Saturday, February 28, 2015

Yale expected to add McGowan, Stevens to coaching staff

Yale is expected to name Sean McGowan as its new defensive coordinator and Jordan Stevens as its new defensive line coach, a source said.

McGowan, a Cheshire native, served two seasons at Boston College as the program’s special teams coordinator and SAM linebackers coach. Prior to that, he most recently coached at Temple and New Hampshire.

Stevens comes over after serving as Maine’s defensive line coach.

The expected hirings come after the resignations of defensive coordinator Rick Flanders and defensive line coach Carlton Hall.

The Bulldogs, who finished third in the Ivy League last season, allowed 29.9 points per game (fifth in the Ivy) and 410.8 yards per game (fourth in the Ivy).

Monday, February 23, 2015

Columbia names Bagnoli head coach

As expected, Columbia has hired former Penn coach Al Bagnoli as its new head coach.

Bagnoli takes over the Lions after stepping down following 23 seasons with the Quakers. He won nine Ivy League titles and is the all-time winningest head coach in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision history.

Will Rick Flanders be joining Bagnoli?



Sunday, February 22, 2015

Ankle injury keeps Varga out of NFL Combine

I spoke with Tyler Varga’s agent, Joe Linta, over the weekend. Varga was forced to sit out of NFL combine drills because of a bone spur in his ankle.

He still took part in the medical exams, team interviews and the bench press. And he certainly drew some attention in the bench press, finishing among the top RB/FB with 23 reps of 225 lbs.

Varga, the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, is expected to be ready for his Pro Day on March 31st at Tolland’s Star Hill Family Athletic Center. Scouts from most, if not all, NFL teams are expected to be in attendance.


“Everyone I spoke with is intrigued with this kid,” Linta said. “They’re interested. It didn’t hurt him at all. He’s still sitting in that fourth-fifth round range. But again, he has to perform. We were hoping this would be the calling card for that, but we just have to wait.”

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Flanders resigns as Yale defensive coordinator

Yale defensive coordinator Rick Flanders has resigned, a source confirmed on Thursday.

The Bulldogs, who finished third in the Ivy League last season, allowed 29.9 points per game (fifth in the Ivy) and 410.8 yards per game (fourth in the Ivy).

Flanders finished his 18th season at Yale last year. He has also handled defensive backs and linebackers duties during his tenure. While serving as a defensive assistant, Yale ranked No. 1 in FCS scoring defense in 2007 and 2008.

Neither Flanders or Yale head coach Tony Reno could be reached for comment.

Yale is also looking to replace defensive line coach Carlton Hall, who resigned following last season. Hall spent just one season with the Bulldogs. He came over from Elon, where he coached the defensive line.

Yale will begin its spring session the week of March 22.

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Yale football recruiting update

Here is a look at the complete list of players that should be headed to Yale next season, pending acceptance.

Ian Baker, DE, 6-4, 225, North Canton, Ohio: Playing OL and DE at Hoover. 
VIDEO

Jarett Balter, LB, 6-2, 215, Bellflower, California: Check out this highlight. Enough said. VIDEO

Abu Daramy, WR, 5-10, 167, Westerville, Ohio: All-district selection. VIDEO

Dan Debner, DE, 6-0, 185, Englishtown, New Jersey: Had 28 tackles and seven INTs last season. VIDEO

Kyle Ellerson, RB, 5-10, 187, Oradell, New Jersey: Comes from a strong program in Bergen Catholic. VIDEO

Peter Firestone, DE, 6-6, 255, North Canton, Ohio: Had offers from Army, UConn and other Ivy schools. VIDEO

Julian Fraser, DL, 6-2, 250, Valdosta, Georgia: All region pick. VIDEO

Alex Galland, K/P, 6-2, 180, Bakersfield, California: Should come in and compete for a starting job. VIDEO

Michael Gordon, DB, 6-2, 170, Marietta, Georgia: All-Region second team by the AJC. VIDEO

Jamison Hale, DT, 6-5, 260, Fresno, California: Also had offers from San Diego and UNLV. VIDEO

Quintin Herbert, LB, 6-2, 225, Cincinnati, Ohio: Had preferred walk-on offers from Duke and Ohio State. VIDEO

Bo Hines, WR, 6-1, 190, Charlotte, North Carolina: Transfer from North Carolina State. Team’s leading receiver as a freshman last season. Huge land for the Bulldogs. VIDEO

Daniel James, DL, 6-2, 280, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Listed as a two-star recruit. Several Ivy offers along with schools like South Alabama and Bryant. VIDEO

Michael Johnson, OL/DL, 6-4, 315, Lombard, Illinois: Helped lead team to Class 5A state title gameVIDEO

Jackson Keimig, H-Back, 6-3, 220, Bothell, Washington: Received offers from a handful of Ivy League schools along with Idaho, Montana and Montana State among others. VIDEO

Bronson Krull, DE, 6-4, 250, Mansfield, Ohio: Had 84 tackles, including 10 TFL last season. VIDEO

John Lager, WR/TE, 6-5, 230, St. Louis Park, Minnesota: Drew interest from several Ivy League schools, along with Army. 
VIDEO

Jack Lee, OL, 6-5, 260, Mendota Heights, Minnesota: Part of a strong OL class for the Bulldogs. VIDEO

Rees LeMay, OL, 6-5, 275, Dallas, Texas: All-district selection. VIDEO

Kyle Marcinick, WR, 6-1, 185, Dublin, Ohio: Also had interest from Northwestern, Toledo and Youngstown State. VIDEO

Chris Maxwell, H-Back, 6-2, 212, Avon, Ohio: Caught 32 passes for 449 yards and four touchowns. Good speed and size. 
VIDEO

Tre Moore, Ath., 6-3, 180, St. Louis, Missouri: Chose Yale over Princeton and Cornell. Schools like Syracuse, Indiana and Notre Dame also showed interest. VIDEO

Kyle Mullen, TE/DE, 6-4, 245, Englishtown, N.J.: Had interest from Ivy, Patriot and CAA teams. VIDEO

James Nicholas, RB/DB, 6-0, 185, Scarsdale, New York: Will play football and golf for the Bulldogs. VIDEO

Edrico Oliver, TE, 6-3, 230, Bakersfield, California: Caught 55 passes for 1,134 yards and 14 touchdowns. VIDEO

Scott Patton, S, 6-3, 190, Irvine, California: Finished senior year with 126 tackles, four sacks and two INTs. VIDEO

Marquise Peggs, CB, 6-0, 180, Chicago, Illinois: Two-star recruit who had several offers including Wyoming, Toledo, Central Michigan and others. VIDEO

Hunter Roman, DE, 6-5, 205, New London: Register All-State honorable mention pick last season. Received interest from Boston College, UConn and Central Connecticut State. VIDEO

Jake Schmidt, TE, 6-6, 240, Richmond, Michigan: All-state selection. VIDEO

Jacob Van De Grift, OT, 6-5, 290, San Diego, California: Athletic and should bolster Bulldogs up front. 
VIDEO

Jimmy Wilkins, SS/WR, 6-4, 200, Frisco, Texas: Wilkins was a 9-5A first-team all-district selection this past season. VIDEO

Monday, February 02, 2015

Daniel James turns down Vanderbilt, sticks with Yale

Highly recruited DL Daniel James recently turned down a scholarship to Vanderbilt and will stick with his commitment to Yale, according Nola.com.

"Since freshman year, I always said that I would commit right away if Vanderbilt offered me," James told Nola.com. "But after building a relationship with my Yale coaches, future teammates and members on the team now, I feel like there is no better place than to be in New Haven, (Conn.), next year.