With the second semester in full swing, the Georgetown football team is back into the off-season early-morning workouts. Getting up at the break of dawn is hard enough, but the facts the Hoyas must face every morning as they trek up to the varsity gym must hurt even more.
The team is coming off a disappointing 1-10 season (1-5 in the Patriot League) and are preparing to lose some key team players before the 2008 season. Nineteen seniors will graduate this spring, including quarterback Matt Bassuener, wide receiver Brent Craft—who was third on the team in receiving—, fullback Kyle Van Fleet—team leader in receiving and third for rushing—and kicker Eric Bjonerud, the team’s leading scorer.
On the bright side, in the midst of all the off-season work, the football team received three words of good news. All three were yes. On January 15, high school senior James Brady from Melville, N.Y., a possible candidate for Missouri State, verbally committed to Georgetown. His commitment was followed by Chris Bisanzo from Greenwich High in Greenwich, Connecticut, who Sunday also gave Georgetown a verbal yes, and Wednesday brought a commitment from quarterback John O’Leary of Stamford, Connecticut. Both Brady and Bisanzo are nationally ranked, Brady at 124 and Bisanzo at 105 (Scout.com).
As quarterback on his high school squad at St. Anthony’s High School in Huntington, N.Y., Brady lead his team to a League Championship his junior year. According to Scout.com, Brady says that his strengths are his footwork and arm strength. When out of the pocket, he can easily convert into a running back. He amassed 500 yards rushing in his junior year; to put that in perspective, Georgetown’s leader in rushes, sophomore Charlie Houghton, netted 458 yards last season.
O’Leary also comes to Georgetown with hopes of seeing some playing time as a quarterback. The team currently has six other athletes listed as quarterbacks, but the starting position is still open. Both O’Leary and Brady will be working for the quarterback spot on the team. One of these two may be exactly what the Hoyas are looking for to turn things around.
Bisanzo, also a great catch by the Hoyas, played as a center in high school. He’s a two-way lineman who was selected first-team all-state as an offensive player. Offered full rides to UConn, Syracuse, and Temple, Bisanzo decided to go to Georgetown University. Yes, that’s right. He bypassed Division I-A full rides for Division I-AA, Patriot League Georgetown.
Could this mean some top athletes are now looking for the academic, as well as the athletic experience? If this is the case, then Georgetown football might have some brighter days ahead. The transformation that Coach Kevin Kelly has promised may be closer than we all think. Top new recruits don’t just add talent to the team; they bring fresh enthusiasm and motivation for the rest of the team, and increase the overall level of competition. Bringing in a strong recruiting class is important for the Hoyas in order reform their team. National Signing Day (February 6) is drawing close, and in that time Georgetown could bring in more powerful recruits. Although these three recruits have only verbally committed to Georgetown, hopefully we can take their word for it and will see them on the Hilltop next year.
