BGA Overtime

HANOVER – In an interview days ahead of the start of Dartmouth’s spring practice coach Sammy McCorkle talked about the addition of new assistant coaches Dan Hebert (wide receivers) and Braxton Chapman (running backs). What might have been the bigger news, however, didn’t break until after the interview for BGA. That’s when 29-year-old tight ends coach Wendy Laurent was officially introduced as the Big Green’s associate head coach, barely two years after arriving in Hanover. “Wendy's done a phenomenal job,” said McCorkle. “Seeing his growth since the first day he got here to where he's at now has been impressive. Just the way he holds himself, the way he presents himself, the way he represents Dartmouth College. We’re fortunate to have him as part of our program and really excited with what he's done in the short amount of time he's been here.” Laurent, who was born in Haiti, raised in Hamilton, N.J., and played high school ball at Ivy League-feeder The Hun School, block...

HANOVER – Wide receiver Paxton Scott has led Dartmouth in catches each of his first three seasons. Nose guard Josiah Green had more tackles last year than either of his two linemates who will be playing at the FBS level in the fall as grad transfers. The easy thing to talk about during the off week in the middle of Dartmouth’s 12 spring practices would be to focus on stalwarts like Scott and Green. But Sammy McCorkle, in his first spring practice since being officially named head coach early last fall, was more than happy to work his way around the field sharing thoughts about players who might be a little more under the radar. Given his background as a defensive coach, it’s no surprise that McCorkle began his remarks on that side of the ball. Here’s a transcription of his thoughts with six spring sessions to go (classes listed are per next fall): DEFENSE Sammy McCorkle: “(Junior defensive lineman) Dakota Quiñonez has done a great job. He brings a lot of energy and is doing a great job...

BGA    – Spring football for defending Ivy League champion Dartmouth will be a little different this year. The Big Green has had an enviable run of battle-tested quarterbacks with Dalyn Williams ’16 starting for three years, Jack Heneghan ’18 for two, and then Derek Kyler ’21 for three years. Although he wasn’t the leading passer, the torch was then passed to quarterback Nick Howard ’23, who was the Big Green’s leading rusher in 2021, had seven starts behind center in ’22 and seven more in ’23. With Howard graduate transferring to Butler and 2022 passing leader Dylan Cadwallader ’23 opting to graduate instead of return as a fifth-year senior, Jackson Proctor ’25 is not just the only quarterback on the roster who has started a game, but he’s the only one to have thrown a pass in a college game. “Having one experienced quarterback is better than having none,” head coach Sammy McCorkle cracked with a laugh in the run-up to spring football. “He’s taken a lot of snaps and been in a...