Hanover
Derek Kyler, a sophomore from Illinois, has surged ahead in the race to replace two-year starter Jack Heneghan, now with the San Francisco 49ers. Kyler’s ascent is a tad surprising, given the presence of last year’s backup, junior Jake Pallotta, and redshirt freshman Jake Allen, a University of Florida transfer.
Kyler, listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds, is the most mobile of the signal-calling crew, and coach Buddy Teevens said he inspires memories of Dalyn Williams, who scrambled and threw his way into the Big Green record books several years ago. Kyler spent the summer on campus, as is traditional for Dartmouth sophomores, giving him a chance to work regularly with teammates.
“He’s really progressed,” said Teevens. “He’s very athletic and will pull the ball down and go. He’s not as (muscular) as Dalyn, but he has quick feet and a real good awareness of where people are around him.
“He’s thrown the ball well, and his completion percentage has been high. He has a quick release and the ball is up and out, which I love to see.”
Kyler spent last fall piloting the offensive scout team, a group of reserves used to run the plays of an upcoming opponent so that Dartmouth’s starters can be well-prepared in advance.
“As a freshman, I got to play against our starting defense, but you’re still working on your game and trying to show your coaches and teammates what you’re made of,” said Kyler, adding that he watched video extensively in preparation for spring practice.
“I’m definitely not afraid to leave the pocket, but I have to go through my reads and only scramble if there’s nothing there.
Kyler is from DeKalb, Ill., home of Northern Illinois University and its NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision team, a step up from the Championship Subdivision in which Dartmouth plays. Kyler grew up hoping to play for the Huskies, but when that didn’t work out and he was recruited by Colgate and the Air Force Academy, he realized that his academics might be good enough to pursue an Ivy League roster spot and degree.
Allen, Teevens noted, is in his fourth offense in roughly a year, the others being his high school system and two different ones at Florida, where a coaching change after the 2017 campaign resulted in new plays and terminology. Jared Gerbino, a junior who brings a power running element, continues to work at both quarterback and receiver.
Freshman Connor Davis has the placekicking job to himself, given that punter Davis Brief is listed as his backup. Teevens said the son of former standout University of Florida kicker Judd Davis has the most talent of any booter he’s ever overseen, which includes the coach’s stops at Tulane, Florida, Stanford and Illinois.
“He’s still young, but he has a powerful leg, and he can punt as well,” said Teevens, noting that extra-point drills are now conducted from the 30-yard line. “His ball has very quick elevation, and that takes a lot of pressure off the (blockers). We’ve had some lower hitters in the past couple of years, and we’ve had a few kicks blocked.”
Davis and Teevens attributed the kicker’s availability to him not going to the national-level camps that produce rankings and recommendations from high-profile coaches. With his father around, Connor Davis felt he didn’t need to seek out anyone else for tips, but that kept him somewhat off the recruiting radar.
“If you’re not on some people’s boards, you kind of slide through the cracks, and I think he’s a classic example of that,” Teevens said.
Davis said he assumed he would attend his father’s alma mater, but when the Gators underwent a coaching change after last season, he didn’t fit into their plans. He, too, was recruited by Air Force, as well as North Carolina-Charlotte and some smaller schools.
“I got a sense of welcoming here that I didn’t get anywhere else,” he said Sunday. “Everyone treated me like I was already on the team, and I knew this would be a good spot to land. I just felt like it was the best decision for my life, not just for the next four years.”
Dartmouth uses about 35 matchbook-sized GPS monitors that are part of a hardware and software system manufactured by an Australian company called Catapult Sports. Nearly 2,000 teams of various types use Catapult systems around the globe, according to the company’s website.
For each football practice, players don what looks like a sports bra under their shoulder pads, with the monitor tucked into a pocket on the halter. Their movements are tracked in 3D space, with “accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes not so different from what you’d find in an iPhone, tracking gravitational load, distance and direction data,” according to Forbes.com article.
Dartmouth’s coaches, led by strength and conditioning man Spencer Brown, can view data that shows how much ground players cover during practice or a game.
“We can see who’s overloaded, who’s underloaded and who’s just about right,” Teevens said. “It measures exertion, high-speed movements and contact. It shows a guy’s maximum workload, and we can ask why, out of maybe eight guys, one of them doesn’t have the same numbers.”
Teevens said the monitors are mostly used on starters to ensure they’re not wearing down, but that he plans to redeploy the devices for a few practices and check out the backups as well.
“Last year, we had a guy who ran, like, 10,000 yards during a practice, and we had no idea,” the coach said. The devices “are pretty unobtrusive, but a lot of data comes back from them.”
After practice ends, Big Green players break into positional groups with their coaches and engage in yoga. Brown and Ben Schuler, who’s in his first season as the team’s head medical trainer, convinced Teevens to integrate the activity in hopes of increasing flexibility and reducing soft-tissue injuries.
“It’s just to get a little bit of the lactic acid out and, hopefully, it will make a difference,” the coach said.
How would Dartmouth’s players have reacted to yoga when Teevens played during the late 1970s?
“I shudder to think,” he said with a chuckle. “They would have had no idea what it was and would have walked off the field. We didn’t stretch at all, not even before practice.
“Spencer has done a great job with it, explaining what, why and how to the players. We also use (ice baths) after practice, and I think this stuff is helpful.”
Dartmouth seems to be experiencing fewer injuries this preseason, although Teevens acknowledged the coming week’s work will be the real test.
Notes: Davis said his longest field goal during a game is 52 yards but that he’s made one from 61 in practice. … The early reviews are good on freshman offensive lineman John Paul Flores, a 6-5, 270-pound product of Arlington, Texas, and the younger brother of former Dartmouth standout Jacob Flores. Their brother, Charlie, plays at Columbia, and Teevens said the Lions were in the recruiting hunt for John Paul until the very end. “He’s got great feet, and he’s not overwhelmed at going against our best guys,” the coach said. … Freshman quarterback Jack Alexander, from Redondo Beach, Calif., will not attend Dartmouth after experiencing health issues following the team’s conditioning test last week, Teevens said. … Georgetown, the Big Green’s opponent for the Sept. 15 season opener, was 1-10 last season and 3-8 the season before. … Dartmouth has various players missing almost every day because they are dealing with academic demands presented by the end of summer term and its exam period… The team will enjoy an afternoon at Storrs Pond recreation area on Thursday.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.