Yale Football Blog – Page 9 – Yale Football News Written By Former Bulldogs

Recruit Breakdown Pt. 1

AD Adelabu is a 6’5”, 320-pound offensive tackle who demonstrates excellent leg drive and consistently finishes defenders. He possesses prototypical size for the position and shows the athleticism needed to pull and make blocks downfield. In high school, he also played defensive end, where he proved effective as a pass rusher and used his long arms to deflect both field goals and passes. A three-star prospect, he received offers from Army, Fresno State, and Navy.

Lucius Anderson is a 6’2”, 200-pound wide receiver with great height and reliable hands. He is very shifty after the catch, showing the ability to break tackles and use a strong stiff-arm to gain extra yardage. His vision and cutback abilities allow him to find open lanes, and he has the skill to disengage from a cornerback at the last second to create separation.

Brady Carson is a 6’1”, 200-pound safety who excelled as a two-way player at the high school level, contributing both as a safety and as a quarterback. He rushed for over 1,400 yards, displaying impressive speed, power, and balance with the ball in his hands. On defense, he shows a strong feel for coverages and possesses good ball skills. Given his offensive background, he could also be an intriguing option to run wildcat quarterback plays at the next level.

Hutch Chipman is a 6’4”, 235-pound tight end who plays in the mold of Jimmy Graham, with the versatility to line up both at tight end and wide receiver. He has a knack for finding holes in zone coverages and was nearly impossible for smaller defensive backs to bring down, consistently racking up yards after the catch. With his combination of height and strong hands, he is highly effective at securing contested catches.

Xavier Coleman is a 6’2”, 238-pound defensive end who shows strong hand usage to disengage from blockers and make plays. He has solid speed that allows him to chase down plays from the backside and can quickly collapse the pocket as a pass rusher. Against the run, he is powerful enough to push around offensive tackles and disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage. His overall skill set is comparable to that of former outside linebacker Brian Abraham.

Offseason

One Month Out

The Bulldogs are just one month away from the home opener on September 20^th at the Bowl versus Holy Cross. Holy Cross travels to Northern Illinois on August 30^th for a tough matchup and the Crusaders will be playing in their fourth contest of the season when they square off against Yale.

Preseason Poll

Harvard

Dartmouth

Yale

Columbia

Princeton

Penn

Cornell

Brown

YaleFB Picks (excluding Yale)

Dartmouth

Harvard

Princeton

Columbia

Penn

Cornell

Brown

Stay tuned for a breakdown of the incoming recruits over the next few days.

Offseason

Summer Updates

Similar to last season, for fans thinking the quarterback competition would come down to McCaughey and Howe duking it out for the top spot, Coach Reno pulled a cat out of the bag to change course. Tony’s son, Dante Reno, a former 3-star recruit and backup quarterback for South Carolina, has transferred to Yale to play for his father. Behind one of the SEC’s top returning quarterbacks on the depth chart, it was clear that Dante would not see significant playing time barring injuries at South Carolina, so it was a smart move for him to upgrade his educational opportunities and boost his playing time at Yale. The unfortunate casualty in this process was the talented dual-threat quarterback, Bradyn Fleharty, who transferred to Ball State. Coach Reno now has the difficult task of trying to separate his coaching life from his family life as this blurred line could be detrimental to locker room morale if not managed properly.

Cornerback Breylan Thompson, who could have been a cornerstone of the defense for the next three seasons, has transferred to Stanford. While Stanford clearly respects the talents of Ivy League athletes, the coaching staff has not shown the willingness to give Ivy transfers significant playing time. Former Yale defender, Clay Patterson, had just two tackles last season for the Cardinal, while former Princeton running back, Ryan Butler, saw just seven carries in 2024 before entering the transfer portal. If Thompson is unable to crack the starting lineup this season, it will be a huge blow to his development and possible journey to the NFL.

On the other end of the spectrum is Ezekiel Larry. Larry sought NIL money and greener pastures last year at San Diego State but has returned to Yale in a huge win for the defense. Larry’s ability to fly past opposing offensive tackles with his quickness off the line was sorely missed last season. A potential lineup of Larry, Egodogbare, Yang, and Jackson-Bass could be a nightmare for opponents in 2025.

It sounds as though Mason Shipp will be returning for a 5^th year to bolster what appeared to be a nearly depleted wide receiver unit. Clayton Sobecki, a 6’1”, 170 lb. athlete, has transferred to Yale after a season at the Air Force Academy. Sobecki received offers from Army, Navy and Air Force as a high school recruit and adds much needed speed to Yale as a 10.5 second 100-meter runner. Expectations are very high for Jaxton Santiago after a breakout freshman campaign in 2024.

Offseason

Class of 2029

Aderian Adelabu

Position: OL
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 285 lbs.
High School: Franklin HS (CA)
Hometown: Elk Grove, Calif.

Lucius Anderson

Position: WR
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High School: Christian Brothers Academy (NY)
Hometown: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Brady Carson

Position: DB
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High School: Van Alstyne HS (TX)
Hometown: Van Alstyne, Tex.

Hutch Chipman

Position: TE
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 216 lbs.
High School: Episcopal School of Dallas (TX)
Hometown: Dallas, Tex.

Xavier Coleman

Position: DL
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High School: North Crowley HS (TX)
Hometown: Fort Worth, Tex.

Sam Connelly

Position: OL
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 250 lbs.
High School: Marin Catholic HS (CA)
Hometown: San Anselmo, Calif.

Hugo Djeumeni

Position: RB
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High School: Tabor Academy (MA)
Hometown: Ottawa, Canada

Erik Ekens

Position: DL
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 257 lbs.
High School: St. Xavier (KY)
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.

PJ Hartsfield

Position: DB
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 170 lbs.
High School: Rolesville HS (NC)
Hometown: Wake Forest, N.C.

Charlie Hewitt

Position: QB
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High School: Hill School (PA)
Hometown: Cohasset, Mass.

Thomas Hoey

Position: OL
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 270 lbs.
High School: Phillips Exeter Academy (NH)
Hometown: Sutton, Mass.

Jevidi Hutton

Position: DL
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High School: Fishers HS (IN)
Hometown: Fishers, Ind.

Reid Jones

Position: WR
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High School: Cardinal Hayes (NY)
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tru Kendrick

Position: OL
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 270 lbs.
High School: Vanden HS (CA)
Hometown: Fairfield, Calif.

Alex Kraus

Position: LB
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 205 lbs.
High School: Coppell HS (TX)
Hometown: Coppell, Tex.

Gray McGown

Position: OL
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 275 lbs.
High School: Oxford HS (MS)
Hometown: Oxford, Miss.

Cameron Nelson

Position: SAF
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High School: Clear Lake HS (TX)
Hometown: Houston, Tex.

Uchenna Onwuasoanya

Position: DB
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 175 lbs.
High School: Choate Rosemary Hall (CT)
Hometown: North Haven, Conn.

Noah Piper

Position: K-P
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 180 lbs.
High School: Greenhill School (TX)
Hometown: Flower Mound, Tex.

Lucas Price

Position: LB
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 210 lbs.
High School: Walled Lake Western (MI)
Hometown: Commerce Twp, Mich.

John Prokapus

Position: OL
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 275 lbs.
High School: Shawnee HS (NJ)
Hometown: Medford, N.J.

Jimmy Randazzo

Position: OL
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 300 lbs.
High School: Waddington HS (NC)
Hometown: Weddington, N.C.

Max Ruedebusch

Position: DL
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 235 lbs.
High School: Lake Mills HS (WI)
Hometown: Lake Mills, Wisc.

Spring Updates

Men’s Basketball fell to Texas A&M in the first round of March Madness in an 80-71 contest. Congrats to Coach Jones for another phenomenal season in which the Bulldogs captured both the regular season and post-season championships.

Jackson Hawes continued to elevate his draft stock with an impressive showing at the NFL Combine. Hawes measured 6’4.5″, 253 lbs., and ran a 4.82 40-yard dash with a stellar 34.5″ vertical jump. Hawes could potentially be a late round draft selection for a team looking for a solid blocker with additional upside as a receiving threat. If Hawes somehow falls out of the draft process, he will definitely be scooped up as an undrafted free agent with an opportunity to prove his worth in a preseason camp.

If you missed the April 5th Blue-White Scrimmage as most likely did, there are still two additional dates open to the public on April 12th (11:30 AM) and April 19th (1 PM).

Some positions of concern in the offseason:

QB – Grant Jordan surprised most fans by earning the starting nod in 2024 and performed remarkably well in his lone season. With Jordan gone, it’s back to the drawing board with McCaughey, Howe and Fleharty. McCaughey was the star in the victory over Holy Cross before a letdown in the Cornell game. The Cornell loss can’t be attributed to McCaughey alone as the offensive line was manhandled, the special teams units put Yale in an early hole and the defense was torn to shreds by Jameson Wang. Howe saw some playing time in that ugly Cornell game but failed to ignite much of a spark for the offense. Reno is very optimistic for the future development of Fleharty as a true dual-threat quarterback, so it will be very interesting to see his improvement throughout the off-season.

WR – The wide receivers’ room hasn’t been this concerning in years. Pantelis, Nenad, Shipp and Felton cannot be easily replaced, although some have speculated that Shipp might be able to return as a fifth-year. Jaxton Santiago could become the centerpiece of Yale’s aerial assault as a big-bodied (6’3″, 215 lbs.) possession receiver. Beyond Santiago, there is little returning production with Nico Brown and Garon Kemp seeing some action in 2024. The cabinet is not bare, but Yale will really need to focus on wide receiver development in the offseason to stay relevant in the Ivy hunt for 2025.

TE – The loss of Yates and Foster dampers the mood on the returning pass catching production, while Mann and Belk were standouts on special teams who have also graduated. Mermans was used extensively in run blocking and will need to improve his route running and catching abilities to become a true featured tight end. A number of freshmen and sophomores will need to step up as receiving threats to reestablish this as a position of strength.

LB – The linebacker position experienced the most significant decline in performance from 2023 to 2024. Had Vaughn or Moore been in the mix at linebacker in 2024, there’s no question that Yale would have secured a share of the title. If Yale cannot develop one star in Phoenix Grant, Steven Partin, Joseph Barry, Melik Williams, Eddie Palumbo or Joe McCord with another two as serviceable starters, it will be a long season in New Haven. The Elis might be forced to gut their secondary depth by bringing down larger defensive backs such as Kamara or Eastep to piece together a respectable front seven on defense.

Winter Updates

Recruiting List

Sam Connelly, DL, 6′4″, 250 lbs., Marin Catholic (Kentfield, CA)

Jimmy Randazzo, OL; 6′5″, 290 lbs., Weddington (Matthews, NC)

Xavier Coleman, DE, 6′3”, 225 lbs., North Crowley (Fort Worth, TX)

Max Ruedebusch, TE, 6’5″, 235lbs., Lake Mills (Lake Mills, WI)

Hugo Djeumeni, RB, 6’0″, 190 lbs., Tabor Academy (Marion, MA)

Trevor Havill, QB, 6’6”, 210 lbs., Avon Old Farms/St. Xavier (Avon, CT/Louisville, KY)

Chenna Onwuasoanya, DB, 5′11”, 175 lbs., Choate Rosemary/Hamden Hall (Wallingford, CT/North Haven, CT)

Tommy Hoey, OL, 6′ 4″, 285 lbs., Phillips Exeter (Exeter, NH)

Noah Piper, K, 6′3″, 180 lbs., Greenhill (Addison, TX)

Gray McGown, OT, 6’6”, 270 lbs., Oxford (Oxford, MS)

Alex Kraus, S, 6’1”, 200 lbs., Coppell (Coppell, TX)

Cameron Nelson, S, 6’1”, 190lbs., Clear Lake (Houston, TX)

Jev Hutton, DE/OLB, 6’2”, 225lbs., Fishers (Fishers, IN)

Hutch Chipman, TE, 6′4″, 225 lbs., Episcopal (Dallas, TX)

PJ Hartsfield, DB, 6’1”, 175 lbs., Rolesville (Rolesville, NC)

Erik Ekens, DL, 6’3”, 250 lbs., St. Xavier (Louisville, KY)

Devon Oliver, DT, 6’3”, 275 lbs., Parkway (Bossier City, LA)

Lucas Price, LB, 6’2”, 200 lbs., Walled Lake Western (Commerce Township, MI)

Lucius Anderson, WR, 6’1”, 205 lbs., Christian Brothers (Albany, NY)

Aderian Adelabu, OL, 6’5” 305 lbs., Franklin (Elk Grove, CA)

Josiah Pope, LB, 6’2”, 215 lbs., Hiram (Hiram, GA)

Reid Jones, WR, 6’2″, 190 lbs., Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, NY)

John Prokapus, OL, 6’4′, 280 lbs., Shawnee (Medford, NJ)

Charles Hewitt, QB, 6’6″, 225 lbs., The Hill School (Pottstown, PA)

Brady Carson, ATH, 6’1”, 190 lbs., Van Alstyne (Van Alstyne, TX)

Tru Kendrick, OT, 6’6”, 255 lbs., Vanden (Fairfield, CA)

Let us know who we are currently missing!

Men’s Basketball is currently 9-0 in conference play (16-6 overall record) with a big weekend ahead for the Elis as they host the Big Red and Lions on Friday night and Saturday night respectively.

Men’s Lacrosse entered the season with a top 10 national ranking but fell to Villanova last weekend in the season opener 11-13 and then was routed by Army 3-14 this past Wednesday.

Men’s Ice Hockey has had a brutal season with a 6-17-2 overall record and a very difficult matchup at Quinnipiac tonight.

David Pantelis has committed to Stanford, following in the footsteps of Clay Patterson. Pantelis selected Stanford over other major programs such as Michigan, Missouri, West Virginia and Kentucky.

Coming off a tremendous season at Georgia Tech, Jackson Hawes earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl and impressed scouts with his dominant blocking abilities and sure hands. While scouts were aware of his blocking skills prior to the Senior Bowl, Hawes turned heads with an impressive one-handed reception in practice. Several publications are now listing Hawes as a top 10 tight end heading into the draft.

YaleFB Awards

MVP: David Pantelis, WR

Senior of the Year: David Pantelis, WR

Junior of the Year: Ejiroghene Egodogbare, DT

Sophomore of the Year: Abu Kamara, S/LB

Rookie of the Year: Breylan Thompson, CB

Most Improved over Career: Grant Jordan, QB

Offensive Lineman of the Year: Michael Bennett, OT

Defensive Lineman of the Year: Ejiroghene Egodogbare, DT

Offensive Skill Position Player of the Year: David Pantelis, WR

Defensive Skill Position Player of the Year: Abu Kamara, S/LB

Specialist of the Year: Ben Mann, LS

Most Underrated Player: Luke Foster, TE

Ivy News

The Ivy League Council of Presidents has approved the proposal to allow the Ancient Eight members to participate in the FCS Playoffs beginning in 2025. Yale’s Mason Shipp wrote the proposal as the SAAC Chair and the Ivy League will now be tasked with devising a method to settle tiebreakers for the Ivy League’s automatic qualifying bid into the playoffs.

First Team All-Ivy

Michael Bennett, OL

David Pantelis, WR

Ejiroghene Egodogbare, DL

Abu Kamara, LB

Second Team All-Ivy

Joshua Pitsenberger, RB

Tamatoa McDonough, DL

Osize Daniyan, DB

Honorable Mention All-Ivy

Connor Smith, OL

Grant Jordan, QB

Alvin Gulley, DL

Game Week

Harvard Notes

The Bulldogs finished their season with an impressive 34-29 victory over Harvard in Cambridge. Yale posted the same 7-3 record as 2023 but Columbia, Dartmouth and Harvard split the title this season with 5-2 records that bested Yale’s 4-3 record in conference play.

Jordan led a great offensive performance against a tough Crimson defense. Under heavy pressure, Jordan was able to break loose for key yardage on the ground and elude defenders long enough to find open receivers downfield. Jordan finished with 287 passing yards, 73 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. The offensive line gave up only one sack and allowed Pitsenberger to take control in the running game. Pitsenberger rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown but had his best play of the season on a 39-yard reception for a touchdown that showcased his vision, speed and cutback abilities. Peterson added another 27 rushing yards to cap off his career at Yale. Pantelis played just a week after the possible concussion and was as dominant as ever with 7 catches for 148 yards. An illegal man downfield penalty negated a possible touchdown reception for Pantelis early on. Nenad had a tremendous afternoon with 4 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. Reno and staff came out a bit too aggressively with the early fourth down attempt in field goal territory but settled in throughout the contest with a decent balance of play calling to keep the clock burning and the chains moving. Yale held the ball over 37 minutes and racked up 503 yards to close out on an exciting year offensive football.

The defense was missing Guyton, Tarver and Webster, yet still managed to put together one of the best performances of the season. Gulley and Egodogbare bullied Harvard’s front as they combined for 4 tackles and a sack. McDonough and Yang played well, each recording a sack. Thompson was put in a difficult position as a freshman covering elite receivers on an island and was cited for numerous pass interference penalties. Kamara led in tackles with 8 and returned an interception for a touchdown that proved to be the difference in the contest. Daniyan applied the pressure forcing the interception and blocked a punt to give Yale great field advantage. Ayo-Durojaiye and Biggs’ contributions from the linebacker spot helped to limit Harvard to just 57 rushing yards on the day. Yale’s defense had struggled to contain rushing quarterbacks, so the lack of carries for DePrima played to the Bulldogs’ strengths. Craig appeared to be suffering from lingering effects of his concussion with errant passes he typically would not throw. He still managed to throw for nearly 300 yards and 3 touchdowns but couldn’t consistently drive the Crimson as they converted on just 3 of 15 third down attempts. Freshman JP Schmidt was called into duty at defensive back and made a huge impact with a forced fumble. Joseph Gonzales came up with clutch tackles and half a sack. The defense really came together at the end of the season to limit high-flying offenses.

Conforti nailed both of his field goal attempts with a long of 36 in the contest. Florio was luckily not needed often and punted three times with a 37.0-yard average. Yale won the special teams battle with an onside recovery and a blocked punt.

Congrats to all for a hard-fought victory in The Game!

Game Week