The Bulldogs opened their spring session this week. It will finish up with the annual Blue-White scrimmage on April 19 at 2:30 p.m. at the Yale Bowl.

Morgan Roberts looks poised to take over at quarterback. Also, Tony Reno made it official on Friday that Joe Conlin has been promoted to offensive coordinator.

Reno has been pleased with the Bulldogs improvement in the gym.

“The guys have made marginal gains in the weight room to get stronger and that was a major area of concern going into the offseason,” Reno said. “Really good gains from a lot of guys. There is still a ways to go to get stronger.”

Some players of note that will be held out of the spring session for precautionary reasons: RB Tyler Varga, RB Candler Rich, WR Robert Clemons, OL Ben Carberry and DL Ben Bedard.

Roberts expects WR Grant Wallace to emerge this season. Wallace had 31 receptions for 421 yards and two TDs last year.

“This is Grant Wallace’s year to really shine,” Wallace said. “I think he had Chris in front of him a little bit last year. I don’t think that necessarily affected his play, but maybe his opportunities on the field. This year he’s going to be a deep threat and surprise everyone and be one of the best players in the Ivy League. I love watching him play and I think this year is going to be standout year for him.”

I will drop by practice again later next week. 

More here on Yale's interest in Middletown's Dario Highsmith.

Beau Palin was showcased as the National Football Foundation's Scholar Athlete of the Day earlier this week.

Also, check out this video from Yale football's pie eating contest.

Spring football is right around the corner.
Yale opens its spring session on March 26 and it concludes on April 19 with the annual Blue-White scrimmage at the Yale Bowl at 2:30 p.m.
Here is a look at five topics to keep an eye on for the spring:

OPEN COMPETITION: It will be interesting to see who will be the leader of the QB competition coming out of the spring session. This is clearly the biggest question heading into 2014. Morgan Roberts did struggle at times last season, but did come in from Clemson and has elite speed. Logan Scott did a solid job, completing 26-of-47 passes for 264 yards and three TDs last season. Eric Williams, Spencer McManes and Anthony Morales will also get their opportunities.

UP FRONT: Yale graduated two starters in Wes Gavin and John Oppenheimer on the OL. That opens the door for some young talent like Mason Friedline, Khalid Cannon and others on the offensive line.

WHICH TE WILL EMERGE? There isn’t much experience here, so it will be interesting how the spring plays out at this position. Adam Conklin is the only TE on the roster that had a catch last season. Stephen Buric, Austin Carter, Leo Haenni and Blake Thompson will also be in the mix.

GETTING OLDER: On the defensive side, there are a handful of players who quickly gained experience. The front seven has promise with players like Victor Egu, Carl Kreitzberg, Copache Tyler and Darius Manora back. How much has this group improved in the offseason?

WELCOME BACK: All four starters - Spencer Rymiszewski, Dale Harris, Cole Champion and Foye Oluokun – return in the secondary. There should be a good battle at safety, however, with Oluokun and Robbie Ries. Also, keep an eye on DBs Mike Bernardez and Keith Hawk who have made strides in the offseason.

Some other notes…

Yale coach Tony Reno would not give any hint about a replacement for OC Kevin Morris and would not offer a timetable either.

TEs Keith Coty and Mike Leunen both had options for a fifth year of eligibility, but have found jobs and will not be back.

Yale’s seniors will take a trip to Gettysburg, Penn., again this spring.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for them to see how that battle showed how people can persevere in the face of adversity,” Reno said. “It’s really an eye-opening experience and very impactful.”

Yale appears to be interested in Dario Highsmith, according to the Gatorade state Player of the Year's Twitter account.

Had a Great Phone call with Coach Reno from Yale. I have been officially Offered a Scholarship to Yale University. #blessed #bleedblue

— Yung Lawd (@Dhighsmith006) March 12, 2014

The Middletown High Jr. QB led the Blue Dragons to an 11-1 mark, rushing for 2,565 yards and 27 TDs. He also threw for 895 yards and nine TDs. He had 39 tackles, four INTs and a fumble recovery as a DB. The 5-10, 180-pound Highsmith became the first player from Middletown High to win the prestigious state player of the year award.

Here are some highlights of Highsmith.

Monmouth named it official on Monday, naming Kevin Morris its offensive coordinator.
Morris was Yale's offensive coordinator the last two seasons.

Army AD Boo Corrigan was at a press conference Thursday promoting the UConn-Army game. Register UConn beat writer Jim Fuller asked Corrigan about playing at Yale Bowl this upcoming season.

Corrigan said: "We are excited about it. It is the 100th year of the Yale Bowl and Tom Beckett called me when I got the job. You see that on your schedule and you go ‘we are playing a team from FCS or I-AA’ and you are kind of scratching your head about why you would do that but in talking with Tom about it and it being the 100th year and being the great history that the program has had, I think we are excited about it."




Corrigan on process of getting waiver so game can count towards Bowl eligibility: "Tom was great about it. I think the best thing about being at West Point is people are going to give you the benefit of the doubt in that kind of thing and when you preface it with it being the 100th year and let’s do it for all the right reasons because it is such a big deal and it is such a prestigious institution and I think it made a lot of sense."

Sources confirmed Tuesday that Kevin Morris is no longer the offensive coordinator at Yale and will accept a coaching position at Monmouth.

Morris served as the Bulldogs offensive coordinator for two seasons. He is no longer listed among the coaches on the YaleBulldogs.com website.

Yale head coach Tony Reno and Morris did not return emails or phone calls on Tuesday.

Yale was ranked No. 7 of the eight Ivy League teams in total offense in 2012 and fifth last season.

Morris was recently a finalist for the Central Connecticut State head coaching position. He was head coach at UMass from 2009-11.