Brrrrecruiting

 

When the snow has been cleared on Memorial Field and the block "D" is visible it's a pretty good sign that recruiting is in full swing and Signing Day is approaching. (While it' not official in the Ivy League, a lot of high school seniors make their commitment announcements on Signing Day, which this year will be one week from Wednesday.)

Green Alert Take: I totally get that the "D" was installed facing the press box and the home stands but it's still a bit of a shame that it is upside down for the only people looking at it this time of year from the Floren Varsity House windows.

Green Alert Take II: Not sure what the situation is regarding on-campus recruiting while COVID is raging but maybe virtual visits aren't the worst thing. Per Dark Sky the temperature was 16 below at 4 a.m. in Hanover. I'm not sure that's accurate because it's usually colder here on our Vermont hillside and we "only" got down to 14.3 below zero this morning but suffice it to say whatever the temperature is it would be a shock to kids and families from Florida, Georgia and California among others.

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Speaking or recruiting, Dartmouth has a new entry in the transfer portal with senior nickel John Pupel throwing his hat in that ring yesterday HERE. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Pupel posted 59 tackles with one interception in the fall. Eligible to return to Dartmouth depending on his academic schedule, he's a ferocious hitter whose highlight video is fun to watch. Check it out HERE.

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From a story in the Daily Progress announcing the date of Virginia's spring game (LINK):

Four former UVa offensive linemen departed for other schools. All-American center Olu Oluwatimi went to Michigan while left tackle Bobby Haskins transferred to Southern California, Joe Bissinger left for SMU and right tackle Ryan Swoboda opted to move onto Central Florida.

“With (offensive line coach Garett) Tujague and the coaches now, they’re doing a good job on the recruiting trail and trying to get transfers in,” (quarterback Brennan) Armstrong said, “so as long as I knew we had our receiver guys, I thought we could definitely plug guys in and get guys here for the O-Line.”

Transfer offensive linemen with an offer from the Cavaliers include Dartmouth’s John Paul Flores and Georgetown’s Mac Hollensteiner.

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And from a Syracuse Fansided story about a transfer wide receiver from Michigan State committing to the Orange (LINK): 

Also, keep an eye out for one more transfer who could be visiting or deciding soon and has a Syracuse football offer. Dartmouth CB Isiah Johnson is also a grad transfer who could provide experience and depth and according to 247Sports’ Stephen Bailey has a visit scheduled the weekend of January 24 to the Syracuse campus. 

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Week One opponent Valparaiso has "announced" its 2022 schedule. From the story posted HERE:

Valpo will once again challenge itself during the nonconference slate as the matchup with Indiana Wesleyan will be followed by road trips to Illinois State (Sept. 10) and Dartmouth (Sept. 17).

Valpo visited Indiana Wesleyan in Fall 2021 for the first matchup between the two teams. The Wildcats are coming off a 9-1 season and were ranked among the top NAIA teams in the nation throughout 2021.

Illinois State is a full-scholarship program and a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the nation’s top FCS conference. The game against the Redbirds will take place at Hancock Stadium, a 13,391-seat facility in Normal, Ill. This will be the fifth matchup between Valpo and Illinois State and first since 2016.

Dartmouth finished the Fall 2021 campaign with a 9-1 record and was ranked No. 20 nationally in the final STATS FCS Top 25 poll. Valpo had a strong showing against the high-quality opponent on Sept. 18, 2021 at Brown Field as the Big Green escaped with a 28-18 victory in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. This will mark the program’s first opportunity to visit an Ivy League opponent since Sept. 25, 1999 at Yale. The game will take place at Memorial Field in Hanover, N.H.

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EXTRA POINT
There used to be something exciting about packages arriving from Amazon, UPS or FedEx. Not so much these days. Last week one of those services delivered a box of N95 masks. Yesterday I stopped by our little post office and picked up a box with four "test kits." As much as I appreciate those services helping us keep ourselves and others safe, I look forward to a time when the box on the porch or at the post office contains something fun or enjoyable again.