Staying Home, Sorta

Scouting New England has ranked the "top 10" recruits in New Hampshire and Dartmouth has earned commitments from two of them. Headed this way in another year are quarterback Webber Marx, ranked the top recruit in the state,  and St. Paul's School teammate Oliver Costello, an offensive lineman who is ranked third.

Granted, both rising seniors are actually from Massachusetts, but for Dartmouth to have two "in state" high school recruits in the same class is highly unusual. They will join fellow St. Paul's product Harlem Taylor, a recruit arriving next month who actually is from New Hampshire. Concord, to be exact.

Several more of the top 10 have camped at Dartmouth and could perhaps end up coming this way.

Among those on the list who have announced others destinations are No. 2 tight end Brayden Murch to Harvard, No. 4 linebacker Dylan Terricciano to Lehigh, and No. 5 safety Jackson Sparks to Holy Cross.

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Team websites hosted by SB Nation hover in a space somewhere between fan blogs and sites featuring seasoned, professional reporters. Keep that in mind reading what More Than Just a 53-Man Vikings Roster Projection Part 1: Offense has to say about Dartmouth product Delby Lemieux ’26 (LINK):

Delby Lemieux played tackle at Dartmouth but doesn’t have the length or size to play tackle in the league. He is likely a center/guard candidate. He has a great RAS, particularly his agility and speed scores, but just 31 3/8” arms and 8.8” hands. He had excellent PFF grades in college against Ivy League competition, which isn’t so good in football. He is said to have good hand technique but needing to improve his footwork. But between taking a big jump in competition and learning a new position, Lemieux is more of a candidate for practice squad than a roster spot.

Green Alert Take: The tipoff that this leans toward the fan blog side was the author writing, “He had excellent PFF grades in college against Ivy League competition, which isn’t so good in football.” We can agree to disagree on the second part of that statement, but the editor in me cringes reading how it was worded.

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EXTRA POINT
I don’t know about you, but FIFA bullying Levi’s Stadium into being called San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, MetLife Stadium into being rebranded New York New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, and Gillette Stadium being called Boston Stadium rubs me the wrong way. (LINK) I’m hardly a fan of corporate stadium names, but out of principle you can be sure I would make it a point to reference Levi’s, MetLife, Gillette and others repeatedly if I were writing about World Cup soccer.

Looking Ahead

With Dartmouth posted an official release naming the players who will arrive on campus next month, it's as good a time as any to update the unofficial list of players expected to arrive on campus next year. Here's the list so far. As always, additions and corrections are encouraged in the box over there to the right.

OL Oliver Costello, 6-5, 285, St. Paul's School/Plymouth, Mass.

OL Aidan Cuff, 6-4, 290, Salisbury School/Belfountain, Ontario

RB Hezekiah Davis, 5-10, 185, Tampa Jesuit HS/Tampa, Fla.

DB Rowan Martin, 6-1, 180, Williston-Northampton School/East Longmeadow, Mass.

QB Webber Marx, 6-6, 210, St. Paul's School/Wellesley Mills, Mass

OL Henry Reagan, 6-3, 275, New Canaan HS/New Canaan, Conn.

QB Richmond Saunier, 6-2, 195, Lafayette HS/Lafayette, La.

DE  KJ Sims, 6-3, 192, Seckinger HS/Buford, Ga.

OL Brysen Terry, 6-6, 325, Webster Schroeder HS/Webster, N.Y. 

Additions since this list was last posted are Cuff, Martin and Terry. As reported on BGA (LINK), Reagan actually committed a year ago, after his sophomore season.

Cuff chose Dartmouth over reported offers from Yale, Brown, Cornell, Lafayette, Fordham, Georgetown, Maine, Stonehill, Bryant and New Haven.

Martin's reported offer list includes Princeton, Penn, Cornell, Army, Navy, Colgate, Holy Cross, Monmouth and Bryant.

Terry has been offered by Buffalo, Cornell, Albany, Fordham and New Haven, while Reagan had an Albany offer before shutting down recruiting with the early commitment to Dartmouth. Reagan, like Richmond Saunier, has a brother already on the Big Green. His brother Ben is a 6-2, 285 junior offensive lineman.

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EXTRA POINT
Enjoying a final day here at the lake, where the water this weekend is as warm as I can remember. It may not be enjoyable when the air temperature hits 90, but I'm not about to complain when it makes the water more comfortable than we are used to here in Northern New England.

A decorated pontoon boat pulls George Washington and a crewmate  across the Delaware (?) during yesterday's boat parade here on the lake.

Incoming

Happy Fourth of July!

And as Sergeant Phil Esterhaus used to say at the end of the morning roll call on Hill Street Blues, “Let’s be careful out there.”

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With the next recruiting class starting to build, Dartmouth has at long last announced the group that will report to campus next month. The official class includes two players not included on the unofficial list compiled for BGA, and is missing two players who previously announced for Dartmouth but have changed their plans.

The additions are Ayomide Adeniyi, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound defensive end from Maryland who spent last year Williston-Northampton School in Massachusetts, and Tim Ioane Jr., a 6-1, 215 linebacker from Tustin High School in California.

Find a story out of Dartmouth with some general thoughts about the incoming players HERE. 

Here’s the updated list with positions, heights and weights in the Dartmouth release:

• DE Ayomide Ayo Adeniyi, 6-2, 223, Williston-Northampton School/Maryland
• WR Blake Betette,  5-11, 182, Richard Northeast HS/South Carolina
• LB JJ Bolz, 6-1, 223, Bishop Verot HS/Florida
• DB David Brown III, 6-1, 162, Cypress Woods HS/Texas
• QB Jack Cannon, 6-1, 207, Holmdel HS/New Jersey 
• OL Tim Church, 6-3, 291, Buckingham Browne & Nichols/Massachusetts
• S George Duggins, 6-3, 200, Mona Shores HS/ Michigan
• DL August Dupree, 6-3, 235, Folsom HS/California
• DE Quinn Enguita, 6-2, 212 Bishop Verot HS/Florida.
• WR Kareem Fisher, 6-1, 170, St. Vincent Pallotti/Maryland
• RB Jacob Henry, 5-11, 185, Maumelle HS/Arkansas
• LS Will Hester, 6-1, 215, Lexington Christian/Kencuky
• LB Tim Ioane Jr., 6-1, 210, Tustin HS/California
• DB Emory Jones, 6-1, 180, Cass Tech/Michigan
• LB Gavin King, 6-3, 228, Loyola Academy/Illinois
• WR George Loop, 5-11, 175, Isidore Newman/Louisiana
• DL Will Maloof, 6-4, 215, St. Peter's Prep/New Jersey
• DB Trey McFadden, 6-2, 190, Montgomery HS/New Jersey
• OL Brody McLeod, 6-4, 275, Ponte Vedra HS/Florida
• OL Mikey McMahon, 6-3, 289, Bergen Catholic HS/New Jersey
• OL Jake Namnun, 6-1, 273, St. Josephs Prep/Pennsylvania
• K/P Tanner Pidwell, 6-2, 159, Park City HS/Utah
• S James Rush, 5-11, 175, Saline HS/Michigan
• TE Ayden Sadler, 6-5, 215, Green Hill HS/Tennessee
• OL Nick Schenkel, 6-4, 267, Liberty HS/Pennsylvania
• DL Roman Sosnovyy, 6-3, 245, Lyons Township HS/Illinois
• DL Harlem Taylor, 6-1, 247, St. Paul's/New Hampshire

Green Alert Take: Heights and weights reported previously on BGA were from individual player social media accounts. Not at all surprisingly, the majority of players are a little shorter than noted earlier, with several losing multiple inches. The only player to add height was safety James Rush, who comes in at 5-11 after being listed previously at 5-10.

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The Dartmouth has a story about recent graduate Bond Almand IV – the ultramarathon bike rider who pedaled 14,000 miles from Alaska to the tip of South America in a record 75 days – setting off shortly on an NFL-themed marathon ride. Find the story headlined The longest rush attempt ever? Bond Almand ’26 partners with NFL to bike to all 30 NFL stadiums in the USA HERE.

From Almand’s own description of the adventure:

I will bike with the NFL kickoff football to all 30 @nfl stadiums. On July 7th, I will begin my ride in Miami, Florida, and over 10,000 miles later on September 9th, I will bike into Seattle to deliver the football to the first game of the NFL season!

Here’s a map on the rider’s Instagram (LINK) showing his route:

You can follow his ride HERE.

Green Alert Take: As someone who bicycled across the country twice, I have immense respect for the challenge Almand is taking on.

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EXTRA POINT

Our internet provider sent out an email yesterday afternoon letting us know we were finally back online. We actually passed their repair trucks on the drive here:

Also enjoying the wonderfully warm water was my proud friend, Griff, who took a very long time to dry out. ;-)

 

BGA On Hold (Updated)

2:30 Update

Mrs. BGA's grandmother used to say, "There should never be an empty bed at the beach."

Fortunately, our good friends believe the same thing. Each year when they pack up and spend the Fourth of July week with four generations of their family on a New Hampshire lake, they generously invite us to enjoy a few days here at their Vermont lake house.

The internet is still down back at our house but it is working fine here, so I'll be back with you tomorrow.

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A localized power outage last night has our internet down. If it comes back up before we head out for a Fourth of July weekend at the lake, a post will go up. Stay tuned.

BW

Looking Ahead

Quick notes from Dartmouth's first two 2026 opponents, but first . . .

Huge congrats to good friend Mike Mahoney, moving on from his longtime role as director of athletic communications at Penn to become Senior Associate Commissioner of the Atlantic 10. (LINK) 

Green Alert Take: That's a huge loss for the Ivy League, and a huge win for the A-10.

Green Alert Take II: Sure would have been great to see the New Hampshire native return as the athletic communications director at Dartmouth, where he earned a degree in English and then spent six years learning the SID business under Kathy Slattery.

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Per a Lehigh release, the Big Green's Sept. 19 opener at Goodman Stadium will be a noon kickoff. The theme for the Mountain Hawks' fourth game the season will be Family Weekend.

Green Alert Take: The original plan had been an O-Dark-30 start for a game-day drive from Vermont down to the Lehigh Valley, but the early kickoff more likely means a Friday overnight with relatives about an hour east of Bethlehem.

For the record, Dartmouth's last three games against Lehigh were all in Hanover. The Big Green last visited Bethlehem on Sept. 28, 1996, coming away with a 21-14 win before 11,325 at Goodman.

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FCS Football Central on SI has a piece headlined 2026 CAA Football Preview: Contenders, Sleepers, & Key Storylines that offers a look at Week 2 opponent Monmouth HERE.

The overview lists the Hawks with transfers from Syracuse, Temple, UMass, Delaware, Richmond, Penn, Lafayette (2), Holy Cross and Charleston Southern and includes this:

Returning Significant Contributors (OFF): 6

Returning Significant Contributors (DEF): 9

Projected Returning Significant Contributors by position:

- QB (1)
⁠- RB (1)
⁠- WR (2)
⁠- TE (1)
⁠- OL (1)
⁠- DT (3)
⁠- EDGE (1)
⁠- LB (3)
⁠- S (1)
⁠- CB (1)

In case you were wondering (which I was ;-), here's an explanation of Returning Significant Contributor  from the site:

"Returning players who played over 200 snaps last season were labeled as returning significant contributors. An exception was made for players who suffered season-ending injuries, who would have been starters or major contributors if they were healthy." 

Green Alert Take: The Dartmouth statistics page does not include snaps so I can't work up similar numbers for the Big Green. How significant the "Returning Significant Contributors" are is up for debate, but it would be interesting to see how the numbers break down for Dartmouth and the other Ivies if FCS Football Central on SI follows through and does a breakdown of Ancient Eight teams.

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Graduate transfer corner Patrick Campbell '26 gets a mention in a Virginia Cavaliers on SI piece headlined Ranking Virginia football's 3 deepest position groups heading into 2026. Per the story, Campbell is joining the second-deepest room on the roster. From the posting (LINK):

After suffering at the cornerback position last season . . . the team added Patrick Campbell from Dartmouth, Omillio Agard from Wisconsin, Justin Ross from Navy, and Jacobie Henderson from Rutgers in January.

This talented group of newcomers joins Donavon Platt, Jam Jackson, Ja'Maric Morris, and Josiah Persinger to form one of the absolute deepest cornerback groups in the conference heading into 2026. . . . .Platt, Jackson, Henderson, and Agard are probably the top four, but we've been hearing great things about Morris and Campbell this offseason as well.

Ranked as the third-deepest room on the UVa team is defensive end, where the Cavaliers have added two more Ivy League products. Joining the team for 2026 are Yale's Ezekiel Larry and Columbia's Justin Townsend.

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EXTRA POINT
With our windows offering 180-degree views of the White Mountains, and no one able to see into our house from the road or nearby homes, there's no need for curtains here at our Vermont hillside home. We do, however, have wood blinds in upstairs bedroom windows that face south.

Those wood blinds are pulled down and closed maybe just a handful of days all year. With the temperature climbing into the 90s, today is one of those days when the blinds are down. Hopefully they keep the upstairs from getting too hot.

As for the lack of curtains, if you go back in history, it's appropriate to these parts. The internet says of New England Puritans: "Elaborate drapes or anything that significantly obscured the interior of a home could be seen as socially inappropriate, even rude, because it violated the cultural expectation that one’s life should be lived simply and transparently before both neighbors and God."

Or maybe, like us, they just wanted to enjoy the views. ;-)

How About That!

It's July 1 and you know what that means? It means that as of today we can say, "Dartmouth football returns to campus next month to begin the 2026 preseason."

In case you are wondering, the Big Green's first official practice will be August 22.

BGA plans to be there for the opening practice for the 21st time in 22 years – the only exception being 2020 when you-know-what happened and the season was canceled.

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 You can get your own Delby Lemieux '26 Minnesota Viking jersey HERE.

The former Dartmouth offensive lineman's old teammate Josiah Green '25 is currently trying to make the Tampa Bay Bucs and while there's a jersey with his name on it HERE, it isn't the 96 that is his listed number on the current team roster, but rather a 0.

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Speaking of former Dartmouth players in the pros, on Monday we posted a link to a video with Flo Orimolade '17 talking about his anticipated return to the Calgary Stampeders after an Achilles tear last September. Here's what he had to say after his first game back:

Click HERE to watch the interview.

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Dartmouth has begun the search for what used to be called a sports information director. Find the job listing HERE.

Green Alert Take: Let's hope they get someone onboard before long so we can learn a little more about the first-year players who are reporting next month, and check out an updated 2026 roster. And so things like program's official website's recruiting map – which includes four coaches no longer with the program – will be updated.

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Incredibly sad news out of Monmouth University, Dartmouth's opponent in its Sept. 26 home opener. Louis DiRienzo Jr., introduced during the offseason as the team's first-year defensive coordinator, has passed away unexpectedly at age 34. The university has a release HERE.

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Last Sunday you read in this space about Ohio State football offering a roster spot to a safety whose Baylor School (Tennessee) teammate and very close friend just so happens to be the top running back prospect OSU is recruiting. The gist was that the Buckeyes were offering the former as a way to lure the latter to Columbus.

A poster on Xwitter who purports to have inside information believes that, instead of heading for the Big Ten powerhouse, the player is actually headed this way (LINK):

Per sources: Jordan Darren Djila has committed to Dartmouth. The Ivy League school has strong ties with Baylor. Education is more important to his family than football.

Find the 247Sports page for the player in question HERE. 

Green Alert Take: The player has not posted anything about choosing his college destination and college coaches are not allowed to discuss his recruitment by NCAA rule, so your guess is as good as mine until the player goes public with his decision.

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Speaking of Ohio State, there's a story under the headline Another school is copying our tactics to try and steal away a very good player that has me gritting my teeth. Not about what is in the story, but about the headline.

Although it's commonly used, the expression "try and," is one of my peccadilloes. It should be "try to steal away," not "try and steal away." One of my favorite fiction authors uses "try and" all the time, and it is fingernails on a chalkboard for me.

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EXTRA POINT
Did you know that on this day in 1963 the United States Postal Service introduced the Zone Improvement Plan? You may know it better as the ZIP Code. Something I did not know: The first three digits in your ZIP Code (in my case 050) indicate the part of the country where the mail is headed, and the final two numbers (in my case 85) the specific post office or delivery zone.

And just because . . .

The first two numbers of the +4  identify a specific group of streets or block, and the second two the side of the street, a particular building, or in my case, our post office.

Now you know. ;-)

On Another Front

Today's theme is . . . wait for it . . . lacrosse.

Oh yeah. And football, of course.

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Forbes has s story under the headline Premier Lacrosse League Raises $100 Million In Series E Funding Round that begins this way:

The Premier Lacrosse League, which was founded in 2018 by brothers Mike and Paul Rabil, has raised $100 million in Series E financing.

And here's why that matters:

Mike Rabil, a former Dartmouth football player and veteran entrepreneur, would not disclose the league’s valuation following the latest round, but he said its value has increased since the PLL’s Series D round in 2022. Mike Rabil serves as PLL’s CEO, while Paul Rabil is its president. Paul Rabil was an All-American lacrosse player at Johns Hopkins University and a former star in the PLL and Major League Lacrosse, which the PLL merged with in 2020.

And . . .

“I believe in building something that outlasts me, and Paul does, as well,” Mike Rabil said. “How do you build a forever brand? If you look at the top four sports leagues, most of them have been around for 100 years-plus. The PLL may be very successful when Paul and I are no longer on this Earth, so we need to think long-term."

Rabil '06 was a 6-foot-2, 275-pound defensive tackle and team captain for Buddy Teevens II. Find his old Dartmouth bio HERE.

Green Alert Take: True story. Interviewing Mike Rabil when he played, I asked about his dreams for the future. He spoke about lofty entrepreneurial goals, and then quietly added he would like some day to be successful enough to settle down and run a small restaurant honoring his Lebanese heritage. I think he'll have that opportunity if he still wants it. ;-)

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Mike Rabil's former football teammate Ryan Danehy '06, has been named offensive coordinator for the Ohio State lacrosse team. From a release out of Columbus (LINK):

A native of Billerica, Mass., Danehy graduated from Dartmouth in 2006. A four-year starter for the Big Green lacrosse team, he posted 84 points (73g-11a), including four (3g-1a) in the program's first NCAA tournament appearance against Syracuse in 2003. He also was a long snapper for the football program.

Danehy was a three-year letterwinner on the gridiron. 

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The preseason FCS top 20 from the Sporting News College Football Magazine courtesy of a faithful BGA reader features two Dartmouth opponents:

1. Montana State
2. South Dakota State
3. Montana
4. North Dakota
5. Illinois State
6. Villanova
7. Tarleton State
8. Rhode Island
9. South Dakota
10. UC Davis
11. Youngstown State
12. Lehigh
13. Stephen Austin
14. Yale
15. Tennessee Tech
16. Abilene Christian
17. Southeastern Louisiana 
18. Lamar
19. Austin Peay
20. South Carolina State

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An entity called Stacker, which describes itself as "a team of journalists, technologists, and storytellers on a mission to empower the world's publishers and help brands build lasting authority through earned reach," has rated what it calls the 50 best colleges in the US, based on data. The fine print suggests that data includes "academics, admissions, finances, and student life." Your mileage may vary, but Dartmouth people can't complain about being ranked No. 5 in the nation. Find the story HERE.

The Top-10

1 MIT
2 Yale
3 Stanford
4 Harvard
5 Dartmouth
6 Columbia
7 Vanderbilt
8 Princeton
9 Cal Tech
10 Rice

Also . . .

11 Brown
12 Penn
21 Cornell

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EXTRA POINT
Here was the $1,600 Jeopardy clue last night in the category College Towns:

No one even rang in.

For the record, Mrs. BGA and I ran the category. ;-)

We Know That Guy!

Click HERE to watch interview.

Defensive lineman Flo Orimolade '17, who suffered an Achilles tear in September, returned to action with the Calgary Stampeders. Orimolade finished with four tackles, including a sack, as the Stamps earned a 41-33 victory over the BC Lions.

A 3DownNation details his injury and return in a pregame story HERE.

BGA Take: Is there a more appropriate name for a website than 3DownNation? ;-)

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The Michigan Chronicle has a story headlined Cass Tech Graduates Head to MIT, Princeton and Dartmouth that features 6-foot-1, 180-pound defensive back Emory Jones, who arrives in Hanover in August. From the story (LINK):

Jones said his guidance counselor encouraged him to consider the long-term value of an Ivy League education. Cass Tech head football coach Marvin Rushing also helped him navigate recruiting and evaluate which university would support his development as both an athlete and student.

Their guidance pushed Jones to look beyond the excitement of an athletic offer and consider the education, financial support and professional opportunities attached to each school.

Jones said Cass Tech staff members told him he is the school’s first athlete to attend an Ivy League institution. He sees the distinction as an opportunity to establish a path for students coming behind him.

“It means a lot to build that kind of status and put a light on my school so that other kids can come after me and do the same thing,” Jones said.

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EXTRA POINT

The final total from yesterday's PGA Tour event in Cromwell, Conn.: 28,000-plus steps on That Certain Nittany Lion '16's counter. All that and no champion until the morning because darkness left Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland tied after 18 holes. We watched their dramatic 18th hole directly behind the pin among a loud, proud and hilarious group of Norwegians in the States for the World Cup.

We left here at 4:50 yesterday morning and arrived back here at 12:35 a.m. today. That's almost a 20-hour day, made even longer by a drenching rain late in the afternoons. I went from trying to find shade to avoid the heat as we walked the course to being bone-chillingly cold after getting soaked from head to toe. It was, to say the least, a memorable day.