With Yale's graduation fast approaching, I thought it would be a good time to catch up with Jesse Reising, the linebacker who was nearly paralyzed during the Nov. 20 game against Harvard. As it turned out, we sat down on Friday which was six months to the date of his violent collision with Harvard running back Gino Gordon.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

As I wrote in my last story about Jesse back in February, he was in line to be commissioned as an officer in the Marines but the injuries he suffered prevented him from realizing his dream.

Reising, while obviously disappointed at being disenrolled from the Marines office training candidate school, was not about to wallow in self pity. As the story which is running in Sunday's edition of the Register documents, his future is looking pretty bright. He is heading over to Afghanistan to work as a contractor and is starting a non-profit organization to help care for the families of fallen service members.

MAJOR HONOR FOR BANNON
Shane Bannon, who became the first Yale player taken in the NFL draft in seven years when he was selected in the seventh round by the Kansas City Chiefs in last month's draft, received a prestigious honor on Saturday night.

Bannon was co-winner of Yale's Meyer Humanitarian Award.

The award is given each year to a varsity athlete in the senior class "whose character exemplifies selfless devotion along with compassion and concern for their team and the community at Yale and beyond."

Bannon was recognized for his off the field work including spending the last three years being very involved in the annual Mandi Schwartz Marrow Donor Registration Drive at Yale. He has also been a mentor for elementary school children at Shepherd Glen School in Hamden since 2009 and has volunteered with Special Olympics. He has participated in Youth Days and the athletics department’s annual holiday gift giving drive for underprivileged children all four years he has been at Yale.

LOOK FOR RECRUIT LIST NEXT WEEK
Last I heard, Yale was still dotting the i's and crossing the t's on its incoming freshman class. I'd look for the list to be officially released at some point in the next week. Don't look for any surprises as it is expected to consist of the 29 high school seniors as well as Duke transfer Tevin Hood.

There will be a story on Yale linebacker Jesse Reising in Sunday's edition of the Register. The last time most Yale fans likely saw Reising, he was laying on the ground at Harvard Stadium after a violent collision with Harvard running back Gino Gordon in the fourth quarter of the Nov. 20 game.

Reising's right arm was still in a sling when I sat down with him earlier this month. He spends about four hours in physical therapy daily and is planning to head to the Mayo Clinic next week for a comprehensive evaluation to see if surgery is needed.

A sad aspect of Reising's story is that his dream of becoming an officer in the Mariners is currently on hold as the injuries he suffered led to him being disenrolled from officer training. Despite the circumstances, he is keeping a very positive approach to his uncertain future.

Outside of recruiting updates, normally there's not a heck of a lot to report from the time the Yale football season ends until spring drills start up.

However, the one story I've been wanting to do since the Harvard game is an update on linebacker Jesse Reising who was taken from the Harvard Stadium field on a stretcher after a head to head collision with Harvard's Gino Gordon.

I finally got around to sitting down with Jesse and will be putting together a story on him that I expect to run in the next week or two.

The big news is that the injuries Reising suffered against Harvard will keep him from taking advantage of a fifth season of eligibility. The nerve damage also led to him being dropped from the Marine Corps Officer Training Candidate program which has been Reising's life's ambition. Reising is not physically able to perform some of the fitness requirements necessary to stay in the program. Reising is still hopeful that if he gets all his strength back that he could be entered back into the program.

He will be heading to the Mayo Clinic next month for a comprehensive evaluation and see if surgery will be required.

Jesse spoke at length about the support he has received since the violent collision with Gordon.

"I didn't have my phone on me until they took me from the ER to the in-patient unit," Reising said. "That was when I got my cell phone and saw I had over 100 text messages and over 100 facebook messages. I didn't even try to count the e-mails. That was when it set in that 'wow, I have a lot of people who really care about me.'

"It really demonstrated how close knit of a family our football team is, not only our football team but our entire Yale community. On top of that, the overwhelming support I received from Harvard fans and players and even people from all across the country who don't even know me offering their prayers and support. Jordan Haynes, he said some nice words about me, and Tom (McCarthy) those were the public ones. There have also been a lot of private exchanges. I really owe a lot to those guys. They meant a lot to me not only in my four years at Yale but in my life in general. Those are going to be some of the closest friends I'll have and (the friendships) will really last a lifetime.

"My life has been flipped around 180 degrees and every single way I could have imagined getting support, I've gotten it. When push comes to shove, we've got each others' backs."

Yale senior linebacker Jesse Reising and junior quarterback Patrick Witt were among 52 players named to the 13th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.

Reising, who had a 3.75 GPA, started all 10 games and had 47 tackles. Witt, a junior who led Ivy QBs with 212 completions, 351 attempts and a 246-yard average, had 12 TD passes posted a 3.85 GPA.

Yale senior linebacker Jesse Reising is set to be released from a Boston area hospital today after being injured making a tackle in Saturday's 28-21 loss to Harvard.

Reising, who laid motionless on the Harvard Stadium field after a collision with Harvard running back Gino Gordon, does not have spinal damage but has been kept in the hospital for a couple of extra days because of other medical issues.

Reising had his first public comments when he sent an e-mail to the Yale Sports Publicity Office.

“Right now, my nerves aren't firing to my right arm like they're supposed to," Reising said. "However, I still have too much swelling in my neck and shoulder for the doctors to reach any conclusions yet. Three weeks from now, I'll have more tests done to determine whether I tore some nerves, and possibly have them re-attached three months from now. However, I'm making rapid progress in regaining motor functions, and I expect a full recovery.”

Reising finished as Yale's third-leading tackler with 47 stops including four behind the line of scrimmage. He is also a decorated student-athlete who was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy or the academic Heisman.

Reising did not lose consciousness following the hit on Gordon in which Reising was penalized.

"I remembered breaking on the ball when Harvard's quarterback threw it," Reising said. "Once Gordon caught the ball, I knew that I had him lined up to deliver a big hit. I tried to put my helmet on the ball to knock the ball out, but apparently he lowered his head right before I hit him. I don't think I was ever unconscious but my nerves weren't quite responding like they were supposed to and I couldn't move. I asked the medical staff whether my arm looked like it was dislocated, whether it was a knock-back tackle and whether I got the ball out.”

With the game being televised on Versus, replays of the hit and Reising's injury was broadcast across the nation. There have been countless calls to Yale from people checking on Reising's status.

"I appreciate that the Yale community, football family and others have been very supportive of my efforts towards a full and speedy recovery," Reising said.

First of all, I apologize for the lack of blog posts on Saturday but internet at Harvard Stadium was a bit on the unpredictable side. I struggled enough posting updates on twitter, often times needing to hit the send button five or six times.

The biggest news was the injury to senior linebacker Jesse Reising after a vicious collision with Harvard running back Gino Gordon. Reising was taken from the field on a stretcher but was able to communicate with his teammates before being taken to a local hospital.

"My understanding is that he is fine," Yale coach Tom Williams said. "It is a precautionary measure to take him off the field on the stretcher. When he left the field, he had feeling in all of his extremeties so that is all I know at this point."

Reising was penalized for a head to head hit on Gordon on what proved to be the game-winning score in Harvard's 28-21 victory.

UPDATED AT 5:30: Just heard that Reising, who was taken to Beth Israel Medical Center, is about to be released after being checked out.


There will be more on The Game either tonight or tomorrow.

despite Elijah Thomas rushing 35 times for 183 yards and a touchdown, the Yale junior varsity team lost to Harvard 28-21 on Friday.

Other standouts for Yale were quarterback John Whitelaw (8 of 19 for 122 yards, one TD pass and a touchdown run), linebacker Brian Leffler (13 tackles, forced fumble), cornerback Russell Perkins (interception, fumble recovery) and linebacker Ben Ashcraft (seven tackles).

Emotions were running high during the game and the poor officiating job (even by junior varsity standards) didn't help the cause. Fortunately, it seems as if both teams escaped without injury which is amazing considering how many times the official let running backs take unnecessary additional shots because of the lateness of blowing the whistle. There were a couple of blow to the head shots against receivers that went uncalled as well as one blatant hit against a defenseless receiver and more than a few late shots undetected by this crew. Can't say I was too impressed with the quality of the public-address announcing either. I'm assuming it was an active Harvard player who had the microphone and thinking my ears won't be recovering any time soon. I'm also convinced that if I attended an event at Harvard Stadium in the middle of July, I'd need a winter coat. I actually did see the sun once or twice but it wasn't until I attempted to navigate my way back to my hotel (very poorly, I will admit) did the sun make an appearance blinding me as I attempted to read street signs. Every time I've been to this field, it has been bitter cold. Two years ago at the varsity game, I was probably as cold as I have ever been.

As for Harvard, I was impressed with sophomore receiver Curtis Ross (5 catches, 79 yards and a touchdown and unlike most of the other Harvard receivers he did not short arm balls going over the middle of the field. Freshman defensive end Austin Taylor was in the backfield on a regular basis for the Crimson.

Looking ahead to next year, I can update the recruiting situation a bit. Likely letters have been sent out to five players so far
Staples defensive end Chris Coyne and linebacker Pat Murray, Union (N.J.) linebacker Everett Johnson and offensive linemen Ben Carbery from Oak Park in River Forest, Ill. and Steve Shoemaker from Bronxville, N.Y.

There could be a few more players getting likely letters in the next week or two meaning that their applications for early admission have been approved by Yale.

Updating a previous report on the three Yale seniors who are eligible to return for a fifth season because they lost a year - or at least most of it - due to injury, center Jake Koury said he has yet to make a decision.

"I am going to get through this game," Koury said. "I haven’t made any decisions yet. We’ll see what happens but I am going to finish this game out first."

Receiver Gio Christodoulou said he is planning to take advantage of the extra season while I have yet to bring up the topic with senior linebacker Jesse Reising. Yale is also expected to get back defensive end Pat Moran and receiver Peter Balsam, who took this year off.

Yale senior center Jake Koury and senior linebacker Jesse Reising were among 13 Ivy Leaguers named to the District 1 first team in the university division of the CoSIDA Academic All-American team.

Koury, an economics major with a 3.65 grade point average, and Reising, a political science/economics major with a 3.75 GPA, will be placed on the national ballot for the CoSIDA Academic All-American team which will be announced on Nov. 23.

Here's the complete list of honorees

As I'm sure it was in football locker room across the country, the members of the Yale football team couldn't help but talk about the tragic accident at Notre Dame when the tower used to film football practice toppled over killing 20-year-old Declan Sullivan yesterday.

"I found out about it this morning when I heard guys in the locker room talk about it," Yale coach Tom Williams said. "It sounds like the conditions were such that I would have had a hard time sending the kid up to the video. If it was 50 mile an hour winds which was what I was told. In Jacksonville (Williams was a defensive assistant with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars before taking the Yale job) it was one of the thunder/stormy Florida days. The wind was whipping up our video guy said 'Coach, I'm not sending those guys up there.' (Jaguars head coach) Jack (Del Rio) said 'I don't blame you, video's not that important.'

"We obviously keep an eye on the weather. Lightning is our biggest concern here but if anything like that is going on, my responsibility as a head coach is to protect them as best I can."


Running back Mordecai Cargill was the only regular varsity player who did not practice Thursday morning. Cargill underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus last week and figures to miss at least the next two games.

Yale only had four tailbacks on the roster to begin with and with Cargill out of action, receiver Brandis Yarrington has taken some snaps at running back and fellow receiver Deon Randall ran some plays against Penn out of the backfield, something that should continue to happen. Tate Harshbarger, a freshman walk on, also saw some time at tailback in Thursday's practice.

I have kind of a funny story about Harshbarger. In both years that Williams has been the Yale head coach, he has asked myself and the Register's sports columnist Dave Solomon to speak to the Yale team before the season. This year I was waiting in the hallway outside the football offices when Tate came up to me and said he was interested in trying out for the team. It might be the first time I've been confused with being a football coach in my journalism career. When Steve Conn, Yale's SID, came upstairs I told him about Tate's inquiry and he sent him into one of the back rooms to meet with the coaches. I have seen him at practice but today was the first time I saw him taking part in drills. I'd expect to see him get some work in Sunday's JV game against Bridgton Academy (noon, Clint Frank Field). Harshbarger had 115 tackles and ran for 199 yards as a senior at El Rancho High in Pico Rivera, Calif.

One last bit of news. Although junior defensive end Matt Battaglia has practiced all week, Williams wasn't sure if he'll play on Saturday and mentioned that a decision may not be made until pre-game warmups on Saturday.

COLUMBIA'S GROSS HONORED
Columbia senior linebacker Alex Gross, the Ivy League's leading tackler, was named as one of the 16 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete. Gross, the only Ivy Leaguer so honored, will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and is a candidate for the Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the Academic Heisman.

Yale senior linebacker Jesse Reising was one of the 121 candidates but he did not make the list of 16 finalists.

I caught the last half hour or so of Yale's practice on Thursday and senior defensive end Tom McCarthy is still being held out because of a calf strain. It's likely that the Yale captain will miss his second straight game.

"Here is what my thinking is, instead of having him come back and play in a non-conference game - we could use him - but I’d rather get him another week of rest and get him ready for Dartmouth," Yale coach Tom Williams said. "If we had to play him, if this is Harvard, I think he’d play but we are going to err on the side of being smart with the season as opposed to just this game."

Also, running back Mordecai Cargill, slowed by a hip flexor and is questionable. If Cargill is held out, sophomore Javier Sosa would likely be the top backup to starting tailback Alex Thomas while promising freshman Elijah Thomas could also figure into the equation.

There's been no decision on whether Matt Battaglia, who has practiced all week, will get the call at defensive end. Battaglia started the opener before missing last week's Cornell game with a hamstring issue. Williams said Battaglia will be evaluated to see how he feels before making a final decision. If Battaglia doesn't start, sophomore Allen Davis figures to be in there after recording 2 sacks in just 20 defensive snaps against Cornell.

Williams said that Nathan Burow, a former starting offensive lineman, will not play again because of a torn labrum. Burow will follow the path of another former starting lineman Nate Blair by becoming a volunteer assistant coach/manager with the team.

REISING A CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST
Yale senior linebacker Jesse Reising is one of 28 Football Championship Subdivision and four Ivy League players named as semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, considered to college football's premier scholar-athlete award.

Players are nominated by their schools and must have at least a 3.2 grade point average, be a key contributor on the field and according to the release put out by the National Football Foundation "demonstrate strong leadership and citizenship."

Reising, a first-year starter, is second on the 2-0 Bulldogs with 12 tackles and has also broken up two passes. Reising is planning to enroll in Marine Corps Officer Candidate School after graduating from Yale. Reising has a 3.75 GPA in economics/political science.

Brown's Kyle Newhall-Caballero, Columbia's Alex Gross and Dartmouth's Tanner Scott are also among the candidates as is Albany's Chris Blais.