Was up in Storrs on Wednesday for a little chat with a couple of players. It's not on the JI website and not sure if it ran Friday for space, but Zach Frazer is looking to be quite confident at quarterback.
I asked him to explain the offense as if he was talking to someone who knew nothing about football.
Here is Zach Frazer:
“It’s a put 40 up a game offense,” Frazer said. “It’s going to be a high-scoring offense. It’s going to be great.”
More Frazer, who has slimmed down 13 pounds and needs to be more mobile and athletic in the pocket. He didn't try and downplay or soft pedal expectations which is absolutely going to happen when we talk to the coaching staff next week and in coming months. Frazer is beyond thrilled at the hiring of Joe Moorhead and the offense.
"I knew something had to change. Donald Brown was going to leave and after he announced it, I thought, ‘Are we going to a more passing or more traditional offense?’,” Frazer said. “I am excited that coach Edsall hired Moorhead. It’s exactly what I wanted.”
I talked to Cody Endres also and he is excited about the quarterback opening and did a "may the best man win thing."
I was struck however by Frazer's matter of fact confidence and demeanor. This is the offense he ran in high school, and he isn't shy about telling us what his expectations are.
As far as the Huskies' offense, I think that kind of confidence is sorely needed. The Huskies the last two years have been to gun shy on offense. The offense showed little confidence, and the offense played very close to the vest. Sure, some of that was the play-calling, which in turn was a reaction to the talent and ability of the players on the field.
What was always lacking was a sense of confidence. I don't think anyone on the team last year would have said that "We are going to score 40 a game."
Sure, talk is cheap, but Frazer was aggressive and confident in an interview on February. Perhaps it would be best if he carries that through the spring and into the fall.
It looks as though the entire offense is going to come out of its shell. That starts with the quarterback.
It's a good change. The humility of the offense (we do what we have to do to win) was a little tough to take the last two years.
This Calhoun spat contract thing is never ending. It has one more day in the news cycle because Gov. M. Jodi Rell weighed in via AP.
“I think if Coach Calhoun had the opportunity right now, he would welcome a do-over and not have that embarrassing display from last week,” Rell said after speaking with business leaders in New Haven.
Look for a Calhoun reaction at the press conference after the Marquette game. He is going to be asked about Rell's statement.
Folks, I defended Calhoun's salary below, but the the blowup didn't distinguish himself. You can't defend acting like that in a professional setting in any walk of life (check that, seen crazier in a newsroom. What does that tell you?). He would have been better spent brushing the question aside or ignoring it. Krayeske put the firewood bundle together, Calhoun provided the flame. This goes nowhere if Calhoun doesn't explode.
This has been discussed ad naseum for three days. I will say I didn't like ESPN's first and 10 show on the issue. They had two columnists talk about the spat and they mentioned that local beat writers are mostly homers. Perhaps they should make the 45 minute trip from the ESPN studio to Storrs before they call my colleagues homers. I don't cover men's basketball so I don't know everything about the team, but I don't find the guys to be fans. That's not the case.
Homerism is rampant and in a general sense on the college level those guys are right, but it's located mostly in the college football South to be honest. Connecticut media was all over Randy Edsall when he lied about playing Tyler Lorenzen at quarterback to gain and advantage, and Calhoun is still critiqued heavily after two national titles and 799 wins. Is it the New York or Boston media? No. But it isn't a walk in the park either.
To quote calhoun: "Get some facts, and come back and talk to me. GET SOME FACTS!"
Now, some thoughts after several emails asked me about the Calhoun incident. Here is the exchange.
The shot Ken Krayeske took at the beat writers was unprofessional. Calhoun's response was also unprofessional and he ignited the situation.
Still,with Krayeske, it's obvious he doesn't think sports is important. He can have that view, but he should have had more facts to arm himself with next time he confronts a coach about a salary. He came across just as an activist, not a journalist. And, having been in press conferences that have gotten hijacked, that was not the setting for it and was passive aggressive (if you want to incite the coach, do it one-on-one).
On a news level, it failed most tests. The story wasn't Calhoun's salary in spite of budget deficit. It was "Activist freelancer/blogger enrages coach." Krayeske became the story and generated publicity. There was no news. The news was Calhoun yelling, not the subject matter.
That's bad journalism. He injected himself in the story, and never really got his question answered. Instead of a perfectly appropriate story about UConn athletics having budget cuts or not, we get a "Coach lambastes reporter."
It's fine to make ripples with your reporting, that is what good journalists do. But, do it with facts and support, not with theatrics and setting. Krayeske wasn't being a journalist, he was being an agitator. Big difference.
I don't think the issue he brings up is pointless however. It's worth discussing, but we have to do is take off our sports glasses (take off the t-shirt) and take off our populist Utopian sentiments that we should be paying the "teachers, firefighters, cops and professors more because what they do is really valuable." Please, let's operate in the real world for once.
Once we removed the sports homers, and the anti-sports contingent we can get an honest look at the situation.
This is about value.
What does Calhoun, Auriemma and Edsall bring to the university?
Krayeske assumes that Calhoun's salary somehow is undeserved and that he should take a pay cut, or even not get it, because there is a budget deficit. He has a problem with this because he thinks that taxpayer money can be better used somewhere else.
What Krayeske is ignoring is that the elite sports programs have raised the profile of UConn to heights it could have never reached. That has allowed the university to thrive as an academic university. UConn has gone from a regional school to a national school based largely on the success of the hoops programs almost 20 years ago. Sure, academics have come a long way but it was the euphoria generated by "Huskymania" that fostered an advantageous environment for this to develop.
Let's ignore the fact the hoops programs bring in a net profit(important point, he pays his own salary,who else does that?) and we will look at additional value that elite sports programs give.
I was a student at UConn in 1995 and I was smack in the middle of the UConn 2000 project that was soon folded into a UConnmillennium. This was an unprecedented investment in infrastructure for the university by Connecticut and it was expensive. The results have been better students and a higher profile.
How does that happen? If the taxpayers in-state didn't feel apart of the university why on earth would they agree to build this infrastructure? Why did the state feel the need to invest in its university? I would say that athletics played a major part in this. They have an emotional attachment to the university and it has become a source of pride.
What the sports programs have done is make people not associated with the university care about it in-state and bolster the name of the school out of state. Athletics can be used as a marketing tool to sell the university.
Calhoun, in this sense, is perhaps the most indispensable coach to a university in the entire country. Perhaps Coach K is equally as important at Duke. Calhoun has met more, quite frankly, to UConn than anyother coach in the country.
The quality of student at UConn has risen dramatically the last 10 years. Out of state students coming to UConn has also dramatically risen. Folks, they aren't initially interested because of the physics building.
It's marketing, its promotion, it's about raising the value and profile of the university. It also allows alumni to stay connected with the school and that raises donations to the school. This increases the endowment etc.
Calhoun's job is one of the great sports building jobs in NCAA history in any sport. He is as important a coach as any other coach in the United States to his school. You can make a case that the value Calhoun has given to the university means he is under compensated.
There is a reason most non-ivy league schools aspire to have great athletic programs. They learned long ago the importance of competing at an intercollegiate level. It raises the academic and prestige of the school.
What happened on Saturday is someone who is stuck in a narrow mind set who doesn't understand the impact that Calhoun has had on the University of Connecticut or the relationship of intercollegiate sports to the university community. There are many people who think sports is overemphasized at the collegiate level and they may be right. But, to attack Calhoun because of it is a bad choice.
He is case No. 1 at how athletics can improve a university's reputation and academics. Look no further folks. If I wanted to write a book on athletics raising academics and reputations of a university you probably start in Storrs.
As far as the yelling, Calhoun should have been better. He made the story because he yelled at Krayeske and that became the story. It was a sordid affair on both sides.
Here is a tidbit about Donald Brown's performance at the combine via the Chicago Tribune.
Connecticut RB Donald Brown. He may have moved into the first round with his performance. One scout described his day as "sensational." It included a 41.5-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-5-inch broad jump and a 11.30-second 60-yard shuttle—all bests for running backs.
Looks like Darius Butler has also answered some concerns. Not surprised. Brown and Butler are two of the best athletes in the country. Brown is a physical specimen. The thing about the combine is it takes the uniform and the hype off. Brown is probably the best RB athlete in the draft. And, considering his production and vision, 1st round might not be a reach (though RB is hard to project unless the player is top 5).
UConn has two first round picks and a second round picks when you throw Will Beatty into the mix? Will they have 4 players drafted in the first 3 rounds?
Another question, considering the top shelf talent --- Did the Huskies underachieve this year?
UConn coach Randy Edsall's father has died at the age of 73. Here is an obit that is on Desmond Connor's blog at thecourant. com.
Richard B. "Dick" Edsall, 73, formerly of Glen Rock, died Monday February 16, 2009, at Select Specialty Hospital, York. He was the husband of Barbara C. (Benson) Edsall, with whom he celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary December 19, 2008. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, February 24, 2009, at Zion Lutheran Church - Glen Rock, 47 Hanover St., (corner of Water and Hanover Sts.), Glen Rock, with his pastors, the Rev. Stanley W. Combs and the Rev. Dr. JanyceJorgensen officiating, assisted by the Rev. Ed Robbins. Viewings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Geiple Funeral Home, Inc., 53 Main St., Glen Rock, and from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church. The family requests that you dress casually for the services. Burial will be in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery, Glen Rock. Mr. Edsall was born December 12, 1935, in Philadelphia, a son of the late Omah and Edna (Messersmith) Edsall, and was raised by his grandparents, George and Lillie Messersmith from the age of six months. He was a 1953 graduate of Susquehannock High School and was employed as a Lead Person in General Transportation at the former Cole Steel in York for over 34 years. Following his employment at Cole Steel, he was a Courier for PeoplesBank of Glen Rock for five years. Dick was very active with Local #4407 U.S.W.A. at Cole Steel for 25 years, serving as Union President, and held numerous other offices and served on several committees with the Union. Active in the community, he played baseball and managed the Legion, Youth, and Town Baseball Teams in Glen Rock for many years and was a member and past president of the Glen Rock Athletic Association. He was also one of the founders and a past president of the Southern York County Boy's Club. He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, York, and enjoyed going to and watching all types of sporting events. In addition to his wife, he leaves a daughter, Diane Winter of Palmyra; two sons, Duke Edsall of Roanoke, Va., and Randy D. Edsall of Glastonbury, Conn.; six grandchildren; two greatgranddaughters; two sisters, Lillie Cain of Dover and Connie Greer of Glen Rock; and a brother, George Edsall of Manchester. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Zion Lutheran Church, 2215 Brandywine Lane, York, PA 17404.
Randy Edsall talked about his father often. I am struck by one conversation he had where he said his father came to every high school game he ever played. Edsall mentioned that one of his few regrets at being a football coach is he can't go to his son's football games every week.
Surely sad news, and condolences to the Edsall family.
Great basketball game. Poor refereeing as always in college basketball (it's a big problem).
Anyhow, is there a better real rivalry in college basketball than Pitt-UConn? Think about it the last decade. The games have been as memorable as Duke-Carolina. This game was played with much more intensity. I thought Duke-Carolina wasn't played at nearly as high a level.
If Blair is going 22 points, 23 rebounds and Sam Young scores 25 no one is beating Pitt. They are good enough to flat out win the national title. Huskies had Pitt on the ropes, don't know how they left the foot off their throats. Lastly, at 61-61 you can't give up open 3s late. That is a mortal sin of basketball, no 3s late. I don't know why the defender kept going underneath the screen like that.
Huskies are good enough to win the title. Pitt is too, two best teams I ahve seen. I like Oklahoma, and UNC's talent is great. But, they don't play with the way these two teams do.
Was at the UConn-Cuse game sitting in the stands, tough break on Jerome Dyson and the meniscus tear. I didn't see the injury because I missed the first 12 minutes because of rubbernecking on 44. Still, for everyone who wants to jump off a bridge, I don't think it's a fatal injury.
Top 3 players are still around in Price, Adrien and Thabeet. Thabeet is a big time force defensively, and better than anyone gives him credit for. Thabeet's effect on the game off the ball (which you don't see on TV) is incredible. Player of the Year nationally in my book, though he has no shot at it.
Huskies need more production out of Stanley Robinson (perhaps now that the Huskies need him he will play better) and I love Price off the ball with Craig Austrie or Kemba Walker running the point. Tough break, but I think they are still top 5 caliber with him out.
Where is the additional outside shooting going to come from? That's a concern.
Just got an email. Looks like the UFL will be playing in New York/Hartford in October of 2009.
I'll see if I can get some specifics.
Update: Confirmed, New York-Hartford is going to be a UFL team in 2009. At least one game will be played in Hartford where they will share a team with New York. Economy has taken a hit on the league so it's going to be centrally owned with the newest investor Paul Pelosi, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, coming aboard recently.
The stadium deals are being worked out, but Hartford/New York is one of the teams with Las Vegas/Los Angeles, San Francisco/Sacramento and Orlando area.
In the next month they will announce players and coaches and schedule. At least one game will be played in the Hartford area and I am assuming it is Rentschler Field (New Britain?). League will kick off October 2009.
Windsor native and former NFL executive Michael Huyghue is the commissioner.
I am taking a liberty to go off topic. I must say as a yankee homer I was a bit crushed with A-Rod and steroids. Is anyone clean?
Forever tarnished, and a liar. Great. The thing is, he didn't need them.
As far as some other things. If I am A-Rod I start suing everyone. This was supposed to be anonymous. Why was it able to be tied to him? That to me is wrong, but doesn't make me feel any better.
Another thing, why is everything about the Yankees? Did no other team in baseball have a player do steroids? I know Yankees rule baseball, but there are plenty of other players who tested positive. Their names should come out too.
Jarrell Miller is in school, but his status is still murky. Up until Wednesday, Randy Edsall didn't even know what he was up to.
I have been playing tag with him that last day and a half, I will try and talk to him this weekend. Zach Boyer over at rivals has the scoop. Didn't know the jail time. I knew the academic trouble and that he was supposed to go to community college, but that is a bit of an eye opener.
Reading various articles there is a question of how many years left. If I understand it correctly from what we went through when he got here, Miller had to sit out as a transfer, but that transfer was his redshirt year at UConn. He didn't lose a year when he left North Carolina to prep school
That time spent at Fork Union didn't start his clock.
So he had 4 to play 4 starting this year. That would mean he has 3 years left, or at worst 2. It's still a mess.
The drive to upgrade the talent level was particularly focused at the wide receiver spot. UConn signed St. Paul-Bristol’s Marcus Aiken, a New Britain native; 6-foot-5 MalikGenerett from York, Pa.; and a pair of highly-sought-after Florida recruits in Dwayne Difton of St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale — the No. 1-ranked high school team in the nation — and Mike Lang of Largo High in Largo.
With a new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead coming aboard and a commitment to throw the ball more, the Huskies needed a jolt at the wide receiver position. Edsalldidn’t guarantee anyone playing time, but at that spot it’s open season when the group gets to camp in August.
“Wide receiver is probably a position where there is a little bit more opportunity,” Edsall said. “If there is a guy that comes in and shows he’s above the other people, then he’s going to play.”
I have been reading a lot of the experts' recruiting wraps. Dwayne Difton is ranked No. 39 by rivals and No. 84 by scout. The Huskies' wide receivers are ranked 23 as a group.
This quote about Rutgers recruiting class from Allan Wallace courtesy of the AP.
“I’d rate Rutgers in the 30-to-45 (best) group,” Allen Wallace, publisher of SuperPrep magazine, said in a telephone interview. “It’s not a group filled with headlinders. However, it has a big talented kid at quarterback with a lot of touch on the ball.”
Are we done with the absurdity yet? Why is Difton not the 20th ranked receiver? Why isn't Rutgers 25th or why aren't they 50th overall? How can anyone tell?
UConn has 12 coaches devoted to watching film and rating players. They spend a ton of time on it. It's impossible to evaluate all of these kids, and even if you do, how do you start ranking players after the top handful of can't miss stars? It's absurd. I am stunned by how many papers have quoted these recruiting analysts today. Some schools buy in hook line and sinker. I will never write a "4-star" recruit in my paper. I do work for scout.com, and the service along with rivals.com are valuable. But, the thought that I am validating their player evaluations is silly.
The stars and the evaluations aren't valuable information. It's sports pornorgraphy, everyone has to stop looking at it.
It's who you got at certain deficient positions. I like Malik Generett's potential better than any of the other three the Huskies got. We'll see how it turns out.
Lastly, this feeds into the thought of great coach and terrible recruiter for Edsall. Is that accurate? Or, considering that UConn locked up a lot of these guys well in advance, did the Huskies get much of what they wanted?
As far as talent evaluation, I am sticking to the pro's whose jobs are on the line finding these guys. UConn does a good job at getting players who aren't "maxed out" as Edsall likes to point out. The hardest part of recruiting is projecting what a 17 year old will look like in three years. That is the test of the recruiter and the Huskies have done well there.
This staff has missed on getting a big-tme WR in a long-time. I can't really remember any working the players they brought in. All other positions the Huskies have recruited pretty well over the years.
All this team needed were breakout wide receivers. We'll see how it turns out, but they have several of them that look very enticing.
Signing Day to me is overblown (do we really need 14 hours of coverage?). I think the wall-to-wall media coverage is insane as is the hounding that goes on with these kids. But, for die hards who read this blog, this is like Christmas.
It's an important day and I think UConn made out pretty well.
Here are some more thoughts. Dwayne Difton looks to be the best bet right off the bat to play because of the offense he played in and the caliber of players he played with. He is a lot more polished than the others. Mike Lang is supposed to be a burner, and if you have speed it could always be used.
I love 6-foot-5 Malik Generett from his highlight reel. 6-foot-5 receiver is a dimension they don't have. There is 6-foot-4 Brian Parker laying in the weeds after a redshirt, this is good for the Huskies.
Aiken is a great athlete, he is perhaps the least polished because he played RB, but the Huskies aren't projecting as much since they have seen him at WR. He would be likely to redshirt.
The Huskies are starting to sign wide receivers. No more Brad Kanuch's switches from RB. Even Aiken has experience at WR.
Add this mix in with Kashif Moore and Michael Smith as well as redshirts Gerrard Sheppard and Brian Parker and it looks like UConn will have players to throw to.
This season it was tough to watch. But now, it looks as thought the Huskies have much more talent in the pipeline. There are now 10 scholarship WRs on the team. Only one is a senior in Kanuch. There may be attrition, but it looks like there will be some competition.
As far as other recruiting thoughts, the Huskies are going to start clamping down and recruiting their core areas. That would be Eastern Ohio and Northern Virginia into the Northeast and a heavy emphasis on Pennsylvania. There is also a nice Georgia pipeline from Edsall's Georgia Tech days that is paying off and of course Florida. Every team in the country has to recruit Florida.
Other areas however are going to be put as secondary priorities. Unless a player shows interest in the Huskies or they spot him at a camp and he is receptive, the Huskies won't go crazy.
Connecticut is a place UConn has to get better in. There is a lot of skeptical high school coaches who get bowled over when a major coach calls, and in my opinion, I find a lot of high school coaches starry-eyed. Let's be honest, the Huskies lost out on some major in-state recruits for a variety of reasons. Some part of it is that there are high school coaches that seem to discourage players from even considering UConn. Edsall mentioned this in a much nicer way during his press conference when he mentioned how much these players could accomplish at UConn that they are "missing the boat."
There are a lot of high school coaches who discourage players from even considering UConn in-state. UConn's in-state track record for players who went to UConn is pretty good. I don't know what else a player and coach can ask for. To not even consider UConn to me is a bad move. UConn's facilities are top notch, they are in a major conference, there is playing time to be had, and Edsall can get players to the NFL. And, players graduate. Still, some high school coaches feel UConn is a settle or a step down. Florida is one thing, some others schools are another.
If the occasional player got away, it's one thing. But, too many are getting away to think that this is just the work of kids wanting to leave the state.
It has become counter intuitive. A prospect in Connecticut seems to be looked down by heading to UConn over another similar institution. In every other state, the state school gets those players in-state, or at least the majority of them. It's an odd dynamic up here, and most of it is the attitude of high school coaches.
Huskies have higher credibility in Pennsylvania than they do in Fairfield County.
That's changing as coaches turn over and current players grow up with UConn ingrained in their minds. It's getting better, but the Huskies need to get more in-state players because nothing beats an in-state pipeline. Massachusetts they have done well as have they done in Pennsylvania.
Lastly, on the recrutinig rankings as a team. I can't tell you how silly they are. Look at the current Huskies class and their roster.
UConn is set at QB with Zach Frazer and Cody Endres plus Casey Turner to go along with new commitments.
The offensive line will lose Will Beatty, maybe a first rounder, but is loaded with underclassmen. This is a strength as good as anyone around. No worries here.
Running back is loaded.
On defense, I love the young defensive tackles in Kendall Reyes and Twyon Martin. The linebackers are tremendous and still have two years left, and, the secondary is very good and has young talent all around.
The two worry areas for the Huskies are WR and defensive end.
They satisfied that in this recruiting class and also are bringing in athletes that may pan out.
On a side note: Joe Moorhead was greeted by a very big round of applause tonight at the signing event at the Rent. I know the fans didn't like Ambrose's offense, but this guy isn't a miracle worker.
He did have a good line however: "I hope you feel the same way after Ohio University."
Maybe everyone is excited that the forward pass will be utilized this season.
First things first, this class is heavy on wide receivers and considering the problems this year (to be nice) in the passing offense it isn't a surprise.
Two last commitments were Dwayne Difton and Mike Lang of course at WR.
Edsall in wide receivers that included Marcus Aiken of Bristol and Malik Genrett.
There were no gurantees for playing time, but, there is an opportunity at WR for the Huskies more so than any other position on the field.
"Wide receiver is a possible position where there may be more of an opportunity," Edsall said Wednesday. "We'll see how it plays out."
Difton is from St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and played on the No. 1 high school team in the country. He is a burner and a game-breaker. He played against Lang in Florida's football semifinals. Lang is a tremendous athlete that both the offensive and defensive coaches wanted.
The Huskies saw Aiken at WR in summer camp (he played running back at St. Paul of Bristol) and like his athleticism. Genrett is 6-foot-5 and adds some more size to the corps.
The Huskies have hold overs Kashif Moore and Mike Smith (both will be sophomores) as well as senior Brad Kanuch. Redshirting this season was a couple of more receivers in Brian Parker and Gerrard Sheppard. The Huskies also have junior Kevin Poles in the mix and on scholarship.
This will be the most interesting summer battle.
Other tidbits on the class:
* The Huskies recruited two QBs in Michale Box and Leon Kinnard. Box is 6-2 out of Suwanee, Ga. Kinnard is an interesting player in that he is 5-9. He is here as a quarterback according to Edsall until he says he wants to switch. UConn feels he can play quarterback.
* Nick Williams is recruited as an athlete, and he is going to return kicks. they haven';t figured out his other position yet. I am assuming he will compete for that job right away.
* Huskies recruited one running back in Martin Hypolite after Don Brown declared for the NFL Draft. Hypolite reminds Edsall of Brown with his leg strength. Hypolite is from Wakefield Mass.
*Local players are Trevardo Williams and Mike Osiecki and Aiken. Williams is from Bridgeport and is already in school. He prepped at Canterbury. Osiecki is from Seymour and is a LB.
*Williams as well as Jesse Joseph and Keensen Chambers have enrolled this spring and all are DEs. Williams may be the best bet of the three to see action next season, though Edsall would like to redshirt them all.
Other notes:
*Edsall said that recruiting Connecticut is improving, but the Huskies did lose out on some major players such as Jordan Reed who went to Florida and Hartford's Andre Lawrence that went to BC among others.
Still, with a bumper crop in 2010, especially Fairfield County, Edsall thinks it's starting to turn.
"Kids are starting to understand thatat you can flourish here. If they haven't see it they missed the boat," Edsall said. "You can be an All-American, you can win the Big East you can get to the NFL. Kids are starting to understand that, the kids need to understand that and the coaches in this state need to understand that."
*Junior Greg Robinson has moved to inside linebakcer. Edsall made it as a throwaway comment, but this is a blog and news nonetheless.
*Also, more blog only fodder, for the message board and rumor people who emailed me. Rumors that DT Jarrell Miller is returning to the team are false. He isn't on the football team as of today according to a source in the know and that is not something that is expected. The football program isn't even sure he is enrolled in school full-time. There are also eligibility questions.
*Lastly, ignore the rankings. Huskies got some wide receivers and they appear to be good catches (love the pun). That's what ya'll should be concerned a bout.
I will leave you with this Edsall quote:
"We can evaluate talent, and athletes who have maxed out. We do a good job of developing talent. When I cam here, we had one player in pro ball. We now have 12, with four more going to the NFL. That shows you something."
I'll have a breakdown and coaches thoughts after a 3 pm presser. No surprises.
MARCUS AIKEN – Played wide receiver, running back and defensive back during his scholastic career….as a senior, rushed for 1,000 yards and 15 TDs with 19 receptions for 253 yards and three TDs…team went 9-2 overall in ’08…as a junior, rushed for 933 on 122 carries and had 31 receptions for 476 yards….had 213 rushing yards with three TDs in junior year vs. Wilcox Tech…two-time All-Nutmeg conference pick…third team all-state pick by the New Haven Register…team captain…also plays basketball and track…in spring of 2008, won state Class S championship in 300-meter hurdles in record time of 39.15..was also second in 110-meter hurdles…born February 5, 1991.
TEVRIN BRANDON- 2008 all-state honorable mention and second team All-(Lehigh Valley) The Express-Times All-Area… intercepted eight passes and made 51 tackles as senior… named first team all-conference his junior year after making 51 tackles and five interceptions also ran track in high school, making the first team all-area his sophomore and junior years …born December 9, 1990.
MICHAEL BOX – Played his senior season at Collins Hill and led team to 8-3 record…had school-record 1,561 yards of passing as a senior, including 286 yards in one game for a school record….two-time Gwinnett County Player of the Month…second team all-region…threw for 1,005 and four touchdowns as a junior at Duluth (Ga.) High School and rushed for 540 yards and three TDs…as a sophomore, had 781 passing yards as a sophomore…played in the Gwinnett County All-Star Game…born November 19, 1990.
TYLER BULLOCK-- Named a First Team The Sentinel (Cumberland County, Pa.) All-Star and to the AAA All-State Associated Press second team as a senior…team captain…two-time (Harrisburg) Patriot News All-Star…also played tight end and defensive end in high school…team finished 12-1 in 2008 with their only loss coming in the state quarterfinals…born July 10, 1990.
KEENSEN CHAMBERS – Enrolled at UConn this January after spending the fall semester at Worcester Academy….was a New England Prep School Athletic Conference All-Star this past fall…at Southside High School, was an all-county pick in 2007 and two-time all-region pick…played basketball as team won Class AA State Championship in 2007…named to all-tournament team…was awarded a Pepsi-Greenville County Schools Golf Tournament Scholarship following his senior year for community involvement…named to The National Society of High School Scholars…born June 16, 1990.
CHAD CHRISTEN –Named Class AAA First Team All-State and first team All-Mid Penn Conference selection…had a long field goal of 49 yards as a senior and 50 yards as a junior…had seven field goals in both his junior and senior seasons…averaged 42.8 yards per punt as a senior – improving from 38.5 as a junior…in three years as a starter, registered 83 touchbacks on kickoffs….was also team’s starting quarterback as a senior…born September 9, 1990.
DWAYNE DIFTON – Named first team All-Broward County by the Miami Herald and second team All-Broward County by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel as a senior…ranked 13th top recruit in Broward County by Sun-Sentinel…St. Thomas Aquinas finished the season as top-ranked high school football team in the country by USA Today…team was 2007 and ‘08 5A State Champions…had 25 receptions for 414 yards (16.6 average) and five TDs in the 2008 regular season…also had a 34-yard rush during season…caught a TD pass in his team’s 56-7 victory in the 2008 state championship game…had eight receptions for 134 yards and two TDs in three postseason games….had four receptions for 121 yards and a TD in win against Cincinnati Elder in Kirk Herbstreit Classic played at Paul Brown Stadium…team averaged 426 yards of total offense per game… as a junior, had 19 receptions for 276 yards and two TDs…born February 15, 1990.
KEVIN FRIEND – First team All-Cedar Run District pick as a senior and second team all-region…team MVP and captain…is highly-ranked wrestler in the heavyweight division and is ranked second in the state…born July 12, 1990.
MALIK GENERETT- First team all-state in 2008 by Associated Press and Pennsylvania Football News… named 2008 Tri-Player of the Year in the York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association…named first team all-league twice…selected to play in Big 33 All-Star game…864 receiving yards as a senior captain…team captain…switched from quarterback to wide receiver midway through his junior season…45 receptions for 933 yards and 11 TDs his senior year, an average of 20.7 yards per reception…as a junior, after position switch, had 21 receptions for 420 yards and four TDs…attended same high school as current Husky Zac Zielinski and ’08 grad William Beatty…born October 6, 1989.
STEVE GREENE – Two-time Associated Press Class A first team all-state selection in Pennsylvania on the offensive line…2008 first team all-state pick by Pennsylvania Football News (Class A) and first team all-conference by the Altoona Mirror…also played defense as a senior and made 42 tackles…team captain…also plays basketball and football…selected to play for Pennsylvania in the Big 33 All-Star Game in June 2009..born December 13, 1990.
MARTIN HYPPOLITE – Set single-season school records as a senior with 1,639 rushing yards with 29 TDs…also is school’s career leader in rushing yards with 2,850 yards and is the leading scorer with 269….had five touchdowns in two different games this year and four TDs in another...team was 8-1 in senior year…had 19 receptions for 318 yards and four TDs as a senior….also return kicks and punts…rushed for 1,013 yards as a junior…first team all-state pick…averaged 9.6 yards per carry as a senior….team captain…named to 2008 All-Scholastic team by both The Boston Globe and Boston Herald… born June 17, 1990.
JESSE JOSEPH – Enrolled at UConn in January of 2009…was team captain and all-league pick….invited to 2007 Team Quebec camp…team was 2006 and ’07 Bol d'Or Trophy champions, which goes to the winner of the Canadian Prep Triple-A football league champions…from same prep school as current Husky Moe Petrus…a Canadian native who graduated from Northeast Philadelphia High School in 2006…will have five years of eligibility to compete in four at UConn.
DAVID KENNEY – Was named first team all-conference all-prep as a junior… named New Jersey-New York All-Star as a senior…born September 18, 1990.
LEON KINNARD – Second team all-state pick as a junior…was honorable mention all-state as a sophomore and senior…as a senior, was named second team all-metro from the Baltimore Sun and All-Baltimore County…first team all-metro and all-county as junior ….as a sophomore in 2005, was 103 for 185 in the air for 1,415 yards and 11 TDs..also rushed for 303 yards and 11 TDs…as a junior in 2006, threw for 1,489 yards with 13 touchdowns as team won state title… team went 11-0 in senior year….team captain…was selected to play in 2008 Maryland Crab Bowl between all-stars from Maryland and Washington, D.C., but missed game because of injury…born February 9, 1991.
MICHAEL LANG – Had 38 receptions for 960 yards and nine TDs as a senior….the yards and TDs were school single-season records….team advanced to state semifinals …had two receptions in state semifinals…team captain…also played defensive back in high school….First Team All-Suncoast by St. Petersburg Times…First Team All-Pinellas County by St. Petersburg Times… as a junior, had a 75-yard interception return for a TD in state playoff game…played in 2008 Florida North-South All-Star Game…born December 24, 1990.
CHRIS LOPES – Helped lead Tilton to an undefeated season in 2007 and win its first-ever New England Prep School Athletic Conference Super Bowl appearance….had 10 receptions for 350 yards and five TDs….had 60 tackles as a defensive back…had a 23-yard TD reception in Super Bowl….team went 7-2 in 2008 and played in Super Bowl again…was an All-Evergreen League pick and All-New England selection in 2008…originally attended Brockton High School…was a Boston Globe All-Scholastic pick and Big Three League All-Star in 2006…born January 5, 1990.
MICHAEL OSIECKI – 2008 Gatorade State Player of the Year in Connecticut….also earned first team all-state honors from the New Haven Register…two-time first team All-Naugatuck Valley League…team advanced to state Class SS final as a senior…also played fullback in high school, rushing for 1,774 yards and 26 TDs on 199 carries and catching 25 passes for 419 yards and six TDs as a senior…second team all-state his junior year…team captain…born June 14, 1991.
SHAMAR STEPHEN – Had 57 tackles in senior year with 12 sacks….had two blocked field goals…team captain…team went 7-2 in senior year…also plays basketball…..First Team All-American Lutheran Team…born February 25, 1991.
NICK WILLIAMS – Named 2008 Trenton Times Player of the Year…team captain and MVP…all-conference on both offense and defense as a junior and senior and all-conference on defense as a sophomore…as a junior, made 50 tackles with three interceptions….had 11 interceptions as a sophomore…born November 23, 1990.
TREVARDO WILLIAMS – Enrolled at UConn in January of 2009…named to the 2007 all-state team by both the Hartford Courant and the New Haven Register…a two-time all-conference selection…on the track, placed second in New England in the 100 meters in 2007...lived in Jamaica until 1999…born December 31, 1990.
TIM WILLMAN – First-team all-league selection…honorable mention all-state…named to the Howard County Times All-County team…named to the National Football Foundation Baltimore Chapter Academic All-State team…played in 2008 Maryland Crab Bowl between all-stars from Maryland and Washington, D.C….grandfather Lou Cavallo of Wallingford graduated from UConn in mid-50s…born November 23, 1990.
UConn AD Jeff Hathaway was kind of enough to sit with the media and go over the season ticket price levels for the next three seasons. There are some major changes to the plan, and at the lowest levels the price of the tickets will go up to $30 per ticket after an initial early bird special at 2008 rates ($25 per game) that will end May 1st.
Hathaway said that the economy and a desire to sell out Rentschler and it's season ticket base were the reasons behind the move. The Huskies base of tickets in 28000 including roughly 4500 students. To max out the stadium, the Huskies need a season ticket base of about 34,000. The other 7000 seats are visiting team allotment and other obligation tickets such as band, advertising etc.
"We are cognizant of the economy," Hathaway said. "Some of the areas needed to be tweaked and combined with the economy, we wanted to sell out on a season ticket basis."
The Huskies have revamped their season ticket and donation requirements for club level and chairback seating and are also offering three year terms in season tickets at the reserved level which requires no donation.
The University is offering a price break on season tickets for its lowest plan on the reserved level at $25 per ticket ($150) if they tickets are purchased prior to May 1st. After May 1st, the season ticket price will increase to $180 for the six games.
Here are some other changes.
The major change for the Huskies is at the club level and chairback seating level, the more premium tickets for the Huskies.
Club level tickets, which include a tax deductible donation of $900 (down from $1,400) will cost $1,260 per ticket (including donation and tickets), down from $1,640 a year ago.
The biggest change will be at the chairback level where they will divide the lower and upper level seats that has drawn a vast amount of anger from fans.
The chairback seating used to cost an equal amount with a $650 donation and $210 for the tickets. The chairback seating quality is vastly different in quality, but not in price, and drew anger from many fans. There will be significant reductions at this level.
The chair backs will be sold at three levels, lower, mezzanine and upper.
The lower level chairbacks will have their donation reduced to $500 and a ticket cost of $210 for a price break of $150 from a year ago.
The mezzanine level will see a $400 donation and $210 for the tickets for a cost of $610, a 29 percent savings.
The biggest savings will be in the upper chairbacks. These tickets will have a 49 percent reduction from the last six years. Tickets that went $860 for the donation are now $435, including a donation for $225.
There are no changes at other levels as long as tickets are purchased before May 1st. Reserved seats, which don't require a donation, can now be made for a three year term insuring the same seats for the next three seasons.
Here are some notes:
*It's obvious that the upper chairbacks became the least popular. Hathaway admitted that he didn't think the pricing made much sense and was fair at that level. These are the hardest ones they had to sell.
*The most popular tickets are the reserved for $150, and $150 donation. This price won't change if purchased by May 1st. It is possible to take a 3 year term out on these tickets.
*The Huskies want to sell out the stadium more so than maximize revenue, which they will take a minor hit.
* Buying tickets early will put you in line to get better seating. Even in non-donation seating, it's first come first serve with assignments coming out in May.
Other thoughts:
*There are no plans at this time to look at basketball tickets according to Hathaway.
* This was part due to the weakening economy, but also with the hope that the Huskies can sell out their season ticket base.
