Friday, May 15, 2015

Yale showing interest in OLB Clifton Askew

Yale has made an offer to Lake Highland Prep OLB Clifton Askew, according to Cincinnati.com.

The 6-2, 212 Askew played at Moeller (Ohio) before moving on to Lake Highland Prep (Florida). Askew had 88 tackles (15 TFL) while playing DE last season.

Check out some highlights of Askew.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Varga selected by Calgary Stampeders in CFL Draft

The Calgary Stampeders selected Tyler Varga with their first pick of the third round (19th overall) in Tuesday's CFL Draft.

Varga's agent Joe Linta said last week Varga didn't have any interest in playing in the CFL right now. Varga went undrafted in the NFL Draft, but signed a three-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts. He's in mini-camp with the Colts now.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Yale officially announces incoming class

Yale announced its incoming recruiting class today. The 32 players hail from 13 states. Check out the list below and click here for the story on the class.

Name     Pos.     State

Ian Baker      DE     Ohio
Jarrett Balter     LB     California
Daniel Debner     RB New Jersey
Kyle Ellerson RB New Jersey
Peter Firestone OL New Jersey
Alex Galland K/P California
Jamison Hale OL California
Quintin Herbert LB Ohio
Bo Hines WR North Carolina
Daniel James DL Louisiana
Jackson Keimeg TE Washington
Bronson Krull DL Ohio
John Lager TE Minnesota
John Lee OL Minnesota
Rees LeMay OL Texas
Mike Lighten* RB New York
Kyle Marcinick WR Ohio
Chris Maxwell LB Ohio
CJ McCord DB California
Tre Moore QB Missouri
Kyle Mullen DL New Jersey
James Nicholas DB New York
Ryan Oak LS California
Edrico Oliver TE California
Scott Patton DB California
Marquise Peggs CB Illinois
Hunter Roman DL Connecticut
Jacob Schmidt TE Michigan
Harry Seavey* K/P New York
Hunter Simino LS Michigan
Jacob Van de Grift OL California
Jimmy Wilkins LB Texas

* walk-on

Thursday, May 07, 2015

Smith to tryout with Patriots

Former Yale WR/KR Chris Smith has a tryout this weekend with the New England Patriots.

Smith is the Bulldogs career kickoff return yards leader and is ninth on the program's career reception list with 110. His 1,495 career receiving yards is also ninth.

Monday, May 04, 2015

Cook invited to Tampa Bay Buccaneers camp



Yale LB Charles Cook has been invited to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mini-camp.

He will head out to Florida for a three-day camp that begins on Thursday. Cook impressed scouts at the Yale Pro Day and also attended a workout with the Dallas Cowboys prior to the draft.

The 6-3, 220-pound Cook was a second-team All-Ivy pick last season for the Bulldogs. He started all 10 games and recorded 54 tackles.


Saturday, May 02, 2015

Tyler Varga signs with Colts

NEW HAVEN >> It may not have went the way he planned, but Yale running back Tyler Varga will still get an opportunity to fulfil his NFL dream.

While he wasn’t one of the 256 players selected in this year’s NFL Draft, Varga signed Saturday with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.

The deal is for three years and Varga said he will receive a signing bonus. He added, he will head out to Indianapolis on Thursday for OTAs which begin on May 18.

“I was a little disappointed I didn’t get drafted, but at the same time I have the same opportunity now,” Varga said. “This makes me more hungry. I will work harder than I am already.”

Varga said close to 10 teams called him on Saturday, expressing interest in him as a potential draft pick or an undrafted free agent. Joe Linta, Varga’s agent, said prior to the draft that Varga was a projected fifth- to sixth-round pick.

Varga said he is unsure whether he will play running back or fullback with the Colts. He added he is excited to play with a playoff contender, a great quarterback in Andrew Luck, a strong offensive line and learn from a veteran running back like Frank Gore.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Varga said. “It’s the best place for me at this point to make a team. I’m excited to move forward here with my football career.”

Varga stayed in New Haven to watch the draft with friends and teammates on Saturday. The power went out on the Yale campus, so Varga watched the beginning of the draft with a handful at Yorkside Pizza, a local restaurant, and then moved over to Yale’s player lounge when the power was back on. ESPN was also in attendance to film Varga.

Varga earned the Ivy League’s offensive player of the year last year and finished his career as the historic program’s fourth all-time leading rusher with 2,985 career yards. He is also third on the school’s all-time list with 31 touchdowns.

The 5-11, 222-pound back was the first Yale player to be selected to play in the prestigious Senior Bowl. He rushed for two touchdowns to lead the North to a 34-13 win. Varga, who was named team captain prior to the game, finished with four carries for 31 yards and the two fourth-quarter scores. He also came up with some key blocks at fullback and added three receptions for 39 yards.

Varga, who was born in Sweden and moved to Canada, transferred in from Western Ontario for his sophomore season. He was the nation’s leading scorer and the CIS National Freshman of the Year at Western Ontario. Varga is projected to be among the top picks in the CFL Draft on May 12.

Harvard linebacker Zach Hodges also signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent. Another client of Linta’s, Sacred Heart defensive back Gordon Hill, signed a three-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.

The last Yale player to be drafted was Shane Bannon. The Kansas City Chiefs selected Bannon in the seventh round in 2011.

“I saw a lot of guys that went before me that I think I can beat out,” Varga said. “I’m just going to go out and prove that.”

Yale players selected to NFF Hampshire Honor Society

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced members of the this year's NFF Hampshire Honor Society. The group is comprised of college football players from all divisions who maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college career.

A total of 817 players from 278 schools qualified for membership in the society's ninth year, setting a new record for the number of schools represented in the history of the program, which began in 2007. 

There were 11 Yale players who were honored...

Yale UniversityBenjamin Carbery
Yale UniversityAustin Carter
Yale UniversityWilliam Chism
Yale UniversityAdam Conklin
Yale UniversityDavis Frank
Yale UniversityEverett Johnson
Yale UniversityTheodore Keys
Yale UniversityCarl Kreitzberg
Yale UniversityJeffrey Schmittgens
Yale UniversityGeorge Toms
Yale UniversityTyler Varga 
Yale UniversityGrant Wallace

Friday, May 01, 2015

Tyler Varga expected to be chosen on final day of NFL Draft

NEW HAVEN >> For the last few weeks, NFL Draft prospects were training in order to prepare themselves to play football at the next level.
Tyler Varga is one of them. But that’s not all he’s been doing.

Below is a list of 44 Yale NFL Draft picks...


Player Year Team Round No.

Bob “Choo-Choo” Train 1936 Detroit Lions 9 80

Larry Kelley 1937 Detroit Lions 9 87

Clint Frank 1938 Detroit Lions 12 106

Paul Walker 1945 Detroit Lions 10 95

Fritz Barzilauskas 1947 Boston Yanks 1 3

John Prchlik 1947 Boston Yanks 30 277

Bill Schuler 1947 New York Giants 31 292

Bob “Tex” Furse 1948 Boston Yanks 8 59

Jack Roderick 1948 Boston Yanks 24 219

Ferd Nadherny 1950 Chicago Bears 29 374

Fritz Barzilauskas 1950 New York Giants 19 241

Bob Spears 1952 Chicago Bears 16 188

Ed Woodsum 1953 Chicago Cardinals 11 124

Phil Tarasovic 1956 Pittsburgh Steelers 12 135

Al Ward 1957 Chicago Bears 8 91

Dennis McGill 1957 Philadelphia Eagles 24 278

Paul Lopata 1957 Wash. Redskins 8 93

Mike Pyle 1961 Chicago Bears 7 89

1961 New York Titans 17

Ben Balme 1961 Philadelphia Eagles 6 84

1961 L.A. Chargers 24

Dick Niglio 1964 Chicago Bears 20 280

1964 Boston Patriots 26 204

Chuck Mercein 1965 New York Giants 3 29

1965 Buffalo Bills 10

Bob Greenlee 1967 Miami Dolphins 4 84

Calvin Hill 1969 Dallas Cowboys 1 24

Bruce Weinstein 1969 Miami Dolphins 8 193

Brian Dowling 1969 Minnesota Vikings 11 277

Tom Neville 1971 Baltimore Colts 13 338

Jim Gallagher 1971 Minnesota Vikings 14 362

Don Martin 1971 Oakland Raiders 7 157

Bob Leyen 1973 Dallas Cowboys 6 151

Dick Jauron 1973 Detroit Lions 4 91

Greg Dubinetz 1975 Cincinnati Bengals 9 220

Elvin Charity 1975 Cincinnati Bengals 17 432

Rudy Green 1975 Detroit Lions 15 375

Tom Doyle 1975 Oakland Raiders 14 362

Gary Fencik 1976 Miami Dolphins 10 281

John Spagnola 1979 N.E. Patriots 9 245

Kenny Hill 1980 Oakland Raiders 8 194

Jeff Rohrer 1982 Dallas Cowboys 2 53

Rich Diana 1982 Miami Dolphins 5 136

Curt Grieve 1982 Philadelphia Eagles 6 159

Eric Johnson 2001 S.F. 49ers 7 224

Than Merrill 2001 T.B. Buccaneers 7 223

Nate Lawrie 2004 T.B. Buccaneers 6 181

Shane Bannon 2011 Kansas City Chiefs 7 223