on his snaps.

Lemieux, a two-time all-Ivy League selection at Dartmouth, snapped the ball with some of the Big Green’s young quarterbacks on the side during practices and did drills informally by himself before and after workouts.

Also from the story:

Lemieux, at 6 feet 5 and 305 pounds, is one of the more intriguing and experienced offensive line prospects in this year’s draft; he could interest a Detroit Lions team that’s in the market for an infusion of young talent at several positions up front. 

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In a story headlined Three FCS Standouts to Play in 2026 Senior Bowl, The Underdog Dynasty writes of Lemieux (LINK):

Arguably the best offensive lineman in the entire FCS last season was Dartmouth left tackle Delby Lemieux. Lemieux was a two-time All-Ivy League selection who started 25 games in his career for the Big Green. Last season he earned a 84.4 grade from PFF and helped anchor a front that paved the way for an offense that rushed for 163.3 yards per contest and allowed just eight sacks all season. Lemieux has a ton of experience at tackle but, per several scouts, has better pro prospects at center. Weighing in at 305 pounds and standing at 6’5”, he has good NFL size and stature. Lemieux has his eyes on the NFL Draft in April where he is gunning to be the first Dartmouth player taken in 22 years.

That last draft choice? Tight end Casey Cramer '04, taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2004 draft. Cramer spent five years in the NFL and today is lead pastor of an Ohio church. (LINK)

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Not surprisingly, tributes are coming in for retiring Dartmouth assistant coaches Don Dobes and Duane Brooks. Here is a sampling, starting with a message from Joe Casetellitto, who coached with the pair at Dartmouth, and now is on staff at UMass:

The wisdom between these two is unmatched. It was an honor to work with both of them - true legends in football. @headdogpound @coach_dobes https://t.co/G2EBaf3M5i

— Joe Castellitto (@CoachJoeCas) January 30, 2026

This is from former defensive lineman Alex Schmidt:

Two of the absolute greatest to ever do it! So grateful that I had the privilege to play for and be coached by both! Congrats and thank you, Coach Brooks and Coach Dobes!🌲🌲 @headdogpound @coach_dobes https://t.co/3dkQ0FX7AT

— Alex Schmidt (@schmidty_3681) January 30, 2026

And alum Chris Adamson '97, who has sent international players to play for Dobes and Brooks at Dartmouth:

Thank you to two @IvyLeague and @DartmouthFTBL coaching legends. https://t.co/QhnnOrsbvW

— Chris Adamson (@GIfootballChris) January 30, 2026

Former assistant coach Jerry Taylor: 

Two of the best in the game. I appreciate them for their love and leadership over the years 🫡 https://t.co/ghX8VrhzbV

— Jerry Taylor Jr. (@coachjtaylorjr) January 30, 2026

Green Alert Take: The tributes keep pouring in.

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EXTRA POINT
The piles of snow in our driveway have gotten so big I've had to carve a canyon for Griff the Wonder Dog so he can get into our yard. As he showed last night playing with his toys, he's still young at heart, but he is nearing his 12th birthday.

Breaking News

Courtesy Dartmouth

It's been well known for some time that veteran defensive line coach Duane Brooks was retiring, but the news that decorated defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Don Dobes is stepping aside at the same time comes as a bit of a shock. Find a Dartmouth story HERE.

Green Alert Take: Brooks and Dobes have been instrumental in the success of the Dartmouth football program for years. On a personal note, I cannot begin to express the appreciation I have for their help, their patience and their understanding while I documented the Big Green football story on BGA. They will be missed by the program, and by me personally. Not just for their professionalism, but for their friendship. I wish them both nothing but the best.

Movin' On Up . . .

Today's issue of The Dartmouth has a quick Q&A with All-America tight end Chris Corbo about picking Georgia Tech as his grad transfer destination. From the story (LINK):

I was looking for a place that has a locker room, culture and standard that Dartmouth has. Our standard is to compete and win championships every year. After meeting with the coaches here, I could tell that their vision for the program, their morals and where they see this team going align with what we had [over] the last four years.

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Still on to topic of grad transfers, former Dartmouth defensive back Patrick Campbell is set to visit Virginia. Here's part of what Campbell had to say in a 247Sports story (LINK):

"I'm looking forward to seeing the culture at Virginia, seeing how the players interact with the coaches," said the Dartmouth defensive back transfer. ". How the coaches interact with the players, the atmosphere of the campus and everything... and seeing what the coaches see me as and then seeing how they interact with each other."

And . . .

 "It's definitely been slightly overwhelming [being in the portal] - just not knowing where you can go, not knowing if you're going to play football again, and just trusting that you're a good enough player that schools will want to take you and take a chance on you."

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The Dartmouth has a piece about the opening of Buddy T's, the "sports bar" whose name honors former Big Green football coach Buddy Teevens. (LINK)

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From FootballScoop (LINK):

Dartmouth (FCS - NH): Dartmouth has an opening for a Running Backs Coach. Interested parties should apply via this LINK. Please no phone calls.

BGA had a note last week about former running backs coach Braxton Chapman heading to Kent State HERE. What's curious about the link provided by FootballScoop is that the job description (copied from the Dartmouth listing this morning) is for a different position.

This was posted by the Dartmouth Office of Human Resources and is dated Jan. 19:

To participate as part of a decision making team (coaching staff) under the direction of the head coach in planning, coaching, recruiting, administering, and promoting the football program within NCAA, Ivy League, and institutional standards. The Defensive Coordinator plays a critical role in achieving the overall goals of the football program by coordinating the defense and providing important recommendations, suggestions and decisions regarding game plans and strategies, line-ups, priority listing of recruits, etc. as well as offering significant initiative and independent judgment (e.g., in calling defensive alignments, making line-up decisions, providing coaching instruction, evaluating and communicating with prospective recruits and their parents, and representing the football program to constituents).

Green Alert Take: Very strange.

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And finally, have you ever heard of a one-point safety? Not only can it happen both in college football and the NFL, it actually has happened in several college games. As the video explains, while the odds are absurdly long against it, given changes to the overtime rules you could actually have a 1-0 college football game. Click HERE to watch the video below. (It's pretty basic at the start, but keep watching!)

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EXTRA POINT

Doing my daily hike up the mountain yesterday through deep snow in single-degree weather I was reminded yet again of how much easier it is hitting the trail in summer.

When the weather is nice, I'll pull on a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt, and I'm ready.

It's different when it is single digits or colder. Starting with my feet, this winter I'm using battery-warmed socks I received for Christmas. Depending on the condition of the trail those socks will go into hiking shoes with either cleats or micro-spikes strapped on to deal with ice on the trail. Moving up, it's sweat pants under rain or snow pants. A long-sleeved dri-fit shirt and then a fleece vest go under a heavy winter jacket. USB-charged hand warmers are tucked into each mitten. Topping off the stylish outfit is a buff (or neckie), and finally, a goofy knit cap with ear flaps.

It's not quite like I'm Ralphie's little brother Randy, but getting ready to head out I do channel him a bit.