Yale Football Blog

Preseason camp is finally here and the number one ranked Bulldogs seek to reclaim the Ivy League crown after a disappointing 2018 campaign.

Quarterbacks: Kurt Rawlings returns to spearhead the Yale offense after a leg injury derailed his season. The Elis can’t afford to lose Rawlings again, so he must limit his downfield running and look to throw the ball out of bounds when there are no open receivers. Griffin O’Connor is more than capable as a backup and will be well prepared in the event of an injury to Rawlings.

Projected Starter: Kurt Rawlings

Running Backs: The running back position has arguably more talent and depth than any other position on this team. Alan Lamar, Zane Dudek and Spencer Alston will pose challenges for opposing defenses with their varying styles. Dudek is a game-changer when fully healthy, while Lamar and Alston can pound defenses with their strength and power.

Projected Starter: Alan Lamar

Wide Receivers: JP Shohfi and Reed Klubnik combine to form the top receiving duo in the Ivy League. Who will step-up to be the third wide receiver this season? Rouse, Carrington, and Sandifer all seem to be likely candidates, although Seniors Caden Herring and Garrett White could overtake them on the depth chart with a strong preseason.

Projected Starters: JP Shohfi, Reed Klubnik, and Melvin Rouse

Tight End: Reno shocked fans last season when he announced JJ Howland as the starting tight end. Howland had a solid season both in run blocking and pass catching. D. Major Roman can stretch the field vertically and possesses fantastic hands. Look for Howland and Roman to continue to make major strides in 2019.

Projected Starter: JJ Howland

Offensive Line: The Yale offense will live and die by the play of its offensive line this season. The offensive line struggled to pick up blitzes and was often pushed around by strong bullrushers in 2018. There is too much experience and talent on this line to not dominate in 2019. Hinish and Tribble will likely battle it out for the starting guard position, while a number of talented underclassmen have the potential to unseat established starters.

Projected Starters: Cameron Warfield, Jacob Hinish, Steven Cepalia, Sterling Strother, Dieter Eiselen

Defensive Line: The defensive line simply must create more penetration in 2019. Matthaei and Keeler have to improve their consistency and production at defensive tackle to aid a linebacking corps that struggled to make tackles in 2018. The defensive ends have to contain outside runs and get more hits on the quarterback to take pressure off of the defensive backs. Beyond Moore and Callender, there are several defensive ends worthy of playing time including Sean Kissel, Reid Nickerson, Christian Sampleton and Oso Ifesinachukwu.

Projected Starters: Devin Moore, Spencer Matthaei, Josh Keeler and Charles Callender

Linebackers: We will likely see a rotation of linebackers once again this season as there are a number of talented players that are nearly equivalent in production. John Dean, Ryan Burke, Blake Hill and Micah Awodiran all have the ability to start at inside linebacker. Noah Pope, Jordan Carey or Miles Oldacre could start on the outside, although Oldacre seems to be a better candidate for the strong safety position and remains listed as a defensive back on the roster.

Projected Starters: Ryan Burke, John Dean, and Noah Pope

Defensive Backs: The defensive backs were by far the most criticized unit in 2018. Defenders refused to play the ball in the air and could not make necessary downfield tackles. Without a drastic change in the secondary, we will fall prey to skilled aerial attacks. The competition for the starting corner and strong safety positions will be the most intriguing aspects of fall camp.

Projected Starters: Malcolm Dixon, Jaelin Alburg, Miles Oldacre and Rodney Thomas

Yale remains as the winningest FCS program in history with a whopping 907 wins since play began in 1872. Harvard trails Yale by 32 wins, while Penn, Princeton and Dartmouth also appear in the NCAA’s Top 9 list: https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2019-07-22/9-winningest-fcs-teams-college-football-history

We are under two months to kickoff versus Holy Cross. This will be an early test for the defense particularly the defensive line and secondary as these units struggled down the stretch in the Crusaders’ stunning comeback last season. The first three contests will be at home (versus Holy Cross, Cornell and Fordham), before the Bulldogs hit the road for Hanover in Week 4 for what should be a highly anticipated game against the Big Green. Week 5 offers a unique challenge as Yale heads to Richmond to face a very talented and physical squad. Heading into the brunt of the Ivy League schedule in Week 6, we should have a clear understanding of this Yale team’s toughness.

For those of you craving football in any form, Netflix’s new season of “Last Chance U” offers an entertaining glimpse into the world of junior college football in Kansas.

Make sure to buy your Pin Flags to honor Greg Hall at the upcoming golf outing! You don’t want to miss the opportunity to chat with Jack Siedlecki, so get your foursomes together.

We are under three months to kickoff at Yale on September 21st versus Holy Cross. Last season’s second half collapse against the Crusaders set the tone for a disappointing 2018 campaign, but the Elis will be hungry for redemption in New Haven.

Reno and company snagged a pair of solid commits over the last few weeks:

Teo Falk is a 6-6.5, 235 lb. Defensive End from Sweden that had other offers from Temple, Penn, Towson, and UMASS.

Ben Mann is a 6-4, 205 lb. Tight End/Defensive End/Long Snapper from Manheim Township, Pennsylvania. Mann’s grandfather was a former Bulldog football player, so blue runs in his veins.

The annual Ivy League Media Day will be hosted at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol on August 15th.

Photographs posted on Facebook show that the Yale Bowl has officially been resurfaced. Will the new synthetic surface be an advantage for Yale given our team speed or will it lead to more devastating injuries that derail seasons? Only time will tell.

Yale fans that were looking forward to seeing Nathan Puletasi suit up for the Elis next season were disappointed last week when his name was missing from the incoming class posted by the Yale Football Twitter account. This is nothing new for the Yale faithful as we typically see one to three recruits head to Choate every recruiting cycle. This year we were fortunate enough to land Patrick Nauert, a 6’4″, 270 lb. defensive lineman from the Air Force Academy. Some posters have reported his current weight as high as 300 lbs. 24/7 Sports ranked Nauert as a two star prospect out of high school and he held offers from four FBS schools: Air Force, Toledo, Ball State, and Ohio. He’s a very strong defender with a quick first step and the speed to chase down backs. Check out his footage on Hudl: https://www.hudl.com/profile/3400629/Patrick-Nauert

The Yale Football Twitter recently posted the members of the Class of 2023.

Michael Connor, Linebacker from New Jersey

Tyler Dilenno, Safety from New Jersey

Nolan Grooms, Quarterback from South Carolina

Jailon Henry, Defensive Lineman from Florida

Brayden Carey, Wide Receiver from Georgia

Joshua Eboboko, Running Back from North Carolina

Du’Shaunte Holloway, Defensive Back from Georgia

Marcus Mauney, Defensive Lineman from North Carolina

Ryan McCann, Offensive Lineman from New Jersey

Joshua McKenzie, Running Back from New Jersey

Jonathan Mendoza, Offensive Lineman from New York

Jack Twyford, Offensive Lineman from Florida

Hamilton Moore, Linebacker from North Carolina

Mason Tipton, Wide Receiver from Ohio

Brandon Benn, Safety from Tennessee

Jermaine Baker, Outside Linebacker from Illinois

Isaac Mitchell, Defensive Lineman from Kansas

Clay Patterson, Defensive Lineman from Texas

Jackson Hawes, Tight End from Utah

Gerron Duhon, Safety from Louisiana

Joey Felton, Wide Receiver from Maryland

Jonathon Durand, Offensive Lineman from Arizona

Wande Owens, Safety from Maryland

Trenton Johnson, Safety from California

Archie Russ, Cornerback from Maryland

Aidan Maloney, Wide Receiver from Oregon

Patrick Nauert, Defensive Lineman from Michigan

Joseph Vaughn, Linebacker from California

Jack Bosman, Kicker from California

Brandon Babcock, Offensive Lineman from Arizona

Here are our choices for the Top 5 Incoming Freshmen we are excited to see play:

Gerron Duhon, CB

Joseph Vaughn, LB

Jack Twyford, OL

Josh McKenzie, RB

Aidan Maloney, WR

It was a heartbreaking weekend for the Men’s Lacrosse squad as they lost the NCAA National Championship on Memorial Day to Virginia in a 13-9 contest. Just two days before the title matchup, the Bulldogs shocked the top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions 21-17, but simply never seemed to show the same level of energy versus Virginia. Congratulations to Coach Shay on another memorable season!

Yale extended the contract of Men’s Basketball Head Coach James Jones through 2026. The Bulldogs have won more men’s basketball games in the past five years than any other Ivy League team and Jones’ 310 career victories ties him for second place in all-time Ivy League victories.

The Yale Football Association Golf Outing will be held on August 5th at the Course at Yale. The event will be celebrating our former Head Coach and 2-time Ivy League Champion, Jack Siedlecki.

Hero Sports named JP Shohfi the top FCS player who wears the “88” jersey. With the return of a healthy Rawlings, this will be the first of many awards for Shohfi. Will Shohfi or Klubnik lead Yale in receiving yards in 2019?

Trib Total Media posted a podcast with Gus Frerotte interviewing Foye Oluokun. Check out the episodes here: https://triblive.com/sports/podcast-gus-frerotte-huddles-up-with-falcons-lb-foye-oluokun/

The Hartford Courant posted a fascinating piece on Jacob Van de Grift’s documentary of Carm Cozza. Check out the article here: https://www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-sp-college-yale-carm-cozza-documentary-20190509-20190508-k27omkswcbguvjpebmktpmtpqe-story.html

No Yalies were selected in the 2019 NFL Draft and the Ivy League as a whole was shutout, although several top players such as Princeton’s Jesper Horsted have signed as undrafted free agents. Foye Oluokun continues to impress the league. The Atlanta Falcon’s official website reviewed three rookies from 2018 and Oluokun was referenced as the most impactful of the group as an “intelligent and focused” athlete. The full article can be accessed here: https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/how-the-falcons-three-rookie-defenders-fared-in-2018

Men’s Lacrosse will faceoff against Georgetown this Saturday at 2:30 PM ET on ESPNU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs defeated Cornell 15-10 in the first round of the Ivy League tournament before dropping a close contest to Penn on Sunday.

Spring Ball officially concluded on Saturday with the “One New Haven” event at Bowen Field. The offense and defense competed for nine quarters on a rain-soaked afternoon with the offense edging the defense 5-4. The defense surprisingly won the first quarter as the offense struggled to get into a rhythm, but the offense eventually found its groove to best the defense on the day. The defense at all three levels appears to be much further ahead in their development than just a season ago with key battles pushing players to improve. The linebackers and defensive backs are likely still the weakest positional groups overall, but they seem to be improving at a faster rate than other more established groups.

The next time the Bulldogs will be suiting up as a team will be mid-August for the start of fall camp. Summer attendance for players sounds like it will be very high this summer as the Elis continuously seek to get bigger, faster and stronger for the upcoming campaign.

Men’s Lacrosse defeated Albany this weekend 10-5, while Men’s Baseball swept Penn in a three game series 6-5, 9-7, and 8-0.

Footage posted on Yale Football’s Twitter page showed Tyler Jost at Left Tackle, Dieter Eiselen at Left Guard, Sterling Strother at Center, Steven Cepalia at Right Guard and Cameron Warfield at Right Tackle. Is this a preview of the starting lineup or is Reno simply tinkering with the lineup to find the best possible combination?

Practices this week will be held on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Saturday practice will take place at Bowen Field as part of the “Our New Haven” event. Yale coaches will run a youth clinic beginning at 12:30 PM on Saturday and the players will take the field at 2 PM for the last practice of Spring Ball.

Men’s Lacrosse beat Brown on Saturday 17-12. Men’s Baseball continues the downward spiral dropping 4 straight games since Wednesday.

The Bulldogs now have six practices under their belts with another six upcoming. Practices this week will be held on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Top performers from Spring Ball that we keep hearing about:

Rawlings

Lamar

Herring

Ifesinachukwu

McElwain

Men’s Baseball dropped to 11-16 after this weekend going 1-2 in a three game series versus Harvard.

Men’s Lacrosse beat Dartmouth 20-8 on Saturday and is currently ranked #5 in the country.