Bummer for my alma mater W&L! What position? If he plays on offense W&L's spread option appeals to a few particular types of players. It's a lot of fun for the Oline and backs, but receivers are a bit less attracted to the school. Good luck! It's always nice when players find their "spot" at a good school.
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jknezek, my son plays offensive tackle.  W&L is a great school and a great football program.  I definitely could have seen my son happy there. . . .

Quote from: amh63 on December 23, 2015, 10:17:14 AM
NESCACGrad.....welcome BACK to the board!  I guess you changed your "handle".  Your post wrt former non CAC football opponents brought back some memories.  In particular the Coast Guard Academy in New London.  Amherst also played the CGA in football....not WPI.  However, I recall when the Amherst HFC DARP canceled future games with the CGA over actions by the HC of the CGA....at the time, a former NFL star QB with the first name OTTO, I believe.  Yes, Amherst HCs can be sensitive...if there is cause
What school did your future Amherst student attend?  In any case, hope to meet you and your son in the future.

amh63, both my sons attended a large public high school in Fairfax County: Oakton.  Thanks for the kind words.  My future Lord Jeff is an olineman - probably a tackle at the Div III level as he's 6 3.  Looking forward to meeting you in the fall!

PolarCat, funny you should ask. . . .I have not posted in two years because my oldest son did NOT end up going to a NESCAC.  He is currently a sophomore olineman at Davidson.  While the football team has had its challenges, he loves his school and his teammates, and while it's not a NESCAC, the weather is usually better (although not this week  ).

It's my second son who will be attending Amherst in the fall.  While he got some Div I and Div II looks like his older brother, at the end of the day, he did not want the grind of the Div I football experience.  If not Amherst, he likely would have ended up at Washington and Lee.  We are from Northern VA, and while the allure of the cheaper in-state alternatives was attractive (UVA and W&M), there was no way either of my two older sons could have played football at that high a level. 

I find the talk here about the 8 game schedule and the lack of playoff opportunities for NESCAC football to be quite interesting - especially given that several of the high academic Div III schools that compete with the NESCACs for recruits all tout those reasons for why recruits should go to their schools instead!  Johns Hopkins and W&L, in particular, distinguish themselves from the NESCACs in this fashion.  I guess for a certain recruit, a longer schedule may be a selling point; for my son, it was never an issue.

I've not posted in at least two years.  As a Wes grad from the mid-80's, I recall that Coast Guard and WPI were common football opponents for the Cards during those years.  Kinda strange that now those teams don't play the NESCACs.

In any event, my son was one of the lucky ones to have been admitted ED at Amherst for football a few weeks back.  We look forward to being immersed in the NESCAC culture over the next four years!  Given the passion that is displayed on these boards, we are crossing our fingers for a good experience! 

Happy holidays!

Quote from: nescac1 on November 08, 2013, 02:47:52 PM
NESCACGrad, if you are inclined to elaborate re: Williams, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts ...

nescac1.  Their recruiting coordinator is just not impressive.  Son visited earlier this year, and Mr. Creighton was unable to sell the school or the program.  By comparision, many of the other NESCACs were far more articulate in explaining to recruits why they should attend, as well as far more active on the email/phone call/letter front.  Granted, Williams is a dynamite school, but at the end of the day, you can't simply tell recruits,"we're special, we're Williams" and leave it at that.  For $60 grand/year, with no ability to offer athletic scholarships, you would think Williams would at least have talking points as to why a young man should spend 4 years there. 

I will note that the Ivies that my son was recruited by were all about the great opportunities that attending such schools offered - especially the post-grad opportunities.  They have it down to a science. 

Son overnighted at another Little Three school and the other football players he met (not recruits, but students at the school) all had the same story about how ineffective the Williams recruiting effort under Kelton/Creighton was.  It seems very strange to me.

Thanks for the support.  My son has been flirting with a few Div 1 (FCS) schools as well in his football recruiting, and has a few offers from non-scholarship schools, but he has finally come around to the view that the NESCAC schools get it right - where "student" comes before "athlete", and the post-graduation opportunities are there for those who pursue them. 

As noted, I am a NESCAC grad (hint: the team was terrible when I was there in the mid-80s), and my son does not want to follow his old man.  While the NESCAC games will typically draw smaller crowds than many of his Friday night games (he attends a large public school in Northern Virginia), he really liked the vibe from the few NESCAC games he attended last month. 

I must say, the NESCACs are all over the board when it comes to recruiting (in terms of approach and style).  Between us girls, therein may lie why Williams has have some difficulties since Whalen left.  No, Williams is not on our radar either.

Hopefully, we can "announce" the decision soon.  Too bad, NESCAC kids don't get any love on National Signing Day in February. 

First time posting.  What a great board.  My son is getting ready to commit to a NESCAC in the next few weeks for football.  He is an OLineman.  Hopefully, he'll find as much passion at his future team's games as are displayed on these boards. . . . .