There's been a lot of Hobart Football news of late, including the successful pro day for SR OL Ali Marpet on Friday, March 13th in Geneva. The event was well attended by pro scouts and Marpet and the Hobart Athletics department showed that even D3 teams can do D1 quality productions.
A link to a D&C article on the day can be found here. Credit Marpet for pointing out a lot of his teammates, including All-Americans SR OL DeAndre' Smith and SR DE Tyre Coleman were a big part of his success as a student athlete at Hobart. SR FB Dominique Ellis also got a "shout out" as well in this group of articles.
Speaking of Coleman, he's also pursuing his dream of playing in the NFL this weekend in Arizona. Coleman was invited to the Super Regional Combine after a good showing at a similar event in Chicago a week prior.
A snapshot of Tyre on the ground in AZ can be seen here. Not surprisingly he performed well and earned some praise in this article by FootballGamePlan.com.
Word is the Buffalo Bills are coming back to Hobart on April 8th to see Ellis, Smith and Coleman in action.
I have some recruiting news to report soon and obviously will report back on the upcoming Football banquet scheduled for April 10th to honor the 2014 Statesmen team, along with the most successful SR class in Hobart Football's nearly 125 year history.
Thanks for reading and go Bart!
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Conversation With Coach Drach
Last week Head Football Coach Mike Cragg and Hobart Athletics announced the promotion of Coach Jon Drach to Offensive Coordinator. A link to the formal announcement can be found here.
I "spoke" with Coach Drach earlier this week, asking about the promotion, his approach to being OC and, most importantly, on becoming a new father:
While I suspect the Statesmen probably won't change from the I formation right off the bat, what wrinkles do you hope to bring as OC compared to Coach DeWall?
We will be pretty similar to what we have been in the past. I was able to learn a lot from Coach DeWall over my 8 years with him and feel we have very similar offensive styles. I am sure that my style as a play caller will be different in flow and sequence but with the same goal of putting the ball in the end zone. When teams play Hobart, I want them to know that they faced a physical, aggressive offense. We will control tempo and be methodical in our approach.
What offense did you run as QB at Western Michigan U and do you think that could translate to D3?
At WMU our offense was very similar to what we have run here at Hobart; I believe that was one of the reasons that I was originally hired for the position of QB Coach. Lots of 1 and 2 back sets with multiple personnel groupings and formations. Many different zone concepts in the run game, accompanied with a horizontal and vertical passing game. We leaned a little heavier on the pass at WMU, which was always a lot of fun from a QB's perspective. I am a product of many systems throughout my playing days and you will see that in our offense in 2015.
How much and how has your being a former QB and QB coach shaped your offensive philosophies?
As QB and QB Coach, I have a few major points that we stress with our guys; Limit negative plays, do not turn the football over, and score points. It sounds pretty simple but it has gotten us to this point. I feel like I have a great understanding of the game from spending time surrounded by the game since birth (dad is a high school coach and in the hall of Fame for Illinois). I know what it is like to have ten other guys looking at you to make a play and take control. I know what it is like to have 11 defensive guys looking to take you out. I think all of that gives me a good understanding of what our guys are going through, they know I understand them.
Speaking of QBs, Hobart will have a new one in 2015. What are you looking for in your new starter?
We want a guy that can manage this offense and make plays. Our QB will always be in control and put us in a position to win football games. I do not care how flashy we are, I just want our guy to make good decisions and control this offensive unit. QB should and will be judged on wins, not yards thrown or rushed. It is the end product and team that matter most.
Coach DeWall admitted in his Endicott presser that the timing of his appointment is challenging from a recruiting perspective. How does your being named OC (with 8 years of working at Hobart) make that transition, recruiting and otherwise, easier for the players / incoming recruits?
All the recruits know me and know what this program stands for. We cross recruit quite a bit so I have had a chance to build relationships with all of our recruits throughout the process. I think the new guys will be comfortable with the change and our current guys have shown nothing but support. Coach DeWall is an outstanding recruiter and coach, his presence will missed but it does not change who we are as a college and program.
Finally, you just became a new father. How do you feel?
Being a dad is the best thing in the world. Caleb Robert Drach was born 2/28/15 at 9:50pm. 7lbs 14oz and 21 inches. Lots of sleepless nights ahead, but that is just more time to spend talking football with my little guy.
Many thanks and good luck to Coach Drach, his and the Hobart Football family!
I "spoke" with Coach Drach earlier this week, asking about the promotion, his approach to being OC and, most importantly, on becoming a new father:
While I suspect the Statesmen probably won't change from the I formation right off the bat, what wrinkles do you hope to bring as OC compared to Coach DeWall?
We will be pretty similar to what we have been in the past. I was able to learn a lot from Coach DeWall over my 8 years with him and feel we have very similar offensive styles. I am sure that my style as a play caller will be different in flow and sequence but with the same goal of putting the ball in the end zone. When teams play Hobart, I want them to know that they faced a physical, aggressive offense. We will control tempo and be methodical in our approach.
What offense did you run as QB at Western Michigan U and do you think that could translate to D3?
At WMU our offense was very similar to what we have run here at Hobart; I believe that was one of the reasons that I was originally hired for the position of QB Coach. Lots of 1 and 2 back sets with multiple personnel groupings and formations. Many different zone concepts in the run game, accompanied with a horizontal and vertical passing game. We leaned a little heavier on the pass at WMU, which was always a lot of fun from a QB's perspective. I am a product of many systems throughout my playing days and you will see that in our offense in 2015.
How much and how has your being a former QB and QB coach shaped your offensive philosophies?
As QB and QB Coach, I have a few major points that we stress with our guys; Limit negative plays, do not turn the football over, and score points. It sounds pretty simple but it has gotten us to this point. I feel like I have a great understanding of the game from spending time surrounded by the game since birth (dad is a high school coach and in the hall of Fame for Illinois). I know what it is like to have ten other guys looking at you to make a play and take control. I know what it is like to have 11 defensive guys looking to take you out. I think all of that gives me a good understanding of what our guys are going through, they know I understand them.
Speaking of QBs, Hobart will have a new one in 2015. What are you looking for in your new starter?
We want a guy that can manage this offense and make plays. Our QB will always be in control and put us in a position to win football games. I do not care how flashy we are, I just want our guy to make good decisions and control this offensive unit. QB should and will be judged on wins, not yards thrown or rushed. It is the end product and team that matter most.
Coach DeWall admitted in his Endicott presser that the timing of his appointment is challenging from a recruiting perspective. How does your being named OC (with 8 years of working at Hobart) make that transition, recruiting and otherwise, easier for the players / incoming recruits?
All the recruits know me and know what this program stands for. We cross recruit quite a bit so I have had a chance to build relationships with all of our recruits throughout the process. I think the new guys will be comfortable with the change and our current guys have shown nothing but support. Coach DeWall is an outstanding recruiter and coach, his presence will missed but it does not change who we are as a college and program.
Finally, you just became a new father. How do you feel?
Being a dad is the best thing in the world. Caleb Robert Drach was born 2/28/15 at 9:50pm. 7lbs 14oz and 21 inches. Lots of sleepless nights ahead, but that is just more time to spend talking football with my little guy.
Many thanks and good luck to Coach Drach, his and the Hobart Football family!
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