Dartmouth football wraps up its first two weeks of spring practice tomorrow before the coaches head out for a week of recruiting. Then it's back on the practice field for two more weeks. Be sure to check out BGA Overtime tomorrow evening for a look at spring practice at the halfway point.
If you missed last night's post centered around rebuilding an offensive line that graduated four starters, you can find it HERE.
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Ivy League grad transfers are a horse of a different color to the media covering a lot of FBS schools. Here are two examples featuring Dartmouth alums:
From this Tampa Bay 28 story (LINK):
Thursday, the USF football team held one more practice before Sunday’s spring game at Corbett Stadium. One Bulls running back took a unique path to Tampa, where he looks to find continued success.
Northern California-native D.J. Crowther played his first four years of college football at Dartmouth. He graduated early from the Ivy League school while playing a sport, a feat he attributes to prioritizing his schedule.
"I would say the biggest thing is just time management. You gotta learn how to manage your time," Crowther explained after practice. "Be the best football player you can be, and also being the best student you can be."
More from the story:
"Really good downhill back. Smart. Never really gets flustered. Not a very emotional guy. Centered. When he makes a mistake, moves on," (USF coach Brian) Hartline said. "He’s very mature. He’s doing a really good job of building his basis of trust and competitive excellence. Making the play when the ball’s in his hands. The more and more he can keep building that, the more and more the team will continue to trust him as well."
The story includes a video with comments from the former Big Green back.
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Thaddeus Gianaris is a big fan of physical science.
The 6-foot-2, 244-pound defensive end transferred to the University of Wyoming in January after earning a bachelor’s degree in astronomy at Dartmouth. While he was a star in the classroom, Gianaris also earned All-Ivy League honors last fall with 44 tackles, nine tackles for loss and five sacks.
Gianaris comes to Laramie with 76 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks and four pass breakups during his four-year career with the Big Green.
From the story (LINK):
Gianaris credits longtime Dartmouth defensive coordinator Don Dobes for his development in the Ivy League. Dobes is going into his 45th year as a college coach.
"He did a really good job with me," Gianaris said. "He recruited me back in high school, brought me in, and I was in need of a little bit of discipline as a player. Coach Dobes definitely helped with that. I have a lot to thank him for."
And . . .
As far as goals, Gianaris wants to continue his winning ways in Laramie after earning Ivy League titles twice at Dartmouth.
"I'd love to be an all-conference player," Gianaris said. "That's kind of what I'm shooting for now. As an individual, that's my goal. As a team, I want that (conference) championship. I want another ring. I'm hungry for it.
""I got two already during my time at Dartmouth, so I want to keep it going. I'm not here to lose. I'm here to compete. I'm here to win. That's what I'm about."
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Regarding Tuesday's post (LINK) about Villanova seeking a waiver to allow a QB who began his career at Kent State before playing at Mississippi Gulf Coast, Nicholls State and Villanova to have a second grad transfer year at Villanova, an emailer shared that the Patriot League grandfathered in eligible grad transfers from its new CAA members. Otherwise, the league has not changed its stance on grad transfer participation.
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The Analyst has a story attempting to answer the question, Who Are the Best FCS NFL Draft Picks in Every Round Over the Last 10 Years? Turns out, two of them are from the Ivy League and, interestingly, both are from Yale. From the column (LINK):
Round 5 (26 FCS Selections)
Best Pick
Jackson Hawes, Yale/Georgia Tech, TE – Buffalo Bills (2025, pick 173)
In his 2025 rookie season, Hawes rewarded the Bills in blocking and pass-catching situations. While not all of his contributions showed up in box scores, he had 16 receptions, including 13 that went for first downs, for 189 yards and three touchdowns. The Bills led the NFL in rushing and were just one of five teams to have three tight ends with at least 16 catches.
Round 6 (25 FCS Selections)
Best Pick
Foyesade Oluokun, Yale, LB – Atlanta Falcons (2018, pick 200)
Talk about late-round value, Oluokun was the NFL leader in total tackles in 2021 (an NFL-record 192 over a 17-game regular season with the Falcons) and 2022 (184 with the Jaguars) and led in solo tackles in both 2022 (128) and 2023 (111, Jaguars) while compiling the third-most overall stops (1,062) since he entered the league in 2018.
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EXTRA POINTWere you tempted to take part in the Joe's Pond "ice-out" contest after learning about it in the BGA Extra Point a couple of years ago HERE? In case you are wondering when the cinder block that unplugs the alarm clock fell in the Vermont pond, here's your answer:
For the record,it was ice out at Joe's Pond one. year ago on this day at 8:41 p.m. The latest it has gone out since contest record keeping began in 1988 is May 6, back in 1992. The earliest it has gone out is April 5 in 2010. For more about the Joe's Pond Ice Out, click HERE.
