Senior h-back John Sheffield was named to the ECAC's All-Football Championship Subdivision team and was named to the Associated Press' All-FCS third team after leading Yale with 61 catches and 612 receiving yards in the recently completed season.

Considering the West Coast ties that Yale football coach Tom Williams and the seven coaches he brought in to join Rick Flanders and Duane Brooks on his staff, it figured that the Bulldogs would make a recruiting push out west.

That certainly seems to be the case as five Californians and one player from Utah and Oregon lead the list of the first 12 players to be accepted early at Yale.

Multi-faceted San Diego phenom Deon Randall leads the list as he is a threat passing and running and is also a standout on defense. It figures that Randall will find his way onto the field as an offensive player. Quarterback is a position that has been addressed with Indiana's John Whitelaw and Oregon's Henry Furman being accepted.

There's also a game-breaking receiver (Jackson Ligouri) and tight end (Kyle Wittenauer) and four defensive back prospects (Kyle Aberton, Chris Brady, Max Napolitano and Nick Okano).

I know the first question I will get on any recruiting item is how Yale is doing recruiting offensive linemen. Obinna Nwakeze, John Oppenheimer and Grant Stanley are players capable of playing on the line. Expecting its normal 30-play class, I would expect more offensive line names to emerge when the Yale football Class of 2014 is announced.

Speaking of the offensive line, don't be surprised if a couple of defensive linemen get moved over to the offensive line. Not only do the Bulldogs return all of its defensive linemen but freshmen Chris Dooley and Charles Holmes showed big-play with the JV squad.

Here's a breakdown of the 12 committed players who have been accepted.
Kyle Aberton, DB Cottonwood HS, Holladay, Utah: 63 tackles as a senior, had five interceptions as junior
Chris Brady, DB Don Bosco, Ramsey, N.J.: 5 interceptions including key pick in 28-20 win over Bergen Catholic
Henry Furman, QB Lincoln, Portland, Ore.: All-League QB threw for 41 TDs and more than 3,000 yards last two seasons.
Jackson Ligouri, WR Harvard-Westlake, North Hollywood, Calif.: 45 catches and 13 TDs as a senior
Max Napolitano, DB Oaks Christian, Westlake Village, Calif.: Key contributor on team which has won 32 straight games, had interception to clinch 28-25 win over previously undefeated Skyline of Sammamish, Wash.
Obinna Nwakeze, DL/OL Rye (N.Y.) Country Day: Two-way starter after six tackles per game, also an all-american wrestler at Rye
Nick Okano, DB Harvard-Westlake, North Hollywood, Calif.: 79 tackles, three interceptions
John Oppenheimer, OL Sacred Heart, Atherton, Calif.: Two-way starting lineman had 50 tackles and four sacks as a senior.
Deon Randall, QB/RB/DB Parker High, San Diego: Passed for 13 tds, 1 pick, ran for 20 tds 11 yards per carry, had five interceptions and more than 90 tackles
Grant Stanley, DE San Joaquin Memorial, Fresno, Calif.: 6-5 230 pounder averaged four tackles with two sacks and an interception as a senior
John Whitelaw, QB Hinsdale (Ill.) Central: Threw for 1,840 yards and 18 touchdowns, ran for 1,299 yards and 17 TDs in nine game.
Kyle Wittenauer, TE/LB St. Christopher's, Richmond, Va.: Big-play threat at tight end had four catches for 118 yards in one game and drew interest from BCS teams as a long snapper

Speaking of Aberton, there's a nice story on him and a reminder of the quality of individual the program manages to bring in.

Yale coach Tom Williams' name has come up as a possible successor to the retiring Dick Tomey at San Jose State.

However, Williams is not a candidate for the San Jose job. There were some preliminary feelers set out in Williams' direction but nobody from San Jose State has requested permission to speak to Williams and will not be doing so.

It's so surprise that Williams' name came up. He fits the profile of what the search committee is looking for, a young, up and coming coach with a sense of how things are done at San Jose State. Williams was a coach on Tomey's staff at San Jose State in 2005 and 2006.

Yale senior punter Tom Mante and senior linebacker Paul Rice were named to the New England Football Writers Football Championship Subdivision all-star team.

Mante averaged 41.2 yards per punt to become the first Yale player to lead the Ivy League in punting since Greg Bowman in 1989 his four field goals included a 50 and Ivy League record tying 54-yarder.

Rice led Yale with 74 tackles and 9.5 tackles for losses. He also scored the only touchdown in a win over Lehigh on a fake punt.

Here's the complete team
DEFENSE
DL James Develin Brown Sr.
DL Don Smith Bryant Sr.
DL Jordan Stevens Maine Sr.
DL Carl Ehrlich Harvard Sr.
LB Paul Rice Yale Sr.
LB Sean Ware New Hampshire Sr.
LB Jon Takamura Harvard Sr.
LB Marcus Rodriguez Holy Cross Sr.
DB Terrence Klein New Hampshire Sr.
DB Marcus Dorsey Central Conn. Sr.
DB Michael Wright Holy Cross Sr.
DB Derrick Barker Harvard Sr.
DB Jeromy Miles Massachusetts Sr.

OFFENSE
OL Paul Jasinowski Brown Sr.
OL James Williams Harvard Sr.
OL Chris Poole Holy Cross Sr.
OL Vladimir Ducasse Massachusetts Sr.
OL Kevin Newhall Northeastern Sr.
OL Tom Neill New Hampshire Sr.
QB Dominic Randolph Holy Cross Sr.
RB James Mallory Central Conn. Sr.
RB John Griffin Northeastern Jr.
FB Chris Zardas Massachusetts Sr.
WR Buddy Farnham Brown Sr.
WR Steve Tedesco Sacred Heart Sr.
WR Landis Williams Maine Sr.
WR Shawn Leonard Rhode Island Sr.
TE Scott Sicko New Hampshire Sr.

SPECIAL TEAMS
KS Tom Mante Yale Sr.
RS Shawn Abuhoff Dartmouth So.

Back in April I wrote a story about a marrow donor drive the members of the Yale football team was taking part of. The inspiration in what proved to be an extraordinarily successful event was Yale women's hockey player Mandi Schwartz.

As I wrote the story, I had no way of knowing how it would all turn out. Leukemia is a tough obstacle for anybody to overcome but it warmed my heart when Sam Rubin of the Yale sports publicity department provided an update on Mandi's situation. I doubt that even her staunchest supporters expected to hear that she would be healthy and ready to enroll back at Yale in January or that she is planning to resume her playing career next season.

But that is exactly what is happening. With the news coming out right around Thanksgiving, I am sure than more than a few people affiliated with the Bulldogs' football and women's hockey programs cited Schwartz's remarkable recovery as a reason to be thankful.

Yale punter Tom Mante, defensive back Adam Money, linebacker Paul Rice and tight end John Sheffield were named to the All-Ivy League first team on Tuesday.

Mante, one of eight unanimous first team selections, led the league with a 41.2 punting average and had 10 punts of at least 50 yards.

Money, the first Yale junior named to the first team since running back Mike McLeod and linebacker Bobby Abare in 2007, had 43 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Rice led the 4-6 Bulldogs with 74 tackles and 9 1/2 tackles for losses while Sheffield had a team-leading 61 catches as a senior and his 126 career receptions is third all-time for the Bulldogs.

Defensive tackle Tom McCarthy was named to the second team as was Mante as a kicker while defensive lineman Joe Young and linebackers Travis Henry and Sean Williams were honorable mention selections.

Brown receiver Buddy Farnham and Penn linebacker Jake Lewko shared the Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League player of the year while Harvard running back Treavor Scales was named the rookie of the year.

OK, that's the news of the day. Now for my two cents. The obvious Yale omissions were linebacker Tim Handlon (68 tackles, two interceptions and three forced fumbles), center Jake Koury and defensive lineman Pat Moran. I was also surprised to see Mante on the second team as a kicker. He did become the first Ivy Leaguer with 50-yard field goals in consecutive games but also lost his kicking duties to Alex Barnes and finished 4 for 12 on field goals.

Also, if I were to cast a vote for rookie of the year, it would go to Brown cornerback AJ Cruz.

When he was announced as Yale's 133rd football captain, defensive tackle Tom McCarthy sat in his seat at the front of the room and did not move for several seconds. After getting over the shock of surviving four rounds of voting and beating out cornerback Adam Money, McCarthy rose from his seat and received a huge round of applause from his teammates.

"I never really expected this," McCarthy said. "Just to be elected with this group of guys, it is absolutely amazing. It is an honor."

The ironic part is that McCarthy will not be able to take part in spring drills. He missed the entire 2006 season mononucleosis and was granted a fifth year of eligibility. However, Ivy League rules stipulate that student-athletes can only be enrolled in eight semesters so he will need to skip the spring semester so he can enroll in the fall.

The awards were also given out. John Sheffield was named the Ted Blair Award winner as the team MVP while Paul Rice earned the award annually given to Yale's captain.

Here's the complete list of other award winners
Jordan Olivar Award (given to a senior other than the captain who has earned the most respect from his teammates): Larry Abare
Woody Knapp Memorial Trophy (player who typifies the cheerful disposition, leadership qualities and unselfish disposition to others): Brandon Scott
Robert Gardner Anderson Award (combination of skill, spirit and pride in accomplishment): Reid Lathan and Max Newton.
Norman S. Hall Memorial Trophy (given to an individual for outstanding service to Yale football): Tim Handlon
Gregory Dubinetz Memorial Trophy (linemen who exemplified the spirit of Dubinetz): Cory Palmer
Charley Loftus Award (most valuable freshmen): Mordecai Cargill and John Powers
Chester J. Laroche Award (given to senior who did the most for Yale): Rich Scudellari
Ledyard Mitchell Award (for proficiency in kicking): Tom Mante
Ted Turner Award (top offensive lineman): Cory Palmer
Keppel Award (given to offensive back who exemplified Keppel's work ethic, pride and dedication to Yale football): Rodney Reynolds
LoProto Award (awarded to defensive back who exemplies LoProto's passion and competitive spirit): Adam Money

Also, Tom McCarthy was named the top defensive lineman, Mante the top specialist and Travis Henry the winner of the Hammer Award.

From former Yale star Jon Reese's empassioned remarks to Reynolds' comical impersonation of Yale running back coach Rod Plummer, it was a memorable event.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Yale coach Tom Williams addressed his decision to run a fake punt faced with a 4th-and-22 at the Yale 25 in the final 2 1/2 minutes. Williams has received plenty of criticism, including in this blog, for the decision.

Here is what he said to the invited guests at The Commons at Woolsey Hall.

"I take responsibilities for all those losses, not just the one yesterday but for the other five," Williams said. "The only regret I have is that there is a man who wears a ‘Y’ on his helmet who thinks their opportunity to win the football game was taken from them, that is the only regret I have. I want to sincerely apologize to those men because I worked very hard to earn their trust and I love these guys as if they are my own children."