Hanover's Regan Commits to Hobart

Welcome to April! I hope everyone had a nice Easter and Passover. 

Our latest update on the Class of 2028 will be from Hanover HS (MA) SR DL John Regan. One of the captains of the Hawks, Regan racked up 65 total tackles, six sacks, 11 TFL and one FF his senior season. 

You can check out his highlight reel here. 

From the film you can see he gets a good push up the LOS with a lower center of gravity and good hips, which helps his swim moves towards the ball carrier. I also wasn't surprised to see he is also on the wrestling team, based on how he gets off the ball and tackles. 

Please join me in welcoming John and the extended Regan family to the Hobart College Football one. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Germantown Academy's Lara Likes #TheHobartWay

Germantown Academy (PA)'s SR RB/FS Anthony Lara posted on his Instagram account last week that he's "both extremely excited and humbled to announce my commitment to Hobart College and continue my academic and athletic career! Thank you to my family, my coaches, and my teammates. Thank you Coach DeWall and the Hobart coaching staff for believing in me and this opportunity. A special thanks to my loved ones for the countless hours spent supporting me on the football field! #TheHobartWay 🧡💜🤍"

Lara has some great football instincts and is a shifty runner in open space. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

I imagine the recruiting news around the Class of 28 will slow down until regular decisions are posted in April. I expect HC Kevin DeWall ''00 to take to twitter to start introducing the incoming class around that time as well.

In the meantime. please join me in welcoming Anthony and the extended Lara family to the Hobart College Football one!

Thanks, as always for reading, how about those B2B National Champion "Skatesmen", and go 'Bart!

Somerville's Kaye Selects Statesmen

Although they clearly didn't know that it's Hobart College, I appreciate the coaches and/or sports information people at Somerville HS (NJ) for the following announcement. They tweeted out yesterday that: "Congrats to Senior Braeden Kaye on his commitment to @HobartFootball! Braeden finishes off a great career at The Ville and will no doubt make an impact at the next level."

Braeden is a 6' 2" 225 lbs. OL/DL prospect who played on the interior line on both sides of the ball at SHS. He used his quick feet to be a disruptive force on the DL. He is a bit undersized to play at NG in college, but Hobart's 3-man front has leveraged smaller, quicker guys like Braeden with success. 

You can check out his highlights here. 

Please join me in welcoming Braeden and the extended Kaye family to the Hobart College Football one!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Vestal's McNamara Decides on Statesmen

Yet another strong student athlete for the incoming Class of 2028 just announced on Twitter/X yesterday when Vestal HS (NY) SR DE/OLB/TE Logan McNamara stated he has "committed to [Hobart] to continue my athletic and academic career!"

A fairly versatile athlete, with good size (6' 195 lbs.) and speed (4.62 40-yard dash), I imagine Logan will get consideration for offense and defense. He has sound fundamentals as a OLB/DE. He scrapes to the ball well and has a quick first step on blitzes and pass rushing plays. He's not a bad blocker or receiver either as a FB/HB/TE. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Please join me in welcoming Logan and the extended McNamara family into the Hobart College Football one. 

More recruiting news to come. Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

2024 Season Schedule Release

The 130th season of Hobart College Football will kick off Friday, September 6th against long-time area and Empire 8 rival, Alfred University. Based on prior seasons, it's a pretty safe bet this will be a "Friday Night Lights" game. 

The Statesmen will look to improve upon last season's 7-4 overall mark and can lean on some "home cooking" with key conference matchups against Libert League rivals Ithaca and Union at the "Boz" this fall. 

Hobart will turn some national heads with a long Week 2 road trip to national semifinalists Randolph Macon of the ODAC (VA). This is a playoff type of matchup and it's great to see it on the schedule. After the long trip to and from VA, the Statesmen will return home and welcome new OOC opponent, Moravian University, to the Boz in Week 3.

Week 4 has the Statesmen back on the road to PA to resume what's been a good series against another steadily improving Landmark team in Keystone College.

Week 5 should and will be circled on every Hobart fan's calendar as the defending LL champions, Ithaca College, will make the short ride up to Geneva for a critical conference game to kick off October. Hobart will then go on the road to take on Buffalo State and Saint Lawrence, with a likely Homecoming / Family Weekend game against rivals, Union College. That game will have added significance with former OC and QB Coach Jon Drach just taking over the Garnet Chargers (Dutchmen, ahem). This game could have national and post-season implications going into it also.

Week 9 will be an important road trip to RPI before the Statesmen get a long-awaited bye week. I can't recall the last time Hobart had a bye this late in the season (will have to research that some). 

Week 11 and Senior Day will take place at the "Boz" to wrap up the regular season against Rochester. With this type of schedule, the Statesmen will be challenged but have good opportunities to compete for post-season play, especially with several key matchups at home.

It's a challenging gauntlet for sure, but if Hobart can survive it, they will be in prime position for some big things come November. I can't wait to see how it will play out. 

Only 186 days until kickoff. Go 'Bart! 

Webster Thomas' Meyers Picks Hobart

The Webster Thomas Titans Football twitter account (NY) announced over the weekend that one of their own - SR TE/DE Sean Meyers - has committed to Hobart College. 

I wasn't able to find much information about Sean, other than he played in Section V for the Titans and based on a few short highlight clips, he's a solid pass catching TE and a solid pass rusher on defense. Where he ends up as a Statesmen will be decided upon by the coaching staff come preseason.  

Please join me in welcoming Sean and the extended Meyers family to the Hobart College Football one.

Thanks, as always for reading, and go 'Bart! 

Bernard's Phillips Selects Statesmen

SR WR/DB Jaden Phillips of Bernard HS (NJ) took to Twitter over the weekend to announce he is "very excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Hobart and William Smith College. I want to give thanks to my family, coaches and teammates through this process and keeping me going!"

Jaden is a tall (6' 2") cover corner and/or safety, who has great field vision and movement to the football. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Please join me in welcoming Jaden and the extended Phillips family to the Hobart College Football one. 

More recruiting news and perhaps the 2024 schedule coming up this week!

Go 'Bart! 

Ballston Spa's Powell Picks Statesmen

Don't tell my "In the D3FB Huddle" co-host and Ballston Spa Mayor Frank Rossi, but BSHS SR WR/DB Jacob Powell is leaving the Capitol Region for the Finger Lakes! Kidding aside, Mayor Rossi is very happy for Jacob that he is continuing this career as a student athlete at Hobart. 

Powell was a dual threat for BSHS (NY), helping them make the playoffs for the first time since 2019. He contributed 450 total yards of offense and 7 TDs in his SR season while adding 40 tackles, 4 TFL, 5 INT, 2 PBUs and 0 pass completions allowed as a DB.

You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Please join me (and Mayor Rossi) in welcoming Jacob and the extended Powell family to the Hobart College Football one!

Thanks, as always, for reading and go 'Bart!

Delaware Academy Dynamic Duo Doubles Down on Hobart

Today on Twitter/X Delaware Academy HS (Delhi, NY) SR WR/FS Tanner Bracchy announced that he is "110% committed to @HobartFootball! I would like to thank my family and friends for always being there. I would like to thank @Coach_DeWall for giving me this amazing opportunity! Go Statesmen!"

A shifty speedster, Bracchy moves well in space and has great field vision. He's a bit undersized at 5' 11" and 160 lbs., but you can see from his highlight reel he can make a big play at any time. 

Bracchy's DAHS teammate will be joining him on the Statesmen roster. That teammate is SR TE/DE Angelo Krzyston who also tweeted that he is "Committed to the Hobart way! Thank you to my friends and family who helped me through this process. Thank you to @Coach_DeWall for giving me this amazing opportunity!"

Krzyston is a big and tall (6'5" and 227 lbs.) TE / pass rusher that will be a player both the offense and the defense sides of the ball will be interested in adding to their group. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

This is a rare, one-two punch for Hobart to get two HS teammates as a "package deal" (well, not technically, but you get what I mean).  

Please join me in welcoming both the Bracchy and Krzyston families into the Hobart College Football one.

Thanks, as always for checking the blog and go 'Bart!

Release the Hounds! Hobart to Take on Moravian in Week 3

There was a huge scheduling announcement today from one of the major powers of D3 when the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse released their 2024 slate on Twitter / X to the tune of Jay Z's "New York."  The Eagles, who won the WIAC in 2023 and lost to North Central, 55-42, in the National Quarterfinals, are heading to Troy, NY to take on RPI on Thursday, September 5th. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 PM ET. 

This follows the recent trend of D3 powerhouses going for broke with big scheduling swings and I have to give credit to the Engineers for taking the call here. It shows well on their program and their willingness to take on top teams. 

A little under the radar was this announcement, from the Landmark Conference's Moravian University Greyhounds. They released their 2024 schedule and I noticed that they will be travelling to Geneva in Week 3 to play our Hobart College Statesmen. 

This should be a winnable game for the home team, as the Greyhounds haven't finished better than 5-5 dating back to the 2015 season. Last season Moravian went 4-6 overall and 3-3 in the newly created Landmark Conference. 

I would imagine this means Saint John Fisher will be off the OOC schedule for Hobart, but we will have to wait to see how the rest of the schedule shakes out. We can back into Liberty League games based on schedules released by teams like Ithaca, but given the LL's "island" (i.e., no conference scheduling partner like others in Region 2 and 3) status, it remains to be seen if games like Alfred, Morrisville State and Keystone will stick or be swapped out. 

In the meantime, it'll be nice to see a new school line up against the Statesmen. According to the HWSAthletics.com archive, Hobart has never played the Greyhounds. 

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more news as it unfolds. Good luck to the Statesmen hoops and hockey teams in their playoff games this weekend. Hoping for the best with Hobart lacrosse tonight also. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Deerfield's Aviles Selects Statesmen

A rare get from one of the best prep schools in New England, if not the country, SR DB Xavier Aviles (New Bedford, MA) tweeted out that "After speaking with my family, I am proud and beyond blessed to announce my commitment to Hobart and William Smith Colleges!"

Thanking his HC along with Coach Green and DeWall, Xavier seems excited to become a Statesman. Aviles has good field vision and speed which will help him as either a CB or FS in Hobart's defensive system. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Please join me in welcoming Xavier and the extended Aviles family to the Hobart College Football one!

Thanks, as always for checking the blog and go 'Bart! 

Madison's Preskar Picks Hobart

Last week Daniel Hand HS (Madison, CT) SR WR Owen Preskar took to Twitter/X to announce that: 

"I am very excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Hobart College. Thank you to my family, friends, coaches, and teammates who have helped me along the way. #TheHobartWay"

A sought-after prospect, Hobart beat out programs ranging from WPI, Salve Regina, Ithaca, Muhlenberg and Stonehill to land Owen. Standing 6' 175 lbs., Preskar is a quick receiver who runs good routes and has that special ability to go up and catch passes thrown in tight windows. 

You can check out his highlights here. 

Please join me in welcoming Owen and the extended Preskar family to the Hobart College Football one!

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Fairport's Rucker Selects Statesmen (Twice)

Yesterday the Hobart College Statesmen snagged a veritable "two-fer" with the commitment of Fairport HS (NY) SR QB (and baseball player) Jackson Rucker. He is so far the second, with likely more to come, dual sport commitment we've seen so far this off-season. He'll be joining an already impressive QB Class of 2028. Jackson will be the second FHS player on the Statesmen's roster, the other being SO DL Nick Provenzano.

On Jackson's twitter / X profile he added that:

I have to say I love the ambition and look forward to seeing how Jackson's college career develops. From a football standpoint, Rucker is a smaller QB (5' 11" 175 lbs.) but he plays fast. He is very mobile with a quick release and strong throwing motion that reminds me a lot of Cortland's JR QB Zach Boyes, who I just got to see play in person back in December.

You can check out Jackson's highlights here. 

Please join me in welcoming Jackson and the extended Rucker family to the Hobart Football (and Baseball) one! 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart! 

Gonzaga's Conrath Commits to Hobart

A second QB prospect has decided to join the Hobart College Football Class of 2028, as Gonzaga College HS (Washington, DC) SR QB Aidan Conrath committed to becoming a Statesman over Twitter/X over the weekend. 

Conrath wrote the following message to go along with the photo above:

The HWS branding issues notwithstanding, this is an exciting addition to what's turning out to be a very strong incoming class. Conrath has a lot of intangibles from his size (6' 2" 205 lbs.), stats (over 2,100 yards of total offense, 21 total TDs and only 2 INTs in his senior season), and smarts (carries a 4.33 GPA), making him a great get for Hobart.

You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Please join me in welcoming Aidan and the extended Conrath family to the Hobart College Football one.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

 

St. George's Long Snapper, Weeks, Selects Statesmen

Continuing the longstanding pipeline, St. George's School (RI) SR LS/OL Conor Weeks committed to Hobart back in late October and was admitted ED1 to Hobart College. Weeks will look to fill an important role on special teams that the Statesmen did their best to manage, with mixed results, from last season.

Rated as at least an FCS level LS talent by the Rubio Long Snapping Camp, Conor looks like he could make an immediate impact as a FY Statesman player. 

You can check out his highlights as an OL/DL player here. 

Please join me in welcoming Conor and the extended Weeks family to the Hobart Football one!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

West Orange's Jeffay Signs with Statesmen

Yesterday West Orange HS (NJ) SR DE/TE/OL Jake Jeffay declared on Twitter/X that he is "continuing my athletic and academic career at Hobart!" 

Jake is a big (6'1" 250lbs.) and strong (lists his bench and squat maxes at 350 and 505 lbs.) who can bull rush the QB for a sack or flatten would be tacklers in the run game. Like some other recruits in this class, I imagine there will be a battle amongst the Hobart coaches on where Jake will end up on offense or defense.

You can check out his highlight reel here.

It looks like Hobart beat out the likes of Gettysburg, Wilkes and Rochester based on his timeline. His efforts helped West Orange win a conference title and Jake was named 1st team All-League. Not just a big brute, Jake has excelled in the classroom earning an impressive 3.7. Definitely the kind of scholar athlete we want in Geneva.

Please join me in welcoming Jake and the extended Jeffay family to the Hobart College Football one!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Scranton's James Selects Statesmen

Not sure how I missed this one, but Scranton HS SR OL/DL Javon James committed to coming to Hobart back in November and was recently admitted as part of the Class of 2028 in December. 

Javon is a 6' 3" 275 lbs. lineman who's earned awards from the very competitive Class-5A All-Eastern PA HS football league. He's also a wrestler at SHS who has won multiple tournaments and championships as a heavyweight (which only makes you a better football player). 

Javon ended his impressive HS football career with an All-Region award to go with 171 total tackles, 23.5 TFL and four sacks. Based on the photo below he's already got a lot of school spirit and I'm excited for him to be coming to Hobart.

You can check out his highlights here. 

Please join me in welcoming Javon and his extended family to the Hobart College football one!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Lawrence Academy's Healy is Coming to Hobart

Lawrence Academy (MA) SR OL/DL Sam Healy posted to twitter to declare his commitment to attending Hobart College saying he's "excited for the next 4". 

A big interior lineman at 6' 3" 275 lbs., Sam will likely have both the OL and DL coaches fighting over where he plays. He can pull, get to the second level on offense and has a strong bull rush as a DE. Healy helped his Spartans team and teammates to a 7-2 overall record. 

You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Please join me in welcoming Sam and the extended Healy family to the Hobart Football one!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Commack's Weiss Commits to Hobart

A potential QB of the future recently committed to Hobart College as Commack HS SR QB Jeremy Weiss took to Twitter to announce that he is "blessed to announce my commitment to Hobart College to continue my academic and athletic career. Thank you to everyone in my life who has supported me through my journey."

Weiss fits the physical mold of recent QB's brought in by HC Kevin DeWall '00. He's tall (6' 4") and mobile with good field vision and a strong arm. You can check out his highlights here. 

A three-sport athlete in football, basketball and lacrosse while also carrying a 4.0 unweighted GPA at Commack (NY), Weiss is pretty much the exact kind of student athlete you'd hope would pick Hobart for the next four years. 

Aside from his academic success, Weiss earned All County, All Division and Academic All Division awards as a QB. He was also recognized as the Commack HS Most Outstanding Male Athlete, Offensive MVP by the Commack Football program, and Offensive MVP for team North in the Suffolk County PAL All-Star game. 

I'm always a fan of "Strong Island" guys making the trek up to Geneva for college, so please join me in welcoming Jeremy and the rest of the extended Weiss family into the Hobart College Statesmen football one. 

Thanks as always for reading (hey, this is post #900!) and go 'Bart!

The First Recruiting News for the Class of 2028

Happy New Year, everyone! 

It's been a few months since we last checked in on the happenings of the Hobart College Football team. I've noticed in the last week (likely coinciding with the Early Decision notifications that went out), a handful of future Statesmen student athletes have signed up to come to Geneva this fall. I mentioned the first one somewhat off hand on the Parents and Fans of Hobart Football page but will reintroduce him again (a couple of others) in this post. 

Starting us off from the Lone Star State is North McKinney HS SR DB Sean Kessner. He tweeted out that he had "decided to continue my academic and athletic career at Hobart and William Smith Colleges."

Sean is a rangy, deep safety who excels at coverage and coming up to make a play on the run. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Joining him on the defensive side of the ball is Tabor Academy (MA) DE/MLB Perry Goodridge. Tabor has been a great feeder for Hobart over the years and based on Perry's 2023 season statistics (67 total tackles, 19 TFL and seven sacks), he looks like he could be in the DL/LB rotation early on.

With good size (6' 3" 220 lbs.) coming out of HS, I can see Perry bulking up to be a solid addition to the DL over the course of his Hobart career. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Last but certainly not least is the first of what I hope are a bunch of dual sport commitments like this young man. Hailing from my home state of FL, Ransom Everglades SR PK (and RHP in baseball) Collin Goff is coming up to Hobart.

With JR PK Tobias Wefering going to be a SR, it's no surprise the coaches have gone out to continue the strong pipeline of Statesmen PKs with a recruit like Goff. 

You can check out Collin's highlight reel here. 

Now that the next class of Hobart Statesmen have begun announcing their commitments, I'll look to update the blog more often. 

In the meantime, hope everyone had a great holiday season and are off to a great start in 2024!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!