UConn recruiting check-in
Wow.. I actually remembered recruiting. How about that!? Now that we are officially halfway through the season, we have a few recruits and several other targets to touch upon in what could be UConn's most important recruiting class yet.
Leading off, to date nine recruits have committed to playing for Coach Diaco in East Hartford.
| 2021 UConn Huskies Commits (through October 12, 2020) |
| NAME | POS | CLASS | HOMETOWN | HT | WT | CALIBER |
| Korey Davis-Love | G | HS | Sanford, ME | 6'3 | 296 |  |
| Kyle January | P | HS | Darien, CT | 5'11 | 214 |  |
| Daulton Hyatt | DE | HS | Cloverleaf, TX | 6'7 | 242 | |
| DeAaron Kensing | DE | HS | Rutherford, NJ | 6'3 | 239 | |
| Roshawn Rowe | G | HS | San Bernardino, CA | 6'1 | 279 | |
| Ethan Buckingham | DT | HS | Summit, NJ | 6'0 | 275 | |
| Dallas Freeman | FB | HS | Farmington, NH | 5'10 | 234 |  |
| Jayson Moss | FB | HS | Maple Shade, NJ | 6'1 | 230 | |
| Anthony Ricciardi | K | HS | Farmington, NH | 6'1 | 195 | |
Leading the way is four-star guard
Korey Davis-Love from Sanford, Maine. Love is a big body at 6'3, 296 pounds and has refined blocking skills for someone who only turns eighteen in May. More importantly, Davis-Love will likely start immediately. Brantell Webb moved to guard in the spring because of depth issues there, and he graduates after this season. Vince Jones is also a junior now, so Davis-Love's presence will be greatly appreciated for the next three to four years.
While UConn signed a pair of potential impact defensive ends last season in Brennick Samples and Kiel Hughes, that hasn't stopped Diaco from adding more toys. Cloverleaf, Texas'
Daulton Hyatt is a guy that Diaco could have a lot of fun with. Hyatt comes in at 6-foot-7, 242 pounds and has run stopping tendencies. Hyatt can run too, making him an agile defensive end.
A guy who could line up across from him is
DeAaron Kensing from New Jersey. Kensing is a pass rusher who may need some time to bulk up. Nevertheless, Diaco likes Kensing as well.
Depth in the middle is starting to become a concern as well with each passing year, and Diaco added
Ethan Buckingham to the fray last week. Buckingham looks bigger than his listed 6-feet tall, 275 pound frame suggest, but is a body nonetheless, and with a three-star rating and some more bulk Buckingham could develop into a starter.
With both Mike Miller and Tyler McCray graduating, UConn needed to add both a new kicker and punter this offseason. Farmington, New Hampshire's
Anthony Ricciardi will be the kicker and in-state product
Kyle January will be the punter. Both will fight it out for starting roles immediately.
Other commits include guard
Roshawn Rowe, fullback
Jayson Moss and Ricciardi's teammate
Dallas Freeman, also a fullback.
---------------------------------
With two veterans on a roster of four quarterbacks, UConn is looking to the recruiting trail once again to try and find a full-season QB starter for the first time since the 2017 National Title run.
Jordan Brown is the young man whom Coach Diaco has gone all-in on. The Texas native and honors student is a pure pocket passer, which is a little different than what Diaco has become accustomed to. However, Brown would fit perfectly into the pro-style, run first offense Diaco employs.
Brown has superb arm strength and accuracy that is already better than Tanner Dean-Lowry's according to several scouting reports. Brown could and will compete with TDL and starter Isaac Jackson should he decide to come to East Hartford.
However, UConn is no lock to win this race. Brown is expected to wait until signing day to commit between UConn, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame and Stanford.
Other Quarterback Targets:
#76 QB (DT) Kelly Carlson - 3*, 6'5, 231 lbs., Glen Ellyn, IL
TOP 3: UConn, Iowa, Purdue
Despite being deep at tailback, UConn is losing Jeff McNeal this offseason and Luke Williamson is eligible to jump to the NFL at any time with his draft stock rising by the week. Diaco is making a push for
Jonathan Shaffer from Louisiana. Shaffer runs a lot like current tailback J.P. Byers, some speed and power but grinds out yards. With some time, Shaffer could be a very good running back.
Other Tailback Targets:
#46 RB Scottie Phillips - 3*, 5'10, 221 lbs., Bethel, CT
TOP 3: UConn, Syracuse, Army West Point
A late add to the recruiting board is four-star wideout
Brandon Garner from Georgia. Garner has not been recruited heavily because of an impending assault case in which he is reportedly involved in. Nevertheless, Garner is being recruited by several top schools across the country, including Florida State, Michigan, Oregon and USC. Garner has spectacular hands and the size (6-foot-3, 193 pounds) to be a dangerous weapon for years to come... if he can stay out of trouble.
Other Wideout Targets:
#90 WR Cayleb Joseph (JUCO) - 3*, 6'0, 193 lbs., Bowling Green, KY
TOP 3:
Notre Dame,
Alabama,
Florida
#117 WR Jarvontay Kendall - 3*, 6'4 214 lbs., East Orange, NJ
TOP 3:
Penn State,
Michigan State,
Georgia Tech
#152 WR Hunter Carson - 3*, 6'4 216 lbs., Georgetown, SC
TOP 3:
UConn,
Mississippi State,
Duke
Athlete is a big target area for Coach Diaco, as he has added several problem players who haven't received a lot of attention.
Chamarkelle Byrom has lots of talent but a criminal record,
Bryant Landry hasn't really shown interest in most of the big name schools.
Tyreese Best has lost momentum on the recruiting trail now that he is recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the first game of his senior year, while
Lonte' Speier has been busted for pot dealing multiple times.
Easton Pointer could play quarterback, but is strongly considering the MLB draft over college football; he won the Gatorade player of the year as a junior pitching for his high school in Roanoke.
All five could be potential big-time players in East Hartford or anywhere else in college, but all are brand-new adds to the board. We'll check back in later in the year on the progress of those guys.
Athlete Targets:
#13 ATH Chamarkelle Byrom - 5*, 6'5 218 lbs., Fairbault, MN
TOP 3:
Notre Dame,
Nebraska,
Oklahoma
#17 ATH Bryant Landry - 4*, 6'0, 205 lbs., Elba, AL
TOP 3:
Florida,
USC,
Michigan
#21 ATH Tyreese Best - 4*, 6'0 225 lbs., Madisonville, KY
TOP 3:
Ohio State,
Florida,
USC
#35 ATH Lonte' Speier - 4*, 6'0 205 lbs., Manning, SC
TOP 3:
Kentucky,
Ole Miss,
Vanderbilt
#36 ATH Easton Pointer - 4*, 6'3 204 lbs., Roanoke Rapids, NC
TOP 3:
Florida,
Notre Dame,
Penn State
While UConn landed Korey Davis-Love already, Diaco would be thrilled to land one of his top prospects in New Jersey run blocking guard
Josh Lawrence. He has size, skill, fits UConn's scheme to a T.. now all he needs to do is pick us over other nearby schools. Here's hoping.
New Jersey's
Matt Tellers has the ideal size for a Diaco nose guard -- 6'3, 331 pounds. He's raw, but he's a balanced lineman and Diaco does like him.. and he does need more defensive tackles.
Other Front Seven Targets:
#38 LB Aaron Warren - 3*, 6'3, 231 lbs., Columbia, MO
TOP 3: UConn, Wisconsin, Oregon
UConn has a dearth of young talent in the secondary, but Diaco loves his defensive players. As a result, Diaco has his eyes on Utah's
Maleek Cutting. A friend of current UConn wideout Devin Brown, Cutting has gotten good word from Brown and is very interested in playing for the defensive specialist Diaco. Diaco likes his size and scouting says that Cutting could be a good player before long.
Other Corner Targets:
#113 CB Kelvin Cooke - 3*, 6'2, 182 lbs., Hoboken, NJ
TOP 3: UConn, UNLV, Virginia Tech
I don't know how old Urban is, but if we keep this going long enough Ohio State could be an option.
You should! You'd have a strong legion of supporters I feel.
A lot of people run their dynasties at a slower pace.. I just like to move a little quicker and I'm at a point in time right now where I'm able to churn out one to two posts a day.. I'm working weird hours this summer and I wake up early enough to do be able to post before I leave. Won't be like that forever but it's nice in the meantime!
Thanks for the submission Mike! Looking forward to putting Coach Harrison into the CAC pool.
A lot closer than I'd hoped yes. But we played well enough on defense toward the end and a win is a win. A lot of parity around the nation this year too so getting bowl eligible now is big.. leaves us a lot of room to compete for bigger prizes like the conference, a New Year's Bowl Game, the CFP. We shall see.
The game always seems to favor Rutgers.. but it's working out for you! We'll see what happens in the coming weeks and hopefully you can continue to compete with some of the bigger names. It's nice to see someone other than Ohio State and Michigan win every now and then.
