FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[lumbercat]

Continental Man-

Thanks for coming onto the board - keep us posted on the Buff n Blue.

Word is that you guys have 2 very talented incoming FY QBs, each from California- one is a big 6'5 classic drop back passer and the other is a kid from a read option type west coast offense program and a great athlete----Ciero type.

In addition to this the Continentals have incumbent in highly touted QB Rosenburg who will be pushed by these incoming guys. Not to mention Pastorella who may be lost in the shuffle.

There is an overload of young QB talent at Hamilton, Colby (despite the loss of Ciero), Tufts, Trinity and Wesleyan. Sadly, many of these guys will end up at DB or WR in these programs or not playing at all when they could start or contribute at other schools..... there is little or no way of knowing when you commit who else they are bringing in.

Each of these programs is stacked at the QB position with a very fine line between the starter and in some cases the 3rd or 4th guy on the depth chart........a luxury for coaches but a sad situation for a good QB who will rot on the bench.

Do some NESCAC coaches "over promise" to these incoming QBs in the recruiting process??? 

Transferring is not the preferred path but some of these kids should consider it when they are talented and come into a program and end up unexpectedly 4th or 5th on an overloaded depth chart.

[nescac1]

The QB recruiting question is always tough.  Obviously, the position is so crucial and you never want to be stuck without a really good player at that position if someone doesn't work out as expected (Williams was in that position in recent years when a guy who had big expectations never emerged as a star at the position).  And it is pretty rare when a guy can transition from a QB (unless they are primarily a run-first QB, and even then it is uncertain) to another position and actually earn PT at that position.  Then again, you can only play one at a time, and if you are bringing in 1-2 starting QB contenders a year who end up sitting on the bench, a lot of unhappy guys are going to be leaving the program, and those are slots you can use at other positions. 

Amherst is another school that seems to bring in a LOT of QBs, sometimes 3-5 candidates over a two-year period.  Lippe was one of several QBs in his year, if I recall.  Then they brought in Pieterse the next year who was hailed as the next big thing, but never really got an opportunity and now isn't mentioned in the pre-season preview.  Then Berluti got a lot of playing time as a frosh last year and seemed like he was ready to step in as the future starter.  Now yet another guy is mentioned as a candidate for the job in the pre-season preview; he looks very interesting (a transfer from UC San-Diego, who was an all-state QB in Hawaii and looks like an improvising Doug Flutie-type player). 

I think the perfect balance is to bring in one elite QB every other year, but especially at NESCAC when you never know if you'll find that guy who can also cut it academically, that is MUCH easier said than done.  And I think most coaches would rather err on the side of too many candidates than too few, given that poor QB play can set back an otherwise solid program. 

[gridiron]

Lumbercat--do you know when the 75 man roster limit went into effect?  I assumed it was quite some time ago but based on your comments about the Whale having the advantage of numbers while at Williams, it must not have been as long ago as I believed.

Great discussion regarding QB recruiting in the NESCAC and really in all programs.  Lots of former HS QBs playing other positions in the NESCAC.  As a parent of a former QB recruit, we saw first hand how much more valuable was a recruit with demonstrated abilities at multiple positions.  Provides the coaching staff with more options provided the player is potentially open to a position other than QB.  Obviously, size also increases flexibility. 

Agreed it is very challenging for a player to commit all-in QB or bust. because not only do you not know who else is recruited in the incoming class, but who might transfer in later.  The closest comparison in other sports I can come up with is possibly a goalie in hockey (maybe soccer too).  Either you play as the starter, or you wait for an injury to the starter which may never happen.

[mariner75]

Jumbos preview has been posted to their website:

http://www.gotuftsjumbos.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/preview

[ECoastFootball]

The New England Div III poll has the NESCAC represented as such:

Rank  -  Team  (First Place Votes)
2  -  Amherst (1)
3  -  Wesleyan (7)
7  -  Middlebury
9  -  Trinity
http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/football/link-resources/poll.html

Thoughts? Could Trinity really be the 4th best team in the NESCAC, or are these SID's just as off with the NESCAC as they are with the NEFC and MASCAC?

[amh63]

On the eve of the first game, lots of chatter about.  Some info and responses.
To date, the previews of Williams, Trinity via the Courant, Amherst and maybe some others...all point to the defenses as a strength.  Guess, we will see some low scoring games.
On the QB comments at Amherst....there is a new OC in charge.  The former OC and the QB coach is the interim AD.  Not too far back, there were several QBs that stayed with the program and got to contribute in their senior years.  At Amherst, they contribute in practices and push the starters.
All QB candidates compete each year for the chance to start as far as I know.  Offensive players sometime switch to the defensive side in order to contribute to the team.  Last year, a fullback became a DL...now an assistant coach.
Nescac1....thanks for the info wrt to the freshman QB noted in the preview.  When we get to meet again, I will relate some private info wrt to QBs.
On the point of the 75 player limit....I believe it came about when the schools also agree to a system of allocations of recruits/sport.  Yes, the much discussed topic and often not fully understood, IMO ...including myself.  On this subject, I will defer to a Bowdoin poster on this matter...P'Bear.
Why?   Late this Summer, I went looking for Nescac sport info.  On the Bowdoin website, in late August, I believe, I was reading the Bowdoin daily school newspaper.  There was on the front page, left side, the first of a series of articles that provided how slotted recruits are allocated among the sports at the various schools.  The mastermind was the now retired Admission Dean at Amherst.  Yes the Williams graduate and former Admission Dean at Williams.  I read the first of the series of articles. Never could find the others.  P'Bear would be the best person to link us to the articles.

[nescac1]

Bizarre for Wesleyan to receive 7 first place votes to only 1 for Amherst, yet for Amherst to rank above them.  I'm guessing that a lot of coaches are unfamiliar with Wesleyan's recent ascent to contention, and penalize them accordingly.   Also bizarre for Trinity to place below Midd given the loss of Foote, but again, coaches may just be looking more to last year's records, and not be all that well-versed in the talent on hand.  I'd be pretty stunned if Midd finished any better than fourth this year, unless the new QB is a Foote-level talent. 

[ContinentalsMan]

Some supporters of Hamilton football have built a fan site at http://hamiltoncontinentalsfootball.com/ ...

[banfan]

Regarding the D III poll, is this made up of the DIII coaches in New England? If so, maybe the NESCAC coaches gave Wes the 7 first place votes. The expectation of Amherst could be based upon lots of things including the alphabet.
I do not expect Trinity to have a down year at all. They have nine starters on the D returning and the LB's are very strong. The loss of the running backs is significant but, other than the D, our strength should be the O line. A big experienced O line can make QB's and running backs look pretty good.

I won't get into the humber of games or number of players on the roster. The issues are inherently odd, messy, confusing, contradictory, etc.

I will mention that I hope that Hamilton can get better and Tufts too. Trin perhaps woke up Wes and that is great. Perhaps Bates has woken Bowdoin, although I doubt it. By the way, I love games in Brunswick. I love to see those dirty uniforms. I do enjoy the affect of game day conditions upon the teams.

Trinity goes for #52 against Colby. I think it will be a good challenge for Trin and I expect Colby to play very hard. Weather looks good.

[ECoastFootball]

It is a poll of the SID's of football playing members in N.E. Also quick question, 52 as in their 52nd win over Colby in a row?

[NothingButNESCAC]

Here are the three articles that the Orient did. Don't think there is anything that revelatory in them because admissions officers and coaches are careful not to give up too much information, but it is a good overview of the process. first article is at the top.

http://bowdoinorient.com/article/9151
http://bowdoinorient.com/article/9211
http://bowdoinorient.com/article/9252

As a Bowdoin student and former football player who has a lot of friends both on the football team and not on it, I consider the limit of 75 a pretty crucial part of the NESCAC. Bowdoin is a small school, only 1800 kids meaning in each incoming freshman class there are about 225-250 boys. Pretty much 10% of that is football players. A huge percentage for one sports team. Without the 75 player limit that could be even bigger as football would fight for every player they could suddenly.

The ripple effects of having an enormous football team of 100 kids on campus are hard to quantify, but I don't think they would be good. They would result in further isolation of the football team from other social groups, more anger towards football for taking up so many spots, and finally an unstated commitment to football that goes beyond what the NESCAC should be.

[madzillagd]

It is a poll of the SID's of football playing members in N.E. Also quick question, 52 as in their 52nd win over Colby in a row?

Home winning streak

[ContinentalsMan]

It appears Hamilton is finally making a serious commitment to athletics. The board of trustees is doing a study of what is lacking across the board in athletics. The AD gets it but has never received what he needs from the administration. The Murray hiring was huge because he is a proven winner and actually was offered the job the last go around but wasn't ready to leave Alfred. A new locker room is being built and while this is not an overnight change, it appears the athletics program at the school is headed in the right direction. Winning will bring money and alumni back to a very highly thought of academic school. Look at Harvard: The Crimson finally decided to be the best at everything and their football team is only a few years away from truly being a I-AA contender though they don't compete in the playoffs. The word from the kids at Hamilton is Murray and his two new coordinators are tough but fair and have brought a new respect to the program. For me, I see a three-year timetable and Hamilton is ready to compete with the big boys in the NESCAC. It's never going to be a Trinity but there is no reason it can't do what Middlebury and Wesleyan have done. On the academic and research side, Hamilton can hold its own with anyone and just put in a killer arts center. It's president and board, however, have to make the decision to pump the money needed into all the programs but especially football which carries more weight no matter where you go.   

[quicksilver]

The Bowdoin roster is now up. It looks like a squad of 77, with 26 freshmen. Assuming that I counted correctly, I guess 2 members of the roster will have to go by tomorrow . .

[jumpshot]

Check out the video tour of the outstanding new Williams College football, track, field hockey, lacrosse, etc., venue!

http://ephsports.williams.edu/landing/index