Passing It On: Matt Kaskey Shares What He Learned
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| Matt Kaskey shares a few thoughts after practice. |
HANOVER – The Dartmouth roster this fall has 29 players who stand at least 6-foot-4. Put them in cleats, helmets and shoulder pads and they look even bigger.
That may be so, but the fellow offering tips to the linemen during practice and addressing the team at the 50-yard line after practice earlier this week fit right in, even without shoulder pads, and with a silly pork pie hat on his head instead of a helmet.
That fellow happened to be Matt Kaskey ’19, Dartmouth’s former All-Ivy offensive lineman who spent two seasons yo-yoing between the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad and active roster, had two offseason looks with the Los Angeles Rams, and another with the Los Angeles Chargers, and started on the Birmingham Stallions spring football championship team.
With his playing career behind him, Kaskey will be studying at Dartmouth’s Tuck School, and he was on the field this week tutoring linemen and offering a pro perspective to the entire team.
Personable and normally pretty funny, Kaskey was all business in his remarks to the team after practice. Tossing in his share of expletives, he stressed to the assembled players the importance of practicing hard every day, eating right, and getting enough sleep to be at their best between the lines.
Kaskey’s message and tone spoke to the growing up he did during his years at Dartmouth and playing professionally.
“He was just a big guy trying to figure it out when he came to us,” coach Sammy McCorkle said of Kaskey, who stood 6-7 and weighed 310 when he arrived as a freshman from Winnetka, Ill. “He had to work at it before the light finally came on for him, and he made the most of it. He realized the opportunity he had, and he made the most of it.”
Kaskey earned the Jake Crouthamel Award as the underclassman who contributes the most to the success of the team in his junior year, was voted a Dartmouth captain before his senior season, and won the Frank Hersey Award (senior who possesses a genuine zest for life, has maintained a strong, positive attitude, and has displayed a sincere desire to win) after his final college campaign.
“He knows how hard it is to play at a high level and busted his butt to do that, and it’s something he can share with our guys,” said McCorkle. “He can help our players understand the effort, commitment, and work ethic it takes to be successful.
“We’re glad to have him helping out with us. He’s cheap and he's available,” the coach added with a laugh.
TWO DECADES
McCorkle’s eyes widened in surprise when he was reminded that this is his 20th year in Hanover. He arrived in 2005 as a charter member of the first staff of Buddy Teevens’ second tenure with the Big Green.
The former University of Florida special teams standout and native of the Sunshine State freely admits he never expected to be in Northern New England this long.
“No chance I’d be here more than five years,” he said. “But I think once we started developing and you realized we could get it going, that changed. When you see that, and think about all the time and effort you put in, you want to be part of it, because you know there's something special happening.
“And then you combine that with this place, and raising your kids here. I just don’t think there are many places like this. So no, initially I never expected to be here very long. But I tell you what, it just sucks you right in, just like it does the players and alums. There’s a reason why alums come back all the time. This place has that effect on you.”
ABOUT THE FITNESS TEST
It wasn’t all that long ago that players arrived on campus after working their summer jobs and dreaded the preseason fitness test. Fail it, and you were condemned to early morning workouts until you could pass muster.
Former strength coach Spencer Brown, recognizing that players on campus were working hard and those off campus for the summer had his workout plans in hand, largely turned the test way into a way measure the fitness of the players, rather than sideline a few. First-year strength coach Conor McNally built on that approach with his version of a fitness test.
“He made it more realistic football-wise,” McCorkle said, explaining the concept. “He timed them from the goal line to the 20 and back, and when he blew the whistle, you had to stop, and they had a guy mark where it was. Then he gave them like a 30-second break, and had them do it again, and he took the average of that.
“Guys didn’t fail, but it gave us an idea of who needs to improve and who did a good job.”
EXAM TIME
Dartmouth final exams begin Saturday and run through Tuesday for sophomores and others taking classes. With the advent of artificial intelligence, professors are starting to shy away from take-home exams in favor of in-class essays and testing and that will have an impact on practice attendance over the next few days.
Once the exam period ends, however, Dartmouth players will be able to concentrate almost entirely on football instead of schoolwork. Teevens used to compare the Big Green’s preseason to a pro camp because, unlike their Ivy League brethren, the Dartmouth players are not in class during the preseason.
“Once finals are over, we'll be able to spend the next week-and-a-half of two weeks just working on football,” McCorkle said. “Practicing in the afternoons (in advance of finals)is almost like the season, which is good because it preps our guys for what it’s going to be like. But once exams are over, we’ll be able to do mornings when it’s cooler, and we have more time.”
ROSTER NUMBERS
With so little attrition and the addition of the occasional walk-on, Dartmouth has run up against roster limits a few times in recent years and wasn’t always able to bring everyone back for the preseason.
That’s not the case this time around.
“This is our small senior class,” McCorkle said. “We’re OK this year.”
ON RECRUITING
By NCAA rule, McCorkle is not allowed to comment on the more than a dozen high school seniors who have already committed to continue their education at Dartmouth next year. What he is able to discuss is the impact the overwhelming amount of campus construction has had on prospective players on official and unofficial visits.
So, how much impact have all the green fences, piles of dirt and debris had? None, the coach believes.
“We do a good job working around that,” he said. “We tell them construction is progress, right? This is a beautiful place and when you see it in the summer you couldn’t care less about the construction.”
SUPERLATIVES
The tallest players on the roster this fall are sophomore tight end Gergely Hudák and freshman offensive lineman Paul Binder, who both measure 6-foot-6. There are no fewer than 15 players listed at 6-5 and another dozen who come in at 6-4.
On the other end of the spectrum, coming in at 5-9, are senior safety Sean Williams, junior running back Chris Roper and junior receiver Jonathan Nelson.
There are 18 players listed as under 6 feet, and 83 who are at least 6 feet.
The Big Green has six players listed at 300 or more pounds with 6-4 junior offensive lineman Cam Davenport topping the charts at 335 pounds. Junior OL Godson Ajoku and sophomore defensive lineman Taylor Faalele each come in at 320.
The lightest player is 5-10 junior kicker Owen Zalc at 165 pounds with six teammates each weighing in at 170.
The breakdown by class:
Seniors: 22
Juniors: 32
Sophomores: 26
Freshmen: 26
GEOGRAPHIC ROSTER BREAKDOWN
States
Texas 12
Georgia 7
New Jersey 6
South Carolina 6
Tennessee 6
California 5
Louisiana 5
Michigan 5
Connecticut 4
Illinois 4
North Carolina 4
Ohio 4
Alabama 3
Florida 3
Indiana 3
Massachusetts 3
New York 3
Colorado 2
Arizona 1
Maryland 1
Minnesota 1
Mississippi 1
New Hampshire 1
Rhode Island 1
Virginia 1
West Virginia 1
Wyoming 1
Other Countries
Germany 2
Nigeria 2
Canada 2
Hungary 1
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| Tearing a page from Buddy Teevens' playbook, Sammy McCorkle shows no one is too big or important to offer help when it is needed. |
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