Yes and yes. I don't think you understand the way the various D3 schools recruit Florida - the schools are represented by coaches at the open houses/career days. They don't hear about a specific kid and then go recruit him like the D1 schools do. Most of these open houses are within a week or 10 days of one another, so the coaches basically tour the state.

 

BTW, there isn't just one kid on the roster from Florida. It was a topic of conversation to have money in the budget for the school to be represented in Florida at the various college recruitment days. The goal of the college is to increase enrollment numbers and being a former college football coach himself, President Armstrong sees athletics as the vehicle to do this. Thomas More is very lucky to have him as President. It has worked tremendously well for Mount Union. On top of winning the Walnut and Bronze 11 times since 1993, they have been able to basically renovate the entire campus - tuition from 200 kids playing football adds up.

 

I realize there aren't athletic scholarships given at the D3 level, as I played and coached at the level and currently am considered media voting the Top 25 and doing color commentary for the Division's Playoff Games.

 

Thanks for the scoop. Obviously they have 155 kids on the roster to increase the enrollment. Didn't realize that TMC would need to travel that far to recruit. Great school with a great football program. It should be a great option for a lot of local kids, so it is great to hear they are getting more diverse.

Nice resume by the way!

Thanks for the scoop. Obviously they have 155 kids on the roster to increase the enrollment. Didn't realize that TMC would need to travel that far to recruit. Great school with a great football program. It should be a great option for a lot of local kids, so it is great to hear they are getting more diverse.

Nice resume by the way!

 

Great school... I'm lucky to have a degree from there.

 

Hope I didn't come across as arrogant.

 

We used to think that TMC would be great just by owning the Cincy market but a couple playoff collisions against North Central, Wittenburg and Mary Hardin-Baylor (who is a monster program - google their stadium) showed they needed to recruit FL along with getting bigger and more athletic at the same time along the lines. Its a multi-step process but TMC is on their way.

Gebhardt will be a senior with 3 years of starting Experience. He's the front runner, but I know the coaches are flat-out excited about Kuntz. He has an arm that you just dont' normally see at the D3 level. That being said, they can't just give him the QB job with what Gebhardt has experience-wise. That being said, look for Kuntz if Gebhardt continues to have slow starts against the playoff teams on the schedule. How ironic is that week 1 is one of those games?

 

I guess the kid could win the job outright, BUT there'd be a possibility of losing a very veteran team.

 

As far as the other kids from SK listed - unless they are really special and don't need a year to mature and adjust to the college game, its going to be very hard to get on the field. Its a very deep and veteran team. There's a reason they lost a first team AA RB (and TD machine) and are still ranked in the Top 25.

 

Also of note: I knew this was coming but it looks like Thomas More has made their first forays into the world of recruiting in Florida. Glad to see there was room in the budget for this crucial part of building a D3 Program in this modern era.

 

Thomas More lacks alot of size at the linebacker spot It will be hard to keep a 6'4 220 pound linebacker off the field specially when that kid is great at reading plays. Owens and Hicks also have the size to get on the field also.

Thomas More lacks alot of size at the linebacker spot It will be hard to keep a 6'4 220 pound linebacker off the field specially when that kid is great at reading plays. Owens and Hicks also have the size to get on the field also.

 

At 6'4'' 220, he is the biggest LB on the roster. The other two you mentioned have the same size as quite a few of the LBs.

 

If the big kid is great at reading plays that means he'll play fast. TMC expects their LB's to be very fast and cover ground. Even at the D3 level, the game is a step faster than the HS game. They have at least two returning contributors at LB who run very well. Tunstill and Copeland -- and Copeland calls the defense. I don't see an all freshman LB core taking the field against Fisher.

I'd have to believe it might take some time for those guys to adjust to the speed of the game and the physical size of their opponents.

It is going to be a very interesting season.

Thomas More Picked Second in PAC Preseason Poll

 

 

Aug 06, 2015

(LATROBE, Pa.) –The Thomas More College football team was picked second in the 2015 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) preseason poll released on Wednesday (August 5, 2015) at the 2015 PAC Football Media Day held at the Sis and Herman Dupre Science Pavilion on the campus of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

 

The Saints earned six of 34 total first-place votes and 341 total points in the conference poll to finish behind first place Washington & Jefferson College (368). W&J and Thomas More were followed by Bethany College (265), Waynesburg University (225), Saint Vincent (212), Westminster College (209), Case Western Reserve University (169), Carnegie Mellon University (148), Geneva College (128), Thiel College (128) and Grove City College (56).

 

The 2015 edition of the Thomas More football team will have a new look when it goes after its sixth PAC Championship in the last seven years as Regis Scafe will take over for Jim Hilvert as the Saints' head coach.

 

Scafe brings 19 years of collegiate head coaching experience to Crestview Hills, including 14-years at John Carroll University. He has a 104-90 career record and guided John Carroll to the national semifinals of the 2002 NCAA Division III Championship.

 

Scafe inherits a team that returns 19 starters from last year's squad that posted a 9-2 record with both losses coming to teams that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship.

 

Offensively, the Saints have eight starters returning, including some key contributors. Thomas More returns three-year starting quarterback Jensen Gebhardt. Last season, he completed 145-of-243 passes (59.7 percent) for 2,235 yards with 17 touchdowns. Gebhardt also carried the ball 41 times and had one touchdown.

 

Gebhardt will have two key receivers back from last season as senior second team All-PAC honoree Goose Cohorn and senior Tyler Vogelpohl both return. Cohorn led the team in receptions in 2014 with 47 and had 910 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Vogelpohl had 20 catches for 288 yards and three touchdowns.

 

In the backfield, sophomore honorable mention All-PAC running back CT Tarrant will take over for All-American Domonique Hayden, who graduated. Tarrant was second on the team last season as he had 94 carries for 745 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had four 100-yard rushing games last season for the Saints.

 

Up front, Thomas More returns senior left tackle Jake Henderson, senior left guard Quentin Campbell, junior center Trevor Meyer and senior right guard DJ Handlon. The offensive line allowed only nine sacks last season, while blocking the way for the Saints' ground attack to rush for 2,747 yards.

 

Defensively on the front four, the Saints return 2014 starters in two spots with senior first team All-PAC selection Erick Butler and sophomore Spencer Hemmer. Butler led the team in tackles with 65 (36 solo, 29 assisted), including eight tackles for a loss and team-leading seven sacks. Hemmer had five tackles (all assisted) and one sack.

 

Scafe will also have two linebackers returning from last season's team that saw significant playing time as junior Austin Copleand and senior Nick Pennekamp return in 2015. Copeland was second on the team in tackles with 56 (28 solo, 28 assisted), including two tackles for a loss and a half sack. Pennekamp had 19 tackles (nine solo, 10 assisted), including one and a half tackles for a loss and three sacks.

 

In the secondary, Thomas More returns senior first team All-PAC selection Kyle Fuller, senior honorable mention selection Ian Gunn, junior Lemuel Weyer and junior Darrell Davis. Fuller was fourth on the team in tackles with 46 (31 solo, 15 assisted), including two tackles for a loss and one sack. He also had five interceptions, which he returned 60 yards, including one touchdown and had two forced fumbles and one blocked kick. Gunn had 43 tackles (33 solo, 10 assisted), including three and a half tackles for a loss. Weyer had 40 tackles (22 solo, 18 assisted), including a half tackle for a loss, one interception and two fumble recoveries. Davis had 20 tackles (10 solo, 10 assisted) and added one interception.

 

On special teams, the Saints return sophomore kicker Zach Bryant, senior Tommy Budke and senior punter Kyle Fuller. Bryant was nine-of-13 in point after attempts, while Budke was 44-of-49 in PATs, and had 71 kick-offs for 3,968 yards (55.9 yards per kick) with eight touchbacks. Fuller had 38 punts for 1,411 yards (37.1 yards per punt) with three touchbacks and nine fair catches.

 

Thomas More opens the 2015 campaign on September 5 when it hosts 19-ranked St. John Fisher College at 12 p.m. at BB&T Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. The Saints will play three-straight and five of their first six games at BB&T Field.

 

2015 PAC Football Preseason Poll (Predicted order of finish)

School (first-place votes) Points 2014 Record (PAC)

1. Washington & Jefferson College (28) 368 10-2 (7-1)

2. Thomas More College (6) 341 8-2 (7-1)

3. Bethany College 265 6-5 (5-3)

4. Waynesburg University 225 8-3 (6-2)

Hope they have a great season and the NKY kids all perform well.

At 6'4'' 220, he is the biggest LB on the roster. The other two you mentioned have the same size as quite a few of the LBs.

 

If the big kid is great at reading plays that means he'll play fast. TMC expects their LB's to be very fast and cover ground. Even at the D3 level, the game is a step faster than the HS game. They have at least two returning contributors at LB who run very well. Tunstill and Copeland -- and Copeland calls the defense. I don't see an all freshman LB core taking the field against Fisher.

 

I still see the kid more as a DE than a LB. Speed wasn't his strength.

Let me once again give a "CougarPride" shout out to OC and 2005 Conner alum Trevor Stellman.

I still see the kid more as a DE than a LB. Speed wasn't his strength.

 

Even without having seen him play, I have to agree. That would be exceptional size for a LB at the D1 level.

Even without having seen him play, I have to agree. That would be exceptional size for a LB at the D1 level.

 

Really strong kid who is going to get bigger.

I still see the kid more as a DE than a LB. Speed wasn't his strength.

 

He is better at middle linebacker.

First practice is tomorrow.

I still see the kid more as a DE than a LB. Speed wasn't his strength.

 

Had enough speed to sack that highly recruited qb from Conner 3 times a couple years ago.