A year ago, the UVA offensive line was decimated as six players with extensive starting experience exited the program either through the transfer portal or to go to the NFL Draft. Now, it's déjà vu as the Cavaliers have learned over the last few weeks that they'll be losing five rotational offensive linemen, including four who logged at least five starts for Virginia during the 2022 season.John Paul Flores, who transferred to UVA from Dartmouth last winter, appeared in all ten games, starting five of them. Both Flores and Logan Taylor, who started all ten games for the Cavaliers in 2022, have entered the transfer portal, as has reserve Zachary Teter, who appeared in four games.
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A story from the Buff Zone about under the headline Colorado Buffaloes football roster overview offers a look at the battle for playing time grad transfer Shane Cokes may face in 2023. From the story (LINK):
Defensive linemen (9)
Returners: Jalen Sami, Sr.; Na’im Rodman, Sr.; Allan Baugh, So.; Tyas Martin, So.; Ryan Williams, So.; Aaron Austin So.
Newcomers: Taijh Alston, Sr.; Shane Cokes, Jr.; Marshawn Kneeland, Jr.
Note: Sami and Rodman were full-time starters this season, but they’ll be fighting for starting jobs if they stay with the Buffs. Alston (West Virginia), Cokes (Dartmouth) and Kneeland (Western Michigan) were all brought in as experienced starters to beef up the Buffs on the D-line.
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The Yonkers Times has a photo and roundup of the Iona Prep seniors who "signed" with colleges last week. Among them: Dartmouth-bound running back Colin O'Garro, who is listed as having offers/interest from Colgate and Bucknell. (LINK)
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For years the story was that Princeton did not take transfers. They still don't accept many but the Tigers did take quarterback Blake Stenstrom from Colorado. Now it appears they will have another transfer football player with Navy linebacker Tyler Morris headed to Old Nassau per an FBS-to-FCS transfer list on Hero Sports. (LINK)
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The Any Given Saturday has a thread asking, Is Holy Cross the Notre Dame of FCS-level football? One respondent said, "(W)here they diverge is many people don't dislike Holy Cross like they do Notre Dame." (LINK)
Green Alert Take: Clearly the respondent wasn't around in the late 1980s when Holy Cross was despised in the Northeast while steamrolling undermanned opponents during a 60-5-1 run under Mark Dufner.
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EXTRA POINT
That Certain Dartmouth '14 and I had just left the driveway on our way to a hike yesterday when we spotted an absolutely huge bird flying across the road in front of us. I described it as a "mottled" gray as we sat in the stopped car and watched it continue west. Even before we started up again another bird flew by us heading in the same direction. This one we recognized immediately as a bald eagle. That led us to believe the first was an eagle as well.
After returning from our hike I Googled bald eagles and learned that, "Immature birds have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts."
Seeing the same word I had used upon seeing the first bird fly past – mottled – I knew we'd see two bald eagles. Pretty cool.
