FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[nescac1]

Williams recruits that I've seen based on various sources.  Not 100 percent certain on all, but I think all will be attending:

Jaelon Moaney, 5'10, 170 QB, Easton, MD
Karsten Salveson, 6'4 280 OL from Breck (MN)
Joachim Cendergren, 6'2 240 DE from Loomis Chaffee
Eric Smith, 5'9 185 RB Episcopal (Virginia)
J.J. Dunn, 6'2 185 QB  Canterbury
Austin Thomas,  6'2 230 DE from Servite High (California)
Kellen Hatheway, WR Byram Hills

I have no idea whether any of them are anticipated to have an early impact. 

[AmherstStudent05]

Boston.com article extensively quoting Coach Mills of Amherst as well as referencing Coach Faulstick (Amherst). Sounds like they can both recognize young coaching talent:
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/2015/01/30/patriots-defensive-coordinator-matt-patricia-star-the-making/a301PdyADueaLsByvSt7rO/story.html

This was a great read! Many thanks for posting!

When was the last time Williams brought in multiple QBs? Maybe they will splurge and bring in another rb or two!

[NewtoNescac]

Count on the smaller QB recruit at Williams to move to RB or slot.

[amh63]

Several comments to add at this time.  Believe NewtoNescac post has "feet"...some truth.  Mention the Williams QB recruit from the Eastern Shore part of MD to the Amherst recruit coordinator...he was aware of the Ephs ED player.  Did not believe the player would be used at the QB position.
The RB from Chesire H.S. In CT...mentioned by Trin 8-0 as coming to Amherst has some impressive cred.  He is listed presently at 5'10/11" and 205 lbs and has rushed well over 2000 yds in his career..setting some CT. School record.  More important to me is his speed...clocked at 4.5 sec in the 40.  A big runner with speed and said to run downhill.  Nice player to backup the returning RBs...all the RBs from this season return, I believe.

[nescac1]

Williams desperately needs some quick guys to play right away on offense, so if Moaney can be that sort of playmaker, all the better.  Connor Harris showed some flashes last year as a returner and running fly routes, he surely will have a bigger role on offense, but due to his size still needs to be a guy who is used selectively.  Ephs have a plenthora of huge, physical targets down the field in Sime, Hayes, Colin Brown and Alex Way.   That is the one unit on offense that is potentially very exciting for the Ephs.  Those guys were young and banged up a lot last year, but if they can improve just a bit and stay healthy, they are a physical mismatch down the field for most NESCAC teams.  They absolutely have to find a way to get those dudes the ball downfield.  To do so they need (1) a complementary quicker receiver to play the slot to keep defenses honest (Regensburg is the only current guy I've seen with sort of potential), (2) improved play from their two returning QBs, which I expect with more experience -- both need to improve, in particular, accuracy on deep routes, (3) a credible power running threat (a huge question mark) and (4) dramatically improved play from the offensive line after two years of underachieving (an even bigger question mark). 

That's a lot of iffs ... and there are even more iffs on defense (will James Howe return to his dominant sophomore form?  Will the Ephs find another pass rusher to take the pressure off him?  Will the now-very-experienced LB core show more big-play potential?  Will the Ephs' returning interior linemen, including two frosh who saw substantial PT, get stouter vs. the run?  Who will replace Cabarle as QB of the defense?  Only CB looks pretty set among positions on the defense).  I continue to feel that the Ephs should have won more than two games last year with the talent on hand.  This year, they actually seem to have a LOT more question marks, so some big-time surprises will have to emerge. 

[nescac1]

Pretty incredible, by the way, all the NESCAC connections in the game last night -- Jonathan Kraft, Belichick, Hauschka, and the defensive coordinator with Amherst ties.  That's four different NESCAC schools represented in prominent roles. 

[amh63]

As I posted on another board that had a "pick'em" for the Super Bowl......there is another indirect connection to Nescac/Amherst.  The Sea Hawk kicker's father is a tall non athletic Amherst alum.  Recently retired MD from a Boston Hospital complex...the Amherst grad was a year behind me in school.  Knew him in school....he bragged about his son's play last year prior to returning for his 50th reunion.  Small world at times

[quicksilver]

Also Sam Flood, Williams '83 and a former captain of the hockey team, is the executive producer for NBC sports and was in charge of the Super Bowl extravaganza.

[Trin9-0]

Polarcat-

I hear you but don't fall victim to the perennial Trinity propaganda on recruiting- they recruit very aggressively but it never bodes well for the excess kids they bring with hopes of a NESCAC ring. They bring in an abundance of "prized" recruits who never get on the field.  Start tracking their recruits yearly as they progress through the program, you will find that a disproportionate number of  highly advertised incoming recruits never get to the promised land.

Bantams show 7 Cheshire recruits this year and 3, yes 3, RBs from the same Cheshire team. Never have seen 7 recruits from any one  school as incoming freshman anywhere in the NESCAC. Believe the rest of the conference would not attempt that balance.  My thought surrounds the 3 Cheshire RBs headed to Hartford--does their high school competition for playing time continue for 4 more years? .... Perhaps not if Bants recruiters made other promises for these RBs  at other positions. I hope the majority of those 7 recruits get on the field at some point.......Same deal at Wesleyan, like an airline overbooking a flight. Come here and go 8-0.......but we are cutting 20 kids.

Competition is a great thing and is the fuel for the development of success but Trin and Wes are in a shortsighted arms race....there is a significant law of diminishing returns in play here.

Rest assured Polarcat that the Bates staff may not have he immense resources of our Connecticut competitors but their spirit and integrity is totally intact. They are upfront in the way they recruit kids...Harriman,  Capone and the master of their Defense, Coach Kempton will look a kid in the eye and promise him a great athletic opportunity and an over the top academic experience at Bates. It's a family there.
The Bates staff doesn't get preoccupied with any other programs. You wear the Garnet and you commit to striving to be your very best in the Classroom, on the Field, in the weight room and most importantly as a member of a great college community...........with that operating philosophy the Bates staff will add a number of fine recruits to the Bates Football Family shortly.......stay tuned.

There is so much wrong with this I almost don't know where to begin. Trinity recruiting propaganda? I simply listed NESCAC football commits from Connecticut. The only player I individually praised was the QB from Shelton who is going to Wesleyan and that's only because I've actually seen him play.

As noted by fulbakdad, Cheshire High School is not Cheshire Academy. Details matter.

Your allegations are WAY off-base. Questioning the integrity of coaches and insinuating that they lie to recruits; where is this misplaced venom coming from?

I'd also like to see some evidence of Trinity recruits being "overhyped". I don't recall seeing any incoming freshman being overhyped on this board.

Your praise for the Bates staff may be warranted but there is no need to disparage the character or actions of other coaching staffs in the league. There are FAR more similarities among NESCAC football programs in than there are differences.

[amh63]

Trin8-0......well put...agree!  plus K

[polbear73]

Trin8-0: Thanks for the information presented in a straightforward manner with no attempt to overhype. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Trinty recruits well in their back yard.

[PolarCat]

This is an honest question, not a snarky one, so please don't misinterpret.

My recollection is that Trinity and Wes both had to make some pretty significant roster cuts last year to get down to 75 (though I think at least one of them carried 76 through the season?)  Presumably, some of the kids who are cut are freshmen (though that's just an assumption on my part).

When a coach is recruiting, how does he tell the prospective player that there is a chance he may not make the team?  Or does the recruiting offer include the promise that the kid won't get cut, provided he meets certain benchmarks on testing day?

If a kid has offers from a program where he may get cut (say Wes) and one where he almost certainly won't (Bowdoin, Bates, Hamilton), that must give him pause.

[quicksilver]

PolarCat -- I don't know about Trinity in particular but am aware of NESCAC coaches in other sports being quite clear in telling a potential applicant that he is welcome to try out for the team but that he is not a "recruit" and that there are no guarantees . .

[lumbercat]

Trin8-0
Agree details do matter. I previously acknowledged my error on the Cheshire comments I made when it was pointed out on the board and I apologize directly to you.

I stand by the rest  of my comments. I did not say Trinity or Wesleyan are lying to recruits or breaking any rules for that matter. My comments about the approach as I know it at Bates and other NESCAC schools is not nearly as extensive or sophisticated as it is at Trin and Wes. There is a large difference in resources committed to recruiting.

My point is that Trinity always recruited extensively and aggressively (that's a compliment). With the changes in the Wesleyan program, they have elevated it another notch. It's a very competitive situation in the Ct area for both schools but there are casualties. They are bringing in 90-95 kids with 76 roster slots. This seems excessive by NESCAC standards. Though it is in compliance with the rules I believe it has some unfortunate and possibly unnecessary side effects within these programs.

It's a very different situation in other NESCAC football venues where they are bringing in 75-80 players. It's pretty obvious that the Ct schools feel they need to do this to win and they have administrative support to do so. In a league with a 76 man roster limit you would think the overall number of recruits would come down to levels that are calculated to support the imposed roster size and minimize the number of incoming recruits who will never dress for a game.

[PolarCat]

PolarCat -- I don't know about Trinity in particular but am aware of NESCAC coaches in other sports being quite clear in telling a potential applicant that he is welcome to try out for the team but that he is not a "recruit" and that there are no guarantees . .

While I appreciate your answer, that was not what I was asking.  There is a huge difference between the walk on scenario you describe, and a kid who was recruited (i.e. on the list the coach sends to Admissions). 

My question was what does the coach at Wes or Trinity tell the kids who are truly recruited?  That they're guaranteed not to be cut if they pass the strength and conditioning tests?  That 95 kids show up for camp, and only 75 of them make the roster, and you could be one of them?  Or is it a topic that just isn't discussed while the kid's being wooed by the program?