Big Green Open Preseason Camp With High Expectations

HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth football team held its first practice of preseason camp on Saturday morning as the Big Green begin their quest for a fourth Ivy League Championship in the last five seasons. Dartmouth returns plenty of veteran standouts from the 2023 team, which won a share of the Ivy League title.

"I thought the energy was good," said Sammy McCorkle, Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach. "Guys were chopping at the bit to come out here and practice. We were starting practice at 8:45 and I came out here at 8:30 and essentially the whole entire team was out here. Guys were really excited to get to work."

As McCorkle said, it was a "typical first day." There were plenty of strong moments, along with reminders that camp is a marathon, not a sprint.

"You got a lot of newcomers out there whose heads were spinning," said McCorkle. "You're just trying to survive that first day and keep up with the rest of the team. I thought our guys did a good job of competing; I thought our guys did a good job of taking care of each other and keeping each other safe. But we played fast. We had some good plays, and we had a couple plays we have to work on."

Proving it everyday.#TheWoods #GoBigGreen pic.twitter.com/VXy4taWKOB
— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) August 24, 2024

With an experienced senior class, along with multiple fifth-years, the Big Green roster features a strong veteran core that looks to lead the way.

"I think the biggest thing is accountability, especially player-led accountability. Holding people accountable in the locker room and classroom," said linebacker Braden Mullen, who is a team captain along with fellow seniors, defensive lineman Josiah Greene and quarterback Jackson Proctor.

The Big Green's leadership is evident across the roster.

"What I really like is we've got leadership at every position," said McCorkle. "It's not just hey, we've got a couple leaders on defense, we've got a couple leaders on offense, but we've got a couple guys at each position, which is critical and important. It allows those at each position group to develop the identity for that group.

"Our veteran guys have always done a good job and continue to do a great job of mentoring our young guys and essentially being coaches on the field for us," McCorkle continued.

Saturday was a great start. As camp progresses, urgency should only increase.

"Coach Mac talks about a sense of urgency every other sentence it seems," said Mullen. "We had it today, guys moving around pretty quickly, but once we get to the point where everybody knows where they're supposed to be, everybody knows their assignments and alignments, you'll get guys really flying around — which is a beautiful thing."

McCorkle hopes the sense of urgency continues to rise.

"We want guys bouncing around," he said. "Regardless of the situation, they need to be able to turn around, get ready to line up and play fast and play with speed."

The Big Green look to raise an already high bar for the program, something that has been talked about consistently for many months now. Saturday was the first step of the 2024 season towards doing just that.

"One thing I definitely enjoy is the banter between offense and defense," said Mullen. "It shows the competitive nature of this program. Even special teams, you got guys competing their butts off. Definitely the banter back and forth, talking some smack between quarterbacks, receivers, offensive line, that's the stuff that brings me some joy, knowing there's competition on this team."

The Big Green open their season at home when they host Fordham on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. To purchase individual, group or season tickets, please click here.

"There are some things we definitely have to polish," said McCorkle. "I thought the competition was good. It was what we expected and we're super excited to get back out here tomorrow."