[thesportsguru11]

UConn History: 2017 Recruiting Class in Review

I remember recruiting a lot of these guys in real time.. And now I laugh thinking back at some of them. Now that we have officially bid farewell to the last of our fifth year seniors, we’ll take a look back at the 2017 recruiting class. That season’s class was an interesting collection of top-end talent and middle of the road guys who could have (and in many cases did) become gems. Though some of the stars of the class in Sam Rourke, David Hamilton and Johnquez Blair did not pan out, several others did who became instrumental in assembling UConn’s second national title winning team.

Let’s relive and grade the 2017 recruiting class!

UConn Huskies Recruiting - 2017
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Sam Rourke	DE	HS	El Toro, CA	6'2	242
Johnquez Blair	DT	HS	Simpsonville, CA	6'0	257
Ryne Thomas	TE	HS	Tiverton, RI	6'3	229
Tom Willis	LB	HS	Lodi, CA	6'3	215
Ross Sinclair	ATH	HS	Kalamazoo, MI	6'5	213
David Hamilton	QB	HS	Fairland, MD	6'3	244
Vince Jones	G	HS	Caribou, ME	6'7	330
Isaac Jackson	QB	HS	Druid Hills, GA	6'2	203
John Cox	LB	HS	Vineland, NJ	6'2	247
Tyler McCray	K/P	HS	Binghamton, NY	5'9	220
Antonio Goff	FB	HS	Rosedale, MD	5'11	235
Mike Miller	K/P	HS	Two Rivers, WI	6'2	185
Alfred Hart	FB	HS	New Hope, SC	6'0	262
Jabari Wright	S	JUCO Jr	Narragansett, RI	6'1	200
Rick Stewart	S	JUCO Jr	Suitland-Silver Hill, MD	6'4	218
Geoff Lewis	S	HS	Milford, CT	6'0	197
Johnny Williams (Preferred Walk-on)	WR	HS	Marion, NC
J.D. Rudie (Preferred Walk-on)	CB	HS	Amsterdam, NY
Brent Singleton (Preferred Walk-on)	S	HS	West Hartford, CT
Marcus Bradford	LB	Transfer (UCLA)	Washington, D.C.

DE Sam Rourke
Career Stats: 126 tackles (78 for loss), 25 sacks

The first five-star prospect UConn ever brought in, California’s Rourke was the highest rated recruit in school history when he arrived on campus in August 2017 and was expected to be a face of UConn football in time; a guy who could have transformed UConn to a national power. Earning a starting job from day one, Rourke certainly looked the part early on. He was sensational as a freshman, tallying seven sacks (including two in his first ever game) and continued to improve as a sophomore with 11 QB takedowns. However, Rourke was mired in a pay-for-play scandal that resulted in his suspension for the first two games of 2019; he was never the same player. Rourke left the team after losing his starting job midway through his senior season. Rourke is the UConn all-time leader in tackles for loss, but was far from the explosive, game breaking defensive end we thought he would be. He received a tryout with the Seattle Seahawks but didn’t make the team, and has yet to play in an NFL game. For someone who was primed to be so good (and was for a while, truthfully), Rourke’s career fell apart very quickly.

Grade: C+



DT Johnquez Blair
Career Stats: 15 tackles (2 for loss)

Took him until his fifth year to win a starting job, and was ineffective in the half season he started this fall. He was replaced by Jeremy Broadricke in the starting lineup late last season and only recorded 15 tackles in his career, making minimal impact to the program.

Grade: D



TE Ryne Thomas
Career Stats: 73 rec, 881 yds, 8 TD

Though it took him a while to see the field, Thomas became a reliable receiving option in the pass game, especially as a senior this fall after the sudden departure of Royce Archie following the 2020 season. He’ll end his career a little shy of 1,000 receiving yards.

Grade: B-



ILB Thomas Willis
Career: 124 tackles (21 TFL), 3 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF, TD

Depth issues forced Willis into a bench role for several years before finally getting his big break as a fifth-year senior. Was up for some national awards and led the Huskies with 90 tackles this fall while becoming a leader on the defense. Look for him to possibly be a late-round NFL Draft pick this spring.

Grade: B



ATH Ross Sinclair
Career: 249 tackles (11 TFL), 11 INT

Sinclair came in as an athlete from Kalamazoo and won the starting free safety job immediately, a spot which he would not relinquish. Sinclair started every game in his four-year career and became an underrated favorite with yours truly. Ended his time at UConn with 249 tackles and 11 interceptions while cementing his place as possibly UConn’s greatest safety of all-time. He just finished up his rookie year with the New York Giants, of which he was a fourth-round pick in the 2021 Draft.

Grade: A



QB David Hamilton
Career: 41-70, 642 yards, 4 TD, 6 INT

Billed as the quarterback of the future (ahead of Ice-Jax, mind you), Hamilton looked the part initially as he led UConn to a come-from-behind victory at Boise State to open up his sophomore campaign. However, his off the field highlights outshone his on the field ones. Hamilton didn’t start that Boise State game because he broke team rules and showed up to a meeting late in spring ball. After his play began to decline as 2018 progressed, Hamilton left the Oklahoma State game with a separated shoulder, and that would be the last of Hamilton in a UConn uniform. He was slapped with a DWI before UConn was set to play in the Cactus Bowl, and was promptly dismissed. Hamilton did wash up at Old Dominion and is now playing in the NFL, for what it’s worth, but that doesn’t help his grade in a UConn uniform.

Grade: F



OG Vince Jones
Career: 19 pancakes, 9 sacks allowed

Jones was a three year starter who did a serviceable job. He never was a superstar, but he rarely made mistakes either. A 2nd team All-Conference pick this fall, Jones was a dependable big body who I’ll miss having on the line next fall.

Grade: B



QB Isaac Jackson
Career: 545-845, 8197 yards, 64 TD, 35 INT

This man was behind the eight-ball from the very beginning, and that never slowed him down. Jackson came in behind Hamilton and was widely expected to not play for a very long time. That didn’t deter him. After getting his feet wet with a nice come-from-behind win against Kansas State as a redshirt freshman, Ice-Jax got his name by leading clutch comebacks against Illinois in 2019 and the Harris Heave against West Virginia later that season. Leading UConn to the Big 12 East and an appearance in the Conference Title Game in 2019 wasn’t enough, as Jackson was relegated to the bench behind Tanner Dean-Lowry and it only took TDL’s injury to give Jackson the starting job full time. Ice-Jax broke several of Dan Orlovsky’s single season passing records as a senior, sits second in many major career statistical records, and his penchant for clutch play led UConn to their second national title as his final act. Ranking just ahead of Sinclair and Cox, Ice-Jax was without a doubt the top recruit in this class when all is said and done, proving that you don’t have to be a five-star recruit to be great.

Grade: A+



OLB John Cox
Career: 270 tackles (75 TFL), 13 sacks, 6 INT, 4 FF, 2 TD

A lightly regarded prospect from New Jersey, Cox exploded onto the scene in 2019 by virtually sweeping the national defensive awards. A three-year starter in his own right, Cox evolved from exciting playmaker to more of a captain role as his time at UConn went on. His stats regressed slightly in his junior and senior years, but his presence became ever more important as each week passed. Cox leaves as one of the most decorated players in UConn history, both in terms of statistics and awards. The captain will be greatly missed.

Grade: A



PK/P Tyler McCray
Career: 164 punts, 45.5 punting average, 23-31 field goals (56-58 extra points), 125 total points

Widely viewed as the best punter in school history, McCray’s career average hovered somewhere around 45 yards per punt. Starting off as kicker and punter as a true freshman, McCray struggled and eventually switched back to just punting. After Mike Miller struggled in 2020, McCray took over kicking responsibilities again and performed well, currently sixth for most points in a single season. McCray was also a finalist for the Guy Award last season.

Grade: A-



PK Michael Miller
Career: 35-46 field goals (189-195 extra points), long 43, 294 total points

Miller missed one kick in his freshman year to explode onto the scene. He was good for three years and then fell apart as a senior and was benched. Not much to say here, but Miller was a good kicker for most of his career.

Grade: C+



FB Antonio Goff
Career: 1 catch, 21 yards, TD

Never really saw the field, but his highlight came in 2019, catching a touchdown in garbage time against Iowa State.

Grade: D+



FB Alfred Hart
Career: 46 carries, 156 yards, 8 TD

Hart was a four year starter at fullback and was a great run blocker and goal line tailback. Much like Vince Jones, he was an underrated, very reliable player.

Grade: B



S Jabari Wright
Career: No stats

JUCO transfer sat on the roster for depth and never saw the field in two years.

Grade: F



S Rick Stewart
Career: No stats

Ditto.

Grade: F



S Geoff Lewis
Career: No stats

Overshadowed by the David Hamilton soap opera, Lewis was kicked off the team in an off-season bar fight after one year in the program. C’mon man.

Grade: F



S Brent Singleton (walk-on)
Career: No stats

Also kicked off the team in that same off-season bar fight after the same one year in the program. C’mon man.

Grade: F



WR Johnny Williams (walk-on)
Career: 9 rec, 93 yds, 2 TD

Preferred walk-on stuck around and became a depth receiver as a junior and senior. Williams made some plays last year, but his reps decreased as the year went on. His claim to fame is recovering the onside kick that set up the Harris Heave in 2019.

Grade: C



CB J.D. Rudie (walk-on)
Career: 40 tackles

Another preferred walk-on whom I edited to resemble me (in size, stature, but not name!) hung around, earned a scholarship and was someone I thought could be a contributor. He struggled in coverage and was unable to gain regular reps, but was a solid special teamer for years and his punt returns keyed several offensive scores in the 2021 Title Game. I just wish I were faster!!!

Grade: C



ILB Marcus Bradford (transfer, UCLA)
Career: 235 tackles (40 TFL), 9 INT, 4 TD amongst other various forced fumbles and recoveries

A transfer from UCLA, Bradford got the starting job as a redshirt sophomore immediately after gaining eligibility and never looked back. Bradford was a three year starter and an anchor in the middle who had a knack for making the big plays, notably the go-ahead touchdown scoop and scores against Illinois and Ohio State as a junior. Multiple time All-American selection Finished up rookie year with Washington Redskins.

Grade: A

Overall Class Grade: B-

Rourke busting and misses in Hamilton, Blair and the bottom of the recruiting class deter the overall quality slightly, but Jackson, Cox, Bradford and Sinclair were some of the best in the dynasty’s history to this point. A handful of others (Willis, Thomas, Vince Jones) were important pieces to this year’s national title winning squad as well to make up for those misses a bit.