By Jake Hamilton
NEFJ Correspondent
CAMBRIDGE – The Buckingham Browne & Nichols School played host on Tuesday night for a bounty of college football scouts looking to add some New England talent.
Governed by BB&N Knights coach Mike Wiley, he and a whopping twenty-eight players showed out under the lights along the bank of the Charles River. With over thirty scouts from all over the country in attendance, from the ACC, BIG Ten, Ivy, and Patriot League, the best of the best for the Knights put on a show for a crowd. Wiley was gratified and excited for his players to show what they are made of.
“Great turnout by the college coaches. I thought our guys worked hard. Did their thing. I’m happy that they got a chance to do this. I think they took full advantage of the opportunity,” he said.
Following a brief warm-up and stretch, the Knights got to action. Working on power drills and pass protection, BB&N’s offensive and defensive lineman showcased their techniques against the pads. Standing out in the crowd, 2026 offensive tackle Tim Church and 2027 lineman Liam Cunningham displayed great footwork, concentration, and hand placement. After the showcase, Cunningham was excited and optimistic about his performance.
“I felt really good,” Cunningham said. “I’d like to thank Coach Wiley. He’s such a great coach, and Olson, our O-Line coach, coaching me up all season, all off-season. I’m feeling great. Ready for this season.”
He continued, “Coming from a small public school in central Massachusetts and now at one of the top prep schools in New England, it’s insane. Coach Willey does a great job every year with this.”
The group then transitioned to pitch and catch between quarterbacks and receivers. Knights 2026 quarterback Damon Taylor managed to put the ball on point during the deep-out portion despite some swirling winds on the field. Making nice catches along the sidelines were receivers 2025 AJ Azuakolam and 2026 wideout Ellis Barnes, who presented great footwork and body control along the boundary.
To close out the session, a three-way 2026 player, Vince Snoonian, who plays safety, receiver, and kicker, boomed some kickoffs to return specialists. Tailback Bo MacCormack, who had an all-around great night, was lightning-fast, hauling in kicks and turning them up the sidelines. MacCormack’s effort was evident all night long, going the extra mile for even the smallest of plays.
Following the final kick, the Knights broke it down in the huddle. Once they broke, scouts chatted with potential recruits, proving that once again, Wiley and Co. put on another successful showcase for the Knights.
On the next steps for his players, Wiley noted the players are just going to get back to work throughout the summer preparing for the fall.
“The guys will play seven on seven. They’ll do their thing with that and go to New England Elite Clinic. A lot of the guys go to that,” he said.”
“And then, same idea, get in front of a lot of coaches, get a lot of opportunities. Then, it’s lifting weights, running on the track, and trying to attack our schedule, which is going to be a great schedule. There’s all good teams, and it’s going to be a battle every week.”