HWS Athletics Day of Donors Was a Smashing Success!

The annual athletics day of giving / fundraising (#HWSADOD) was a tremendous success, smashing the relatively modest goal of $205K, coming in at just under $800K!

The Statesmen Football program eclipsed it's goal within the first five hours of the campaign and ended with over $42K raised from nearly 170 different donors.

While the football team finished fourth (crew, lacrosse and soccer had bigger days) overall on the Hobart side, this is a very strong showing from the alumni/ae base and one the players, coaches and others certainly appreciate.

I know I appreciated the "virtual thank you / shout out" from HC Kevin DeWall '00.

Come back and check on us soon for more recruiting updates. While Coach DeWall is pleased with the class so far he did indicate to me that the Statesmen are "not done yet" with the recruiting cycle for the Class of 2025. 

Thanks to all who contributed to a hugely successful HWSADOD 2021 and go 'Bart! 

Bowdon's Wyatt Selects Statesmen

Last night Bowdon HS (GA) SR WR Tray Wyatt declared via his twitter feed that he was:

"Glad to announce I am 110% to @HobartFootball to continue my academic success to grow as a person and further my football career! I wanna think all my brothers and coaches and family to getting me where I am @Coach_DeWall @CoachFly_@CoachGreenBart time to kick this thing off "

Wyatt is the second commit from GA, by my count, and based on his highlight reel, he seems like another great get for HC Kevin DeWall '00 and the Hobart coaching staff. Apparently Wyatt earned All-State honors at WR, but he also listed DB in his twitter and Hudl profile. 

A shifty and fast runner, Wyatt has a lot of potential as a slot receiver who can create matchup problems for opposing defenses. An all around athlete, he also stars on the hardcourt for BHS. He tallied over 800 receiving yards and scored 7 TDs in his SR season.

Please join me in welcoming Tray and the extended Wyatt family to the Hobart Football one!

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Another Sunshine Statesman Coming Up to Hobart

Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) SR WR Michael Battis announced yesterday via Twitter that he was "Excited to continue my football career at Hobart!"

A native of St. Augustine, FL, Battis is another in a long line of Statesmen players from the Sunshine State. The current roster has eight student athletes from FL on it, which I believe is the fourth most on the squad (behind the sort of obvious states of NY, NJ and MA).

Previously a student at St. Joseph Academy (which is in his hometown of St. Augustine), Battis was able to get in three games in this fall's shortened 2020 season. The highlights - which includes 13 receptions for 290 yards and 3 TDs - can be viewed here.

At 6'0" and 170 lbs. Battis can be a deep threat or a possession style of WR, running sound routes and with breakaway (4.5) speed when he's in the open field.

Please join me in welcoming Michael and the extended Battis family to the Hobart Football one!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Hobart Lands Westlake (GA)'s Lott

The Hobart College Football Class of 2025 is turning out to be one of their most geographically diverse one in some time, adding another player from the "Peach State" in Westlake HS SR LB Raki Lott.

Like most of his future teammates Lott took to twitter on Tuesday to make this announcement:

Lott played as a traditional "Mike" MLB position for WHS and shows a lot of potential. At 5'11" and 205 lbs. he has the size and strength to blitz, cover or stuff the run. You can check out his highlight reel here.

Please join me in welcoming Raki and the extended Lott family to the Hobart Football one!

Thanks for reading and I'll post more recruiting or other updates as we get them.

Go 'Bart!

Giordano and Woodward Select Statesmen

Two more commitments were made via Twitter on Tuesday, the first being from Sachem North Football (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY) who announced that SR LB/RB "Vinnie Giordano has committed to Hobart College to join the Class of 2025."

A two-sport athlete, the 6'1", 220 lbs. Giordano starred as a lacrosse player also. You can check out Vinnie's highlight reel here. 

Joining Giordano in Geneva will be Niskayuna HS (NY) SR DB/WR Aaden Woodward. A strong coverage player, Woodward can close space and deliver big hits. You can see his highlights here.

Standing 6'1", 190 lbs. Woodard has a lot of potential to be a strong fit in Hobart's 4-5 DB package schemes. 

Please join me in welcoming Aaden, Vinnie, the extended Woodward and Giordano families to the Hobart Football one!

Thanks for checking on the Class of 2025. It's an impressive class so far!

Go 'Bart!

The New Jersey to Geneva Pipeline Remains Strong

On Tuesday, Holmdel HS (NJ) SR QB/SS Chris Donnelly took to twitter to say he's "100% Committed" to Hobart College.

Donnelly is a strong athlete with good size (6'2" and 190 lbs.) who's highlight reel shows a mix of speed and football smarts. He can drop back and cover or come up and lower the boom on RBs and WRs. He ran an option style of offense that played to his strengths as an open field runner. 

Donnelly earned First Team All Conference and Third Team All Shore for his efforts in his SR season.

Joining Donnelly will be SR OLB Kevin Christ of Mountain Lakes HS (NJ). Kevin also announced on twitter that he was "Excited to say that I am going to further my academic and athletic career at Hobart! Can’t wait for the future and thanks to everyone who have helped and supported me along the way!" 

Christ was the leading rusher and tackler for the "Herd". He has good size at 6'2", 215 lbs. and good football instincts. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Please join me in welcoming Chris, Kevin, the extended Donnelly and Christ families to the Hobart Football one!

I'll have more recruiting news tomorrow. Thanks as always for checking out the blog and go 'Bart!

Hobart Goes Coast to Coast to Land Two BIG Linemen

Hello Statesmen fans!

As noted earlier this week, with admissions decisions coming out on 2/15/21 we have a few more announcements with respect to the Hobart Football Class of 2025.

This one has two young men, from opposite sides of the country, calling Hobart their new home. The first is SR DE Josh Cox who hails from Fairburn, just outside of Atlanta, GA. Josh attended Landmark Christian HS and is a tall (6'5") and big (240 lbs.) DL.

He has strong fundamentals and a lot of potential. You can check out his highlight reel here.

Lining up across from Josh in practice will be Sierra Canyon SR OL Elijah "Planet" Christian from all the way out in Southern California. I used to live a few miles away from SC (Chatsworth, CA) and they are one of the premier HSFB programs in all of Los Angeles.

Standing 6'3" and weighing in at 315 lbs. it's pretty easy to see where Elijah got his nickname from. A strong student as well, Christian wants to pursue a career in medicine after college.

While I assume the coaches will look at him for OL, he was also a solid interior DL also. You can see for yourself here.

Please join me in welcoming Josh, Elijah and the extended Cox and Christian families to the Hobart one! I can't wait to see how these smart and capable young men impact the Statesmen program and the broader Geneva community. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart! 

Verona's Riggio Coming to Hobart

It appears as though we'll be seeing several updates this week on the incoming Hobart Football Class of 2025.

Yesterday, Verona HS (NJ) SR RB and team captain Frank Riggio announced on twitter that he plans to "further [his] academic and athletic career at Hobart College."

A real get by the Statesmen coaching class, Riggio has rushed for over 3,200 in his HS career scoring 53 TDs. He also starred at SS for the "Hillbillies", collecting 2 INTs in his final season.

A shifty, north-south runner, Riggio has speed and strength to repel would be tacklers. You can see his highlight reel here.

A strong student as well, apparently Riggio chose Hobart over schools like Rice and Trinity, according to this article from NJ.com. 

All in all, it sounds like the Statesmen have found a real gem in Riggio. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how he develops over the next four years at Hobart.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

PS - don't forget the SAA / Day of Donors is coming up on 2/24.

Statesmen Go West to Sign a QB Named Colombi - from Colorado

While the HWS and Tampa Bay football community are still basking in the glow of Super Bowl LV, the daily grind of recruiting and building the Class of 2025 hasn't stopped for HC Kevin DeWall '00 and his staff.

The Statesmen's latest get is a rare find from the Rocky Mountains, as Castle View HS SR QB Johnny Colombi (Castle Rock, CO) recently announced via twitter that:

At 6'3" 185 lbs. Colombi is rangy player who has a strong arm, good feet and can deliver the ball from the pocket or on the run. In his final season for CVHS, Johnny threw for nearly 1,100 yards and 14 TDs with a 114 QBR. He's a true student athlete as well, earning a 3.85 GPA.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the Hobart coaching staff develops him over the next few seasons. You can check out Johnny's highlight reel here. 

Please join me in welcoming the Colombi family to the Hobart Football one! 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Marpet, Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV

What a night.

Now the highest draft pick out of D3 can add "Super Bowl Champion" to his resume.

In what's been one of the strangest NFL seasons ever, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defied the odds, upsetting the defending champion Chiefs, 31-9.

I couldn't be happier for Ali and the extended Marpet and Hobart families.