NEW YORK — Columbia football wrapped up its one-week training camp on Monday and will shift into a more regular schedule with the start of classes set for Tuesday. The Lions welcomed the team back to campus on Thursday, August 22 and hit the field for the first of nine practices on Saturday, August 23.

Patricia & Shepard Alexander Head Football Coach Jon Poppe was pleased with the squad's productivity, competition and physicality as he heads into year one at Columbia. Off the field, Columbia dedicated extra time to team/group meetings and organized activities to enhance chemistry. 

"I think our student-athletes are doing a great job of competing in the right way, meaning, playing physical, playing fast, playing with details and keeping each other safe," Poppe said. "Just getting them to focus on that we're not trying to beat ourselves, and we're trying to prepare for our first game against Lafayette."

Poppe believes there was a strong carryover from the spring practices and continues to work on building out the schemes in all three facets of the game. Additionally, welcoming back 13 seniors who opted to take the spring semester off to retain their Ivy League eligibility gives the Lions added experience and leadership.

"Between spring ball and that senior group who was able to be around during the summer months, we're much further ahead of the curve," noted Poppe. "On special teams, we're putting it all together. I think that's the biggest jump we're seeing in preseason. It's not just punt and kickoff. Kick returns are now implemented. It's punt return philosophy and scheme implementation, and that's been the biggest difference."

"It's been great to see those fifth years out there for the first time," Poppe continued. "I see Will Hughes boom punts, Anthony Roussos making plays and being in the right place at the right time. Joey Giorgi has adapted really well to this new offense. Marcus Libman and James Miller have been great as well. All these fifth years have done a tremendous job thus far, and it's been exciting to see how well they've meshed with what we're trying to build here."

On the team's day off on Thursday, the coaches brought in inflatable water slides, a dunk tank and food trucks for the team to unwind before taking part in their first full practice of 2024 on Friday.

"It's a physical game, so we wanted to have a little fun with the slides and other games outside of football, and I thought that was great," said Poppe. "We played kickball and competed in the right way. They were doing relay races up the water slides. So, it wasn't anything forced by us as coaches, which is great to see. We want to make sure that they get some time to hang out and give them opportunities to unwind or take care of their bodies. And that's what they've done a great job of doing, which is taking ownership of those times."

When the pads came on Friday, Poppe showed little concern about the prospects of adding an extra layer of physicality to the mix due to the respect the team showed each other in the first five sessions. 

"There's always excitement when you put the full pads on for the first time," Poppe said. "And for these guys, it's just continuing to do what they do with the respect they've shown each other in a competitive manner. We haven't had many aggressive fights or skirmishes that stop practice. I think guys have done a great job handling that stuff on their own. And now it's continuing to do that, just with a little more freedom to play the game and let loose."

Now, the focus turns back to the balance of academics and athletics, and Poppe wants to make sure they take care of business in the classroom and continue to bring energy to the field. 

"I'm grateful that we have most of our install in," said Poppe. "We're not going to be putting much on their plate that's new. And now, it's that competitive fire in these Ivy League student-athletes that is so prevalent. You want to be great in the classroom. You want great football without suffering a lull or a drop-off academically. You want to keep growing in both of these spaces. So, we know there's a lot on their plates, and we fully understand that. But at the same time, we expect the same big energy they've brought this week. That's what we want to see in this first week of classes, and by the time we open up on game day, they'll be used to that mental juggling, and we should be in great shape."

Columbia is set to open the 2024 campaign on Saturday, September 21, against Lafayette at Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium. Kickoff is slated for noon.

Season and single-game tickets are on sale now. Visit gocolumbialions.com/tickets or contact the ticket office at 888-LIONS-11 or lionstickets@columbia.edu.

For the latest on the Columbia football team, follow @CULionsFB on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.