Introducing the Class of 2029, Part V

Next up (and closing things out, for now, because you never know if there will be some late adds) are these final four Hobart College Statesmen football commits. 

This rounds out the Class of 2029 at 36 (my favorite and old number) new student athletes. This is smaller than last year's class but is consistent with previous years (which ranges in the high 30's to low 40's). I'll have a summary on the new class next week, but at a high level it's not surprising to see areas like LB, OL and DL were priorities. 

The seventh player from the Garden State in the Class of 2029 is Saint Joseph Regional HS (NJ)'s Isa Abdus-Salaam. A rangy FS, Isa has good field vision and closing speed. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

From nearby Geneseo HS (NY), Simeon Shepard is an interesting DE/edge rusher prospect. Standing 6'3" and weighing 235 lbs. he fits the mold for Hobart's DE role. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

The last new Statesmen from my home state of CT is St. Joseph HS's Martin Broz. Martin's highlight reel focuses on his abilities as a QB. He does list TE as a potential position so perhaps he's being considered for that by the Hobart coaching staff. Standing 6' 2" and weighing 205 lbs. he has the size and athleticism to play either position.

Last but certainly not least is Corcoran HS (NY)'s DE/TE Lewis Swift. Standing 6' 3" and weighing 225 lbs., Swift looks like another strong DE prospect based on his highlights. 

That's all the updates on the Class of 2029 for now. Please join me in welcoming all these 36 new Statesmen to the Hobart College Football family!

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

 

Introducing the Class of 2029, Part IV

 And we're back with another eight new Hobart College Statesmen.

We met him back in March and Bridgewater-Raritan HS (NJ)'s Jordan Johnson looks like a strong add to either the WR corps or the secondary. 

Up next we're starting to see a trend developing as yet another new Statesmen from the state of Maryland has committed to Hobart. Calvert Hall College HS's Max Garland is a big, bruising FB/HB on offense who has the size (6' 1" and 235 lbs.) to potentially be an edge rusher for Hobart. You can see his highlights here. 

Up next is Mason DePew from nearby Canandaigua Academy (NY). He lists himself as a LB/FB (he also plays FOGO for lacrosse so keep an eye out for that come the spring), as you can see in his highlight reel. 

Another NJ prospect we just met over a week ago, Nate Bush is a strong OLB/ILB candidate from Blair Academy. 

The second recruit out of Boston College HS (MA) is Kaleb Sawyer. Standing 6'2" and weighing in at 240 lbs., Kaleb lists himself as a DE who can run a 4.8 40-yard-dash. It appears like he may have been injured his senior season, but his junior year highlights point to a strong student athlete (he carried a 3.5 GPA to go with his football success) for the Statesmen. 

From the NY/PA border is Maine-Endwell HS (NY)'s Teague Blanchard. Teague listed himself as a LS, and it's become apparent having a specialist in this area is critical. You can see his highlights here. 

Joining Hobart from Mount Olive HS (NJ), Tyler Cumming has highlights as a RB and LB, but the photo picked by Coach DeWall '00 below leads me to believe we'll see Tyler get an initial look on defense for the Statesmen. 

From nearby (Rochester) East HS (NY) is Femi Koumassou. Femi has a unique combination of size (6'4" and 250 lbs.) and speed (runs a sub 5.0 40-yard dash) that will make him an asset on the OL or DL for Hobart. You can check out his highlights here. 

I'll have another group posted up tomorrow. 32 great new Statesmen and counting. Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Introducing the Class of 2029, Part III

I've fallen a bit behind on these updates so will try and catch up quickly with this and two more longer posts these next couple of days. Overall, the class of 2029 seems to be another strong one with athletes coming from states as far as FL, MD and the usual recruiting grounds of New England, NY, NJ and PA. 

Let's dive into the next group:

From my current state of FL is American Heritage HS PK Gavin Harvey. AHHS is one of the strongest programs in FL, usually ranked in the FHSAA rankings every year. Gavin has a strong leg for KOs and long FG attempts. You can see his highlights here. 

Up next is West Orange HS (NJ) CB/WR Bryce Davis. His highlight reel leans to the defensive side of the ball. He has good field vision and closing speed to tackle the opposing ball carrier.

Joining his older brother and rising Hobart SR OL Quinn Broggy, is Syosset HS (NY) OL Declan Broggy. Declan appears to be an OL prospect, but at 6' 3" 250 lbs. would need to bulk up a little to play as a tackle in college. He has quick feet and good blocking skills based on his highlight reel. 

Up next is Ludlowe HS (CT) QB Grant Stupak. He passed for over 3,000 yards and 24 passing TDs his senior season, which are pretty impressive stats. He is a solid pocket passer with a good arm based on his highlight reel. 

Up next is Lancaster HS (NY) WR/SS Blake Minsterman, who we met back in February. 

From Saint Paul's HS is PG RB/LB "SK" Kolliegbo. A fast and strong runner, SK fits the mold of the RBs we've seen in recent years in the Statemen backfield. You can see for yourself here. 

The first player from the Granite State to join the Class of 2029 is the New Hampton School's OL Michael Scibelli. Standing 6' 3" and weighing 290 lbs., Scibelli is a wall of a young man and appears to have been the blind side blocker as a LT in HS who also played at NG. You can check out his highlights here. 

Another recruit from the Sunshine State is the Benjamin School's OLB Jeron Atwater. A versatile student athlete, Jeron can cover and is a punishing tackler at the point of attack. You can see what I mean when you see his highlights. 

I'll post up the next eight new Statesmen tomorrow and another group on Thursday. More to come!

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Introducing the Class of 2029, Part II

Here's the next group of eight new Hobart College Statesmen commits. 

Starting off we have Harry Salters out of the Loomis Chaffee School in CT. Harry is a TE/DE prospect who originally hails from Braintree, MA. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Up next is Wayne Hills HS DL/OL Parker Johnson. Standing 6' 4" and 280 lbs. I could see Parker getting looks on the interior defensive or offensive line. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

From the state of MD, Mount Saint Joseph HS Conor Hewat is a bit of a "Swiss army knife". Listed as a MLB/DE, standing 6' 215 lbs., I could see Conor working into Hobart's OLB position well. You can see his highlight reel here. 

This next recruit is Geremiah Ademola-Sadipe from Carthage HS (NY). Ted Baker has had some tricky names to announce over the past 20 years, so I have no doubt he'll handle this one with no problem. Geremiah appears to be a big, fast (runs a 4.55 4--yard-dash) and strong RB prospect. You can see his highlights here. 

Up next is Pittsfield HS (Western MA) Jack Reed. Based on his highlight reel, Jack appears to be a pass rusher / DE prospect. 

Coming over from the Christian Brothers Academy in the Capitol Region (NY), Latrell Martin is our next future Statesman. While his profile lists him as a RB/CB prospect, his highlight reel seems to lean more towards defense. 

Another recruit from the "Old Line State", Harper Rudolph from Loyola Blakefield HS (MD) is next. Harper is TE/DE prospect and seems like a well-rounded athlete, having starred on the hardwood as much as the gridiron. You can check out his highlights here. 

While I initially wondered if there was a family connection here to former Hobart OL and current Muhlenberg College HC Nate Milne '03, there is not. That said Clinton HS (NY) Ronan Milne is his own man, as the saying goes. Nate is a WR/SS prospect and seems as strong as a receiver as he is a defender. You can see his highlight reel here. 

That's it for this edition. We're only getting started (last year's class had around 45 players, and we're only up to 16 so far). More to come!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Coach DeWall Begins Introducing the Statesmen Class of 2029

Hobart Football HC Kevin DeWall '00 has took to twitter/X this week to begin the announcements of the official enrollment / commitment of these new Statesmen student athletes. This is a couple of days' worth of new recruit news, and so I expect it to continue throughout the week and into the weekend. 

This new announcement template features former captain Anthony Romano '25. It's also noticeable that the new players names and schools are mentioned but their recruited and/or potential position is not, so I will be making some assumptions below regarding that based on their highlight/Hudl profiles.

Ok, let's get started with Sean Landry out of LSHS just outside of Boston. Hobart has had a lot of success recruiting student athletes for a variety of sports from this school. Based on his highlight reel Sean played QB and LB at LS. With good size (6' 3", 210 lbs.), speed and strength, he looks like a versatile athlete Hobart can deploy as needed. 

The Pingry School's (NJ) Jack Moye is up next. A 6'0, 175 lbs. WR/CB, Jack appears to be an inside receiver who has good hands and runs strong routes. You can see his highlight reel here. 

Up next is The Hill School's (PA) Jason Micklei. A big DL/OL prospect, Jason could be utilized in Hobart's NG role on the defense or protecting Statesmen QBs. Standing 6' 3" 330 lbs., he has the size to handle college level opposition. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

From nearby Syracuse, Christian Brothers Academy's Amir Butler will join two former HS teammates (SR DB Alex Smith and SO DB Jay Brunson, Jr.) on the Hobart roster. We first met Amir back in February. Butler played MLB for CBA, one of the better HS programs in Central NY. You can check out his highlight reel here. 

Continuing the run on LBs is Ward Mellville HS (NY) OLB Joe Massaro. Based on his highlight reel, he has a good first step, speed and technique as a tackler. Apparently, he is a punter also, so maybe he gets some reps there on the JV squad this season.

Shipping out of Boston College HS (MA) is Sirewl Cox. A versatile player who can be a 1:1 cover CB. You can check out his highlight reel here.

Up next is Centereach HS (NY) Aidan Katz. He looks like a potential rush DE/OLB prospect. Standing 6'2", 235 lbs. Aidan seems to have good pass rush skills based on his highlight reel. 

We met The Hun School's JP Gottschall back in February as one of the very first commitments to the Class of 2029. Another NJ prospect, he looks like a strong OL prospect for Hobart. 

That's it for today. I'll provide more updates as Coach DeWall makes them.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Blair Academy's Nate Bush Selects Statesmen

If you've been a Hobart College Football fan recently, or in the past decade or so, one constant has been very strong play at ILB/OLB by the Statesmen. Blair Academy (NY)'s SR (maybe PG) LB Nathan Bush took to Twitter/X to confirm his admission and commitment to playing football at Hobart was "official" last Saturday.

Displaying a Canadian flag in his profile, it appears as though Nate has ties to London, Ontario (which really isn't that far from Geneva), prior to attending Blair. If you watch his highlight reel, you can see he plays as a "Mike" LB and has a lot of requisite skills to make an impact on the program.

Already standing 6' 1" and weighing 220 lbs., I could see Nate being able to make an impact early on in his Hobart career - especially considering the graduations we had at LB in 2025.

In the meantime, please join me in welcoming Nate and the extended Bush family to the Hobart College football one!

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

Bridgewater-Raritan's Johnson Commits to Statesmen

 The Bridgewater-Raritan HS (NJ) twitter handle recently announced:

"Congratulations to Jordan Johnson for his commitment to play college football at Hobart College. We are very proud of you and know you will be very successful in everything you do!"

Johnson is a lanky WR/CB who could play either side of the ball. Based on his highlight reel, Jordan presents himself as an able "Z" receiver who would line up on the short side of the field with the tight end. He seems to have good route running ability and hands to go up and make plays on the football.

Please join me in welcoming Jordan and the extended Johnson family to the Hobart Football one!

Thanks, as always for reading and go 'Bart!