Plant Head Football Coach, Robert Weiner and Defensive Coordinator, John Few are chaperoning several Panthers players on a six-day tour of Ivy League camps, which include Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale. The tour is coming to an end and Coach Few provided BCP with some “On the road” observations.
-the following are observation by John Few
Participants:
1. Drew Madhu – Did not participate in any camps as he was offered by and committed to Stanford on Friday literally between Boston Logan Airport and New Haven.
2. James Few – Several impressive showings over four days
3. Patrick Wright – a parade of coaches from both the Ivies and NESCAC schools showing legitimate interest
4. Chase Mighell – Won the blocking competition for TEs at either Yale or Brown’s camp – can’t remember
5. Grant VanAman – turning heads with leg strength. Will camp a t Harvard today
6. Daniel Casselli – Limited with dinged up shoulder, but very impressive all weekend
7. Mike Tate – Easily the best coached of any LB in the world…OK they didn’t really SAY that about him, but it was implied…Seriously – having four great camps!
We flew up Friday (6/24) into Boston and drove down to New Haven, CT.
Saturday: Yale’s Football Camp
About 225 kids from all over
Exceptional showing by our kids
Standouts: Casselli, Mighell, VanAman
Drive to Providence
Sunday: Brown’s Football Camp
Highlighted by the welcoming and enthusiastic reception our entire crew got from the coaching staff that went out of their way to make sure they saw what they wanted to see from each of our kids.
Kids all were VERY impressed. Brown was the smallest of all the camps, about 150 participants. One of the team captains is a defensive lineman from CCC and spent a LONG time talking with Coach Weiner and me. He was a great ambassador for the school.
Drive to Hanover, NH
Monday: Dartmouth’s Football Camp
ALL the kids LOVED Dartmouth. I told them all that I think it is the prettiest campus in all of North America. They now know that I am not full of crap! It is GORGEOUS up there.
Most impressive Head Coach, Buddy Teevens, with the way he treated us and our kids.
Stayed the night in Hanover then drive to Boston/Cambridge
Tuesday: Harvard’s Football Camp
Over 300 kids – HUGE
Over 50 QBs – James Few had a great day and performed well!
Several Tampa kids there: Brice Walker from Jesuit and a defensive lineman from Berkeley
Wednesday: Harvard Kicking Camp
Grant VanAman, only participant.
Other kids will go with Coach Weiner to Amherst, Holy Cross and Boston College to see schools and visit with coaching staffs. No more camps.
Observations:
Four camps in four days is TOUGH – especially for a QB
The kids now appreciate how much better football is played in Florida than the rest of the country and how good their fundamentals are.
The culinary experience was OUTSTANDING! Robert Weiner grills a mean steak!
The staff and facilities at brown rivaled any we saw.
Yale’s head coach played with Andre Kirwan (Jesuit alumnus and Berkeley coach) at Stanford
Lots of kids from FL running around, and they were typically better than everyone.
All the students that we met there on campuses were truly very impressive young men.
Traffic in and around Boston SUX!
We covered both ends of the Ivy League spectrum as far as campuses go: Urban: Yale, Harvard, Brown Rural: Dartmouth
Best camp food: Dartmouth
Worst Camp food: Yale
Each kid has his own favorite; One liked Yale best, three Dartmouth and one Harvard.
All thought the Brown and Dartmouth staffs did the best job recruiting.
Brown and Dartmouth had the most efficiently run camps. Harvard’s was well run for as many kids as they had. Yale just had too many to handle.
Most visible and involved coach at camp: Buddy Teevens by a landslide.
Dylan McCrory (Jesuit and Harvard alumnus and Berkeley DC) is a GREAT guy and showed those of us not in camp around Harvard.
Kids will do anything for food: One kid traded his girlfriend for six edamame beans…
We almost had to take one or two kids out of Hanover, NH under duress; they LOVED the town.