Edsall: We are better received out of state

Randy Edsall knew the question about Connecticut was bound to come up.

The Huskies have missed out on some major recruits in-state in recent years and the loss of several players downstate has an effect.

The Huskies missed out on Stamford area players in running back Silas Redd and linebacker Khari Fortt (both Penn State) and also missed on Wethersfield's Tyler Murphy (Wethersfield) and Kevin Pierre-Louis out of Stamford (Boston College). Fortt and Pierre-Louis the Huskies went after hard.

That comes on the heels of losing out on New London's Jordan Reed last year to Florida, Aaron Hernandez three years before that to Florida and even players such as Torrey Mack to Virginia and Masengo Kabongo to Maryland two years ago among others.There are a handful of others too that wouldn't even consider the Huskies.

There isn't a ton of talent in Connecticut, but when it's top shelf and can help the Huskies the players tend to go away. While Redd wasn't ever an option and was always a Penn State guy, the Huskies recruited Fortt and Pierre-Louis hard. Murphy was offered, but given a deadline. Murphy wanted to play quarterback while the staff wanted him to be a defensive back. Murphy is headed to Florida as a QB.

At least all of the above gave UConn a shot. Sometimes the Huskies don't even get in the door.

Now, every players has to make their own decisions but there are a handful of players every year that think of UConn as a settle. For whatever reason top shelf players from Connecticut have taken to spurning the Huskies as a football school. Edsall admitted as much on Wednesday. Sometimes, the farther Edsall gets away from Connecticut the more open recruits and high school coaches are to him and UConn. Chicago recruit Greg McKee had late interest from Ohio St. He's coming to UConn. In Connecticut, that would be unheard of for a player to chose UConn over one of those schools. In fact, it would open the player up to scorn.

"That's what's disappointing to me.," Edsall said. "We are better received outside the state of Connecticut than what we are within the state, in certain pockets. That's tough to say, but you've got to say it because it's true."

Edsall said his staff has tried to reach out to coaches throughout the state but the response continues to be minimal. Coaches and players have access to tickets for games on Saturday and the attendance is usually abysmal. The UConn staff sets up free coaching clinics and opens up spring practice to coaches and the response is usually under-whelming.

There are many high school coaches in this state that have failed to take a step inside the Huskies $50 million practice facility, regarded as one of the best in the nation. That has an effect and whenever UConn goes up against another BCS school, especially downstate in Fairfield County, they don't have the advantage that other in-state schools enjoy. In fact, UConn is at a disadvantage.

What makes this mind-boggling is the Huskies have had a track record of state players doing extremely well in Storrs. Scott Lutrus, Marcus Easley, Dan Orlovsky, Dahna Deleston, Donald Thomas, Dan Ryan, Mike Hicks, turned into NFL caliber prospects here after being lightly recruited. They all have had good careers playing at the state school. Currently, Erik Kuraczea is set to be starter at guard and Zach Hurd will also start. Hurd is another major NFL prospect at guard. Connecticut players have done very well when they go play at UConn.

UConn players from Connecticut have for the most part played a lot in Storrs.

What's going on here?

First off, I have said this before, but before I started covering UConn football I was on the high school beat. Most of this is the high school coaches getting doe-eyed when a college coach comes in. You can't get everybody, but there is something more at play here.

High school coaches control a lot of the early recruiting and hold a lot of sway and some are miffed at UConn because they won't take their second rate players. For many years UConn always took the second of the litter in Connecticut while the big-time players went to such places as Syracuse and Boston College and even Penn St. The second tier player used to get recruited by UConn as a I-AA and that was a nice feather in the cap for the high school. While times haven't changed down in some parts of this state, the Huskies are no longer a I-AA school.

UConn is in a BCS conference and they can't take second rate players or marginal FBS players on the roster. It's about competing in the Big East. A lot of high school coaches take offense with that. They feel as though they are owed something and that the state school should throw some token spots their way. UConn will evaluate any player that a Connecticut high school coach asks to be evaluated. What they aren't going to do is take someone who doesn't belong.

Now, when that second tier player is passed by but a major BCS player is available there is some resistance from high school coaches to be open to UConn. Perhaps they want special treatment. Perhaps they don't think the Huskies are a major program. The fact so few high school coaches in this state have stepped foot inside the Burton Complex, and so few actually go to coaching clinics (why would you not do this?), and attend games with players speaks volumes.

UConn isn't going to get every player instate. But, except for some pockets, they have a better chance of pulling a 5 star recruit out of Texas than getting a 4 star in-state recruit to stay home.

It's a hurdle for the program, and one that is so counter intuitive to recruiting it's hard to explain.

Perhaps, it's just going to take a lot more time.