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Jackson Renger, the star outside linebacker on Los Alamitos’ Southern Section Division 2 championship football team last season, packed his bags and boarded a flight on Aug. 14 to begin life as an Ivy Leaguer at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Armed with a 4.4 grade-point average and memories of winning a championship with his best friends, Renger is entering the world of college football while competing in an academic environment featuring the best of the best.

“I’ve been told football might be the easiest part,” he said. “I’m coming in to be surprised.”

The Ivy League continues to recruit players from Southern California. Former St. John Bosco quarterback Caleb Sanchez is entering his junior year at Columbia, which has 10 Southland products on its roster. St. John Bosco defensive back Dorian Franklin is committed to Harvard.

Aiding Renger are eight other players from Southern California on the Cornell roster.

“They said it will be fine and help me,” he said of the transition.

Renger visited Cornell three times last year but has done little preparation this year for what he will be facing in his balancing act of football and academics. He’s going to trust his skills and previous experiences.

“My biggest concern is the academics,” he said. “Throw on top of that football, that’s going to be a real challenge. They said you have to be on top of your stuff and can’t let either get on top of you.”

When Renger left home last month, he packed what he could, flying to New Jersey to visit family, then drove to New York with his parents before moving in on a Sunday. He had hernia surgery in July and spent six weeks recovering and still believes he should be able to contribute on the field as a freshman.

One thing he didn’t bring to Cornell was a warm jacket for snow. He didn’t trust the stores in Orange County.

“That’s what I’m thinking,” he said. “They’re going to sell me something useless.”

So he’ll trust the stores in New York or maybe receive recommendations from teammates once the snow comes.

He’s going off to college to explore and test himself on and off the field. That’s what Ivy Leaguers do.

“Cornell is such a unique and big school,” he said. “I’m not sure what I want to do. I want to try different things when I’m there.”

Football has taught him the most important lesson for anyone who plays sports — never quit.

“This is a whole new challenge. I’ll put my head down and try,” he said.

Friends are welcome to send mittens, ski caps and hot soup when the snow comes. Football begins on Sept. 19. The Southern California natives are sure to shake hands after games and discuss happenings back home while never forgetting that “Winter is Coming.”

The breath of a dragon won’t save them but a warm coat will.

A look at players from local schools on Ivy League rosters:

Harvard: DB Chase Mason, San Juan Hills; DB Iroc Cordova, Inglewood; K Dylan Fingersh, Capistrano Valley; OL Nate Turk, Loyola; DL Mikhal Johnson, Sierra Canyon.

Brown: DL Caden Harman, Sierra Canyon; DL Mitch Mooney, San Marino.

Yale: DB Dillon Rickenbacker, St. John Bosco; WR Davis Wong, Brentwood.

Pennsylvania: LB Trevor Pajak, Mater Dei; WR Tyler George, Corona Centennial.

Columbia: WR Caden Butler, Chaparral; WR Bryce Coleman, Crean Lutheran; WR Elliot Cooper, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; DB Ethan Fullerton, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; QB Caleb Sanchez, St. John Bosco; DL Austin Coronado, Glendora; WR Jarod Sersansie, JSerra; DL Will Matthew, Orange Vista; TE Santiago Hernandez, Harvard-Westlake.

Cornell: WR Cameron Shannon, JW North; DL Darryl Davis, Culver City; TE Brandon Gilbert, Murrieta Valley; TE Adrian Ortiz, Redondo Union; LB Jackson Renger, Los Alamitos; K AJ Salo, Chaminade.

Dartmouth: OL Ryan Turk, Loyola; LB Timothy Ioane Jr., Tustin.

Princeton: LB Fifita Tauteoli-Moore, Corona Centennial; QB Wyatt Becker, Sierra Canyon; RB Kai Honda, Gardena Serra.

Political analysts believe that the latest Houthi attacks open a new phase in Saudi Arabia’s approach to the Iran-backed group, marked by a shift from managing and containing escalation to firmly deterring it. They said that Riyadh will not accept the targeting of its citizens and residents on its territory, or attacks on its vital facilities.

The analysts told Asharq Al-Awsat that this phase is witnessing an advanced level of political, military, and security coordination between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s legitimate government, strengthening the latter’s ability to confront sources of threat and reshape the balance of power on the ground.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Tuesday that his country would not hesitate to defend itself against attacks by the terrorist Houthi militia and would use all available means to protect its interests.

Speaking at a press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow, the Saudi foreign minister said the Kingdom is putting forward diplomatic solutions to avoid further suffering for Yemen and its people, and will not hesitate to support what serves the interests of Yemen and the region. He highlighted that the path of diplomacy for dealing with the Houthis remains open.

Prince Faisal added that the Houthis prefer to put their narrow personal interests ahead of Yemen’s interests, while the country’s legitimate government has provided an opportunity to negotiate with them responsibly. He described their latest escalation as part of their pattern of provocation.

The limits of Saudi Arabia’s patience

Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Jeddah-based Gulf Research Center, said Yemen’s legitimate government is fulfilling its responsibilities in confronting Houthi attacks targeting civilians and vital infrastructure across the country. He added that the government has worked to mobilize its capabilities and resources, and consolidate its ranks, particularly at the military level.

“The Kingdom will not tolerate any attacks against citizens, residents or vital facilities on its territory, and that its patience has limits,” Sager said. He expects Riyadh to respond “firmly and decisively against the sources of fire, in a manner proportionate to the scale and intensity of the attacks,” citing recent developments in Iraq.

He added that the Houthis had misread Saudi patience, saying that “they do not adhere to reason or logic and continue to receive instructions.” He said that the group had been given several opportunities over the past years but failed to make use of them.

A more decisive phase

Yemeni writer Saleh Al-Baidani said the latest developments point to “a shift from managing and containing escalation toward a more decisive approach focused on deterrence.”

He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The Kingdom has provided ample opportunities for de-escalation and a political settlement, but the Houthis misread this restraint, treating it as a permanent limitation on Saudi action rather than a calculated political choice that could be reassessed as circumstances evolve.”

He added that the recent attacks on Saudi territory and vital facilities have elevated the threat to a level that makes the previous approach increasingly difficult to sustain. Al-Baidani said: “When the Houthis evolve from a party to the Yemeni crisis into a regional pressure tool more directly linked to Iran’s calculations and its wider confrontation in the region, the approach to dealing with them inevitably changes.”

According to Al-Baidani, the escalation is no longer linked solely to the Yemeni file, but has come to affect Saudi national security, the security of the Red Sea, energy supplies and the safety of international maritime corridors.

Saudi-Yemeni coordination

The Yemeni writer highlighted that coordination between Saudi Arabia and the legitimate government has entered a different phase compared to previous years, whether at the political, military or security levels.

He added: “The Kingdom appears more aware of the importance of having a Yemeni partner capable of managing the confrontation on the ground, while the Yemeni government realizes that any serious move against the Houthis requires a regional umbrella and political, military and economic support.”

Al-Baidani concluded that the success of the next phase remains contingent on the ability of the Yemeni side to unify military and political decision-making, and to transform multiple forces and fronts from a point of weakness into a source of pressure on the Houthis.

He added: “If that is achieved, we may not be facing a fleeting military round, but rather an attempt to reshape the balance of power that has settled over the past years.”

On Tuesday, Yemeni government forces expanded the scope of their field advance on a number of fronts, managing to liberate the Al-Yatama area in the Khabb wa ash-Sha’af district of Al-Jawf Governorate, northeast of Sanaa, a day after recapturing the Al-Labanat area in the same governorate. This came in parallel with the launch of a large-scale military operation in Al-Bayda Governorate, southeast of Sanaa, and the continuation of clashes on the western coast and west of Taiz, on the sixth day since the start of the Houthi escalation.

The advance comes at a time when government forces have begun, over the past few days, to shift from containing Houthi ground attacks to regaining the initiative on several axes, capitalizing on the group’s retreat from some positions, while army units, resistance forces and the Giants Brigades continue their operations on more than one front.