PRINCETON, N.J. – Ivy League football season is upon us.
The league kicks off its 2021 campaign with all eight teams competing on Saturday, Sept. 18.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The last time the league ran through a non-conference slate, the teams combined for a .667 winning percentage. Ivies have enjoyed plenty of success on opening weekend, boasting a 71-49 (.592) record over the past 15 campaigns.
IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN
The Ivy League’s six-game national television package, featuring all eight Ivy League programs, commences on Friday, Sept. 24, when Brown visits Harvard at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
IVIES IN THE NFL
There are currently 17 Ivies with spots on NFL teams. Twelve Ivies earned a spot on initial 53-man rosters after they were trimmed following the conclusion of the preseason. The league’s 12 players was the third most in the FCS. Harvard led the way with five former Crimson earning a spot, which is tied with North Dakota State for the second-most players from an FCS school. The Atlanta Falcons currently have four Ivies on their roster; Penn’s Brandon Copeland, Yale’s Foyesade Oluokun, Columbia’s Cam Nizialek and Yale’s Jaeden Graham.
PRESEASON POLL
Princeton was selected as the League favorite in the 2021 Ivy League Football Preseason Media Poll, which was voted on by a panel of 16 media members from across the league. The Tigers, who claimed a share of the Ivy crown in 2016 and won it outright in 2018, received eight first-place votes and accumulated 113 total points. Yale ranked second with a total of 104 points in the poll to go along with six first-place votes. The Bulldogs went 9-1 in 2019 on their way to claiming their 16th Ivy League title.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Princeton LB Jeremiah Tyler was tabbed to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list. In 2019, he led the league and was 25th in the nation with 14.5 tackles for a loss. His 62 total tackles ranked ninth in the Ivy League. Brown QB EJ Perry was named to the Walter Payton Award watch list. He led the nation in total offense with 367.8 yards per game as a sophomore in 2019. His 3678 yards of total offense marked an Ivy League record, topping Princeton’s Chad Kanoff’s record (3,553), which was set in 2017. Harvard punter Jon Sot, twice an All-Ivy First Team selection, was named to the FCS Punter of the Year Award watch list. The Clark, N.J., native led the Ivy League in punting average in 2019 with 42.3 yards per kick.