Justin Feagin Presents: Rocky Lombardi
ICYMI: Move over Brooks Bollinger; there's a new sheriff, er, tenured professor in town.
The HS recruiting class of 2017, which you may or may not remember at this point, featured such luminaries as DPJ, er...Aubrey Solomon, and...uh, Oliver Martin as well as national stars such as Chase Young and AJ Epenesa, both of whom are in their NFL contract years already.
Well, it also featured one Rocky Lombardi of MSU, though now of NIU. He just started his seventh year of NCAA football, the sixth in which he's played games (now up to 40 for his career). Appears to be 4 years of eligibility + redshirt 2017 + covid 2020 + medshirt 2022.
In the words of Ron Burgundy, "I'm not even mad...that's amazing"
September 3rd, 2023 at 11:52 PM ^
I saw this a couple weeks ago. Amazing. One more year and he could be Dr. Lombardi.
Edit: What am I saying-for some flexies at UM he would be Dr. Lombardi at this point.
September 3rd, 2023 at 11:52 PM ^
oh man well done. so unlike me to miss an obvious tommy boy reference.
...i'll just have a ...sugar packet or two
September 3rd, 2023 at 11:54 PM ^
Your brain has a shell on it...
September 3rd, 2023 at 11:55 PM ^
get yourself a new map
September 4th, 2023 at 10:15 AM ^
I think we’re gonna be okay here! They have a thin candy shell!
Surprised you didn’t know that….
September 4th, 2023 at 9:50 AM ^
Yes they’re called Drs.
September 4th, 2023 at 11:22 AM ^
It's inteflex still a thing? I had a few flexi friends in undergrad. 5 of them lived together in an apartment.
September 4th, 2023 at 12:12 PM ^
I think the last class graduated a few years ago. 2006 or so.
September 3rd, 2023 at 11:55 PM ^
Wow, but it's really allowed! But hamburgers during a Covid "down period" are not????
Actually glad for him. His dismantling of Don Brown's defense in 2020 - I'll keep blitzing with press coverage until you look like 1984 Dan Marino (1st 5000 yd passer in a season) - got us to switch to a more sophisticated D under McDonald and now Minter.
September 4th, 2023 at 12:03 AM ^
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September 4th, 2023 at 6:14 AM ^
I know there was a thread about this over the summer, but Cam McCormick at Miami (formerly Oregon) is definitely the winner of the college football lifer contest:
https://thespun.com/more/top-stories/college-football-player-receives-9th-year-of-eligibility
September 4th, 2023 at 10:20 AM ^
I'll take your word for it. I try to avoid clicking on anything from THE SPUN, most of which is the most featherweight excuse for journalism on the face of the earth.
September 4th, 2023 at 6:55 AM ^
Here are former Power Five state of Michigan QBs currently starting at other D1 schools:
- Thorne (MSU): Auburn
- Lombardi (MSU): NIU
- Milton (UM): Tennessee
- McNamara (UM): Iowa
Michigan has the more impressive group, especially when you toss in Bowman getting plenty of reps for Okie State Saturday.
On the subject of BC and NIU, I think this is a must-watch:
September 4th, 2023 at 7:52 AM ^
Thank you for clarifying the OSU...I had a bit of a wtf moment before the googles set me at ease.
September 4th, 2023 at 9:04 AM ^
I had heard Alan Bowman would be the starter for OSU but it was some other guy who started that game. He looked pretty bad and got pulled before half time, then Bowman didn't look much better and got pulled. Gunnar Gundy was probably the best of the 3 and likely starter moving forward.
September 4th, 2023 at 9:18 AM ^
Alan Bowman is also playing for OSU.
Dan Vilarri is a TE for Syracuse as a former UM QB.
And there's a former walk-on from Michigans roster who is now on the roster of MTSU named Red Hefley.
September 5th, 2023 at 6:22 PM ^
Isn't Ren Hefley the dude who threw 10 TDs in a game for Presbyterian?
September 4th, 2023 at 7:32 AM ^
But has he earned a degree yet?
September 4th, 2023 at 8:24 AM ^
While he has the most football name ever, Lombardi will be remembered by many simply for living the dream. I managed five years of undergrad, the most memorable five years of my life... But I had to pay hard money to do it, and I'm sure his experiences have been way more memorable than mine!
September 4th, 2023 at 9:08 AM ^
Yeah, more power to him. Another three years of college would've been awesome, even without playing QB.
September 4th, 2023 at 9:41 AM ^
I went five years undergrad and a year of grad school. I could have/should have graduated and gotten a job after four, but I had fun. If I could have played football I would have gone for 7 too.
I'm not sure of the OPs intent, but too often we forget that these guys are people. Ha ha! Oliver Martin and Aubrey "f Michigan" Solomon ended up not playing well. They may have been genetically gifted but you know they put in some work. Cut them some slack.
I'm not sure about lately, but NIU has been a cradle of coaches. (Lee Corso, Jerry Kill, Pat Narduzzi, PJ Fleck, Scott Shafer, Jerry Pettibone, Mike Mallory, Bill Mallory, Matt Canada, Dave Doeren, Roy Manning, etc.) I bet Rocky Lombardi is a grad assistant at NIU next year and climbs the coaching ranks. People will give him a crack on his name alone.
September 4th, 2023 at 11:18 AM ^
Not casting aspersions; just looking back at the highly-rated recruits.
Let's not forget NIU gave the world LeShon Johnson!
September 4th, 2023 at 9:11 AM ^
These are fun. I don't begrudge guys for staying in college, collecting degrees, and playing football for as long as they possibly can. Though I do sometimes wonder what it's like to be 23 or older on a team with mostly teenagers and 20 year olds.
Other notable age/career gaps that make you think:
- Joe Burrow, class of 2015 and 2020 NFL first overall pick, is a month older than Lamar Jackson, class of 2015 but 2018 draft class.
- Zach Werenski played two years of college hockey and 6 years in the NHL by the time he turned 25. At the same time, Jordan Bohannon finished his college basketball career at Iowa right before he turned 25.
September 4th, 2023 at 9:20 AM ^
It seemed to work out for this guy:
September 4th, 2023 at 1:27 PM ^
My college experiences were more akin to OC & Stiggs.
September 4th, 2023 at 5:48 PM ^
The Rocky Lombardi Picture Show.
September 4th, 2023 at 1:28 PM ^
I think this is a LeBron deal. Rocky wants to stick around long enough to play with his son.
September 4th, 2023 at 3:19 PM ^
and then what? Join the fuckin' peace corps?
September 4th, 2023 at 4:48 PM ^
What does this have to do with Justin Feagin?
September 4th, 2023 at 4:58 PM ^
fair enough; it was either that or title it "Rocky Lombardi", which...
September 4th, 2023 at 6:06 PM ^
Seven years of college down the drain...
Guess it's the Rocky Lombardi Picture Show
September 4th, 2023 at 8:03 PM ^
I thought we'd be renaming the award after Martinez, but Lombardi award does have a nice ring to it.
Ring to it. Thornton. Ring to it..