FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Jonny Utah]

Any NESCAC program will be pleased to shed the 6th string WR and anyone who is not committed.  What the coaches are saying with the move to Spring Practice is it will enable them to cull out those who are not fully committed and improve their programs.

6th string yes...but...many starters & a whole bunch of backups feel the same way.  These kids didn't go D2, or some obscure D1 to play football.  They enrolled to exercise networks, study abroad, and ultimately launch their careers.  If football (or any sport) practice begins to jeopardize those goals they will make choices if they have conflicts.  After all; this is "Pay to Play".  There are no NFL paychecks in their future.

Football is not the ultimate focus of MANY of these players....they enjoy it, work hard, are good athletes, (some very good) but are realists & have a broad focus.   Coaches are always looking for guys who will practice all day & night & put athletics over all else, but that's not gonna happen in this league, or so I've been told..?

I have nothing against Spring Ball, and realize the benefits to it.  I understand the coaches desires and how it prepares for post season and all the other positives but I think we have to remember we are on the NESCAC board!

Every kid on the roster is committed to winning...we aren't debating that.  It's the cost of that commitment that is a sliding scale to many of these players and their families.

As for culling players en masse; certainly works in Athens & Columbus...not so sure about Clinton & Amherst.

And yes; I'm betting internships trump spring ball...if push comes to shove.

(opinion only...could be & likely to be off base!?)

I'm with you on this (or can at least understand this point of view).  I also have to think other colleges (LL teams) have spring internships and study abroad programs and players can miss spring football to take this opportunities.  I could be wrong though.  Maybe coaches are trying to persuade kids to not do those things and be present for spring install. 

And I had the luxury to move around positions playing in college and I'll tell you this.  Practice as a DL/OL and maybe even an LB is not fun.  A lot of drills and conditioning stuff that is necessary but not something I looked forward to.  TE/WR/QB though?  That is a lot of fun.  Basically more 7v7 and fun stuff throwing the ball around and competing with each other.  I guess all that is neither here nor there but I'd take it into account when we are talking about players who really "love" to practice more football year round. 

[SpringSt7]

Give me Trinity CT and the points against UChicago, thank you.

Just to circle back around on the spring football student/athlete balance, I want to clarify that the spring being a potential nuisance in the scheduling and planning of the NESCAC football players was not unique to the NESCAC, and there are thousands of kids around the country that have to choose between a bunch of ways to prioritize their time outside of the season. I just meant that adding extra weeks of practice without adding any additional games or postseason competition might make future recruits more likely to look outside of the NESCAC if they are going to be practicing just as much as the schools that get to play 12+ games and be postseason eligible.

[Scoops]

Thanks for proving my point...

Give me Trinity CT and the points against UChicago, thank you.

[BigKat]

You had my buy in until Kenyon. Please. Not anywhere near the academic pedigree of the others that you mentioned.

[SpringSt7]

Thanks for proving my point...

Give me Trinity CT and the points against UChicago, thank you.

What about the elitist D3football contributors that voted for Trinity in their preseason top 25?

[lumbercat]

Peak NESCAC thinking right here. I've always found the unwarranted elitist mentality that comes from this league amusing at best. Especially given the sheer number of high academic D3 programs around the country. While I do believe you're likely to have higher level athletes in the NESCAC, there's a lot of schools nationwide that can provide an equal experience. From Carleton to Washington University in St Louis, Pomona Pitzer, Claremont McKenna, Chicago University. Kenyon College. Hopkins. Rochester. MIT. Worcester Polytech. Just to name a few. All schools that I believe could compete easily with any NESCAC school, and likely demolish the bottom half of the league.

I would never have guessed that Trinity U in Texas has a lower acceptance rate than Trinity Ct. but they do. Given the offer I would have bet heavily the other way....... and lost.

Scoops- A case of rabbit ears here on your NESCAC Elitist obsession.

[Pat Coleman]

Thanks for proving my point...

Give me Trinity CT and the points against UChicago, thank you.

Same. The NESCAC champ beating the fourth place team in the Midwest Conference is hardly a big stretch or a feather in one's cap nationally. 

[sigma one]

Wabash has a number of players--throwers and sprinters/jumpers--who compete on the track team, both indoors and outdoors.   Usually, they are good athletes high up on the depth chart.  It's not unusual for someone to play basketball or baseball as well.  When a prospective student says he wants to compete in two sports, the answer is  yes, if that's what you want to try, then go ahead.  In general, there is a good working relationship between coaches in the different sports.  I'm not saying that the football coaches are always happy with some of their best players missing spring practice, but if that is what the young man wants to do, the coaches support his decision. 
     It is fairly common for a football player to study abroad in the spring, too.  The coaches acknowledge that having him off campus is not in their best interest, of course.  But I've never heard of the decision being opposed, or of the coaches trying to talk a guy out of either playing a second sport or going abroad.
      This has a long history at Wabash; it's just part of the culture.  And sometimes it's even an advantage in the recruiting wars. 

[Charlie]

Wabash has a number of players--throwers and sprinters/jumpers--who compete on the track team, both indoors and outdoors.   Usually, they are good athletes high up on the depth chart.  It's not unusual for someone to play basketball or baseball as well.  When a prospective student says he wants to compete in two sports, the answer is  yes, if that's what you want to try, then go ahead.  In general, there is a good working relationship between coaches in the different sports.  I'm not saying that the football coaches are always happy with some of their best players missing spring practice, but if that is what the young man wants to do, the coaches support his decision. 


I think Coaches who have those students who are in there Junior year taking a Semester abroad will be more than understanding. The spring ball is really to get the Freshman and Sophomores up to speed and develop. The Coaches know what they have in their upperclassman. The semester abroad is a unique circumstance and I can't imagine any Coach depriving a student of that opportunity.
     It is fairly common for a football player to study abroad in the spring, too.  The coaches acknowledge that having him off campus is not in their best interest, of course.  But I've never heard of the decision being opposed, or of the coaches trying to talk a guy out of either playing a second sport or going abroad.
      This has a long history at Wabash; it's just part of the culture.  And sometimes it's even an advantage in the recruiting wars.

[LochNescac]

Any NESCAC program will be pleased to shed the 6th string WR and anyone who is not committed.  What the coaches are saying with the move to Spring Practice is it will enable them to cull out those who are not fully committed and improve their programs.

6th string yes...but...many starters & a whole bunch of backups feel the same way.  These kids didn't go D2, or some obscure D1 to play football.  They enrolled to exercise networks, study abroad, and ultimately launch their careers.  If football (or any sport) practice begins to jeopardize those goals they will make choices if they have conflicts.  After all; this is "Pay to Play".  There are no NFL paychecks in their future.

Football is not the ultimate focus of MANY of these players....they enjoy it, work hard, are good athletes, (some very good) but are realists & have a broad focus.   Coaches are always looking for guys who will practice all day & night & put athletics over all else, but that's not gonna happen in this league, or so I've been told..?

I have nothing against Spring Ball, and realize the benefits to it.  I understand the coaches desires and how it prepares for post season and all the other positives but I think we have to remember we are on the NESCAC board!

Every kid on the roster is committed to winning...we aren't debating that.  It's the cost of that commitment that is a sliding scale to many of these players and their families.

As for culling players en masse; certainly works in Athens & Columbus...not so sure about Clinton & Amherst.

And yes; I'm betting internships trump spring ball...if push comes to shove.

(opinion only...could be & likely to be off base!?)

I'm with you on this (or can at least understand this point of view).  I also have to think other colleges (LL teams) have spring internships and study abroad programs and players can miss spring football to take this opportunities.  I could be wrong though.  Maybe coaches are trying to persuade kids to not do those things and be present for spring install. 

And I had the luxury to move around positions playing in college and I'll tell you this.  Practice as a DL/OL and maybe even an LB is not fun.  A lot of drills and conditioning stuff that is necessary but not something I looked forward to.  TE/WR/QB though?  That is a lot of fun.  Basically more 7v7 and fun stuff throwing the ball around and competing with each other.  I guess all that is neither here nor there but I'd take it into account when we are talking about players who really "love" to practice more football year round.

Johnny...Totally agree.  Thanks for the personal insight, I'd expect many players share your feelings of "position dependent" thoughts on Spring ball!

[Scoops]

Hooray for Trinity? They beat up on the likes of Bates, Hamilton and Bowdoin. If that makes them top 25, then great for them. My whole point is that, in reality, the NESCAC schedule isn't very hard. In any given year there's maybe 3 truly good teams. High academic schools in other conferences face equal if not tougher battles every week. So let's not act like the NESCAC is really doing something special. It's a great league with very good football, but we're very much in a bubble here. The national D3 landscape is scarier than people on this board give it credit for.

Thanks for proving my point...

Give me Trinity CT and the points against UChicago, thank you.

What about the elitist D3football contributors that voted for Trinity in their preseason top 25?

[GroundandPound]

US NEWS NATIONAL LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES 8 OF TOP 25 NESCAC COLLEGES

[GroundandPound]

NICHE NATIONAL LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES 7 OF TOP 20 NESCAC

[GroundandPound]

Forbes all us colleges 8 of top 62 NESCAC

[GroundandPound]

College Rankings by Raptor all us colleges 6 of top 50 NESCAC