Hobart Mourns The Passing of Former HC Jack Daniels

Yesterday, Associate VP/Director of Athletics & Recreation Deb Steward reached out to the greater HWS community stating:

"I am sorry to write with the sad news that former Hobart College Football Coach Jack Daniels P’86, GP’17 has passed away. He died peacefully at his home on Saturday, Feb. 27, at the age of 84.

Daniels served as head coach of the Hobart football team from 1981 to 1986. He inherited a team that won just one game in 1980 and repeated that total in his first season. Daniels, however, set the Statesmen on a winning path. Hobart improved to 4-5 in his second season and then rattled off four straight winning seasons, finishing as high as second in the ICAC standings. Daniels was 25-28-1 as Hobart’s head coach.

Much beloved by the young men who played for him, Daniels inspired a fierce loyalty in his Statesmen, who regularly gathered on campus to catch a football game and share stories of their gridiron glory and the man who led them to victory."

Background on his prior coaching stints, connections to HWS and the Geneva community were also noted. A link to the HWSAthletics.com press release, which contains this and much more information,  on Coach Daniels can be seen here. 

Current HC Kevin DeWall '00 tweeted out:

"It has been a great honor to serve and coach with Coach Daniels. A tremendous person, I am grateful for his friendship and mentoring. He has had a positive impact on so many."

We send out heartfelt condolences to the extended Daniels and HWS families.

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!