Whew, it's nice to start at BGA Daily with something other than the transfer portal, although we'll get to that.
#
The Lehigh Football Nation blog heads about 20 minutes east on busy U.S. 22 to Easton for a story headlined, Eleven Guys Who Might Be Lafayette's Next Head Football Coach. No fewer than four of the coaches are currently at Ivy League schools including one at Dartmouth – who happens to be a Lafayette graduate.
LFN write of Dartmouth offensive line coach Keith Clark (LINK):
Clark was a three-year starter for Lafayette ('85) on the offensive line, and during his four year career under Bill Russo, he beat Lehigh three of four possible times. He also actively recruits the area with Dartmouth.
Clark would bring someone back to Lafayette who knows The Rivalry and might also be a huge help in building an offensive line that could allow for the Leopards to get back near the top of the Patriot League.
Lafayette Athletic Director Sherryta Freeman is a former Dartmouth women's basketball player and later worked in the athletic department.
Also mentioned in the story are Mark Fabish, the offensive coordinator at Columbia, Mickey Fein, OC at Harvard (and a former Lafayette assistant), and Mike Willis, OC at Princeton.
#
Two former Ivy League head coaches are on the move. Cornell grad Jim Knowles, who led the Big Red from 2004-09, has left Oklahoma State and been introduced as the new defensive coordinator at the Ohio State University. (LINK)
Brown alum Mark Whipple, who introduced the "Whiplash" offense as head coach in Providence, has stepped down as OC at Pitt and is expected to land at Nebraska. (LINK)
#
In still more coaching news, both teams in the rivalry game played for the Brice-Cowell Musket, have new coaches and Dartmouth is familiar with both.
A University of New Hampshire release announces what everyone expected (LINK):
University of New Hampshire Director of Athletics Marty Scarano announced Tuesday the hiring of Rick Santos '08 as the 20th head coach in UNH football history. Santos, who served the last three seasons as associate head coach/quarterbacks coach -including a six-month term as interim head coach- succeeds legendary Sean McDonnell, who retired Dec. 1 following 23 years leading the Wildcats.
UNH rival Maine, meanwhile, dipped into the Ivy League ranks, tapping alum Jordan Stevens, Yale's assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator. (LINK)
#
And now, as promised (or threatened?) news from the transfer portal. While the rest of the Dartmouth players who have entered the portal are either seniors or fifth-years, wide receiver Jamal Cooney is a junior. He made his decision public while reserving the right to return to the Big Green:
@FAUFootball bring him back home https://t.co/FhPLbiVmmx
— 💫 (@Jfrancois_56) December 8, 2021
#
Corner Isaiah Johnson is reporting two offers: One not a surprise at all and one a strange one.
Not a surprise is Samford, where former teammate Seth Simmer '20 was a standout defensive lineman this fall. The strange one is Kentucky Christian, an NAIA school that was 3-7 last year.
#
Speaking of the transfer portal, old friend Tiger Blog has a piece about Princeton receiver Jacob Birmelin that includes references to former Dartmouth standout Drew Estrada and the riveting climax of last week's Baylor-Oklahoma State game HERE.
#
EXTRA POINT
Happened to notice today is the birthday of author Bill Bryson, a former Hanover resident whose daughter was a terrific distance runner at Hanover High. Responding to a Town & Country interviewer's question about the idea behind Bryon's book A Walk in the Woods the author said (LINK):
In 1995 (I) went back to the U.S. with my family, after living away from America for almost 20 years, and we settled in Hanover, New Hampshire. I was trying to think of an idea for another book and some kind of a project, and I was genuinely out for a walk, and I stumbled on a sign board for the Appalachian Trail, which I knew only a little bit about, and had no idea that it ran through this town that we had just moved to.
Bryson has written fondly of Hanover and there were some locals who were concerned that he made the town sound so appealing it would be overrun by his readers. Turns out that was a problem more for the AT than for Hanover ;-)
