We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

NFL 2021: Diaco’s Knights squeak into playoff, lose divisional round vs. Super Bowl Champ Bengals

Yes, you read that right. The Cincinnati Bungles won the Super Bowl. And went 13-2-1. They beat the Green Bay Packers 40-34, who made it to the Big Game for the fourth time in six years. Andy Dalton was named the game’s MVP.

As for our old friend Coach Bob Diaco, his first year as head coach of the London Black Knights (formerly Jacksonville Jaguars) was alright. Despite a sensational defense led by J.J. Watt and Jonathan Cyprien and an offense featuring the NFL’s leading rusher (Silas Redd) and a Pro Bowl wideout (Dez Bryant), the team started out slow, and it took a Week 17 triumph over Johnny Manziel and the Cleveland Browns to make the playoffs as the five seed at 9-7.

There, quarterback Jerrod Heard posted four touchdowns to beat the the AFC East Champion New York Jets in the Wildcard round before falling to the Bungles in the divisional round. Cincy defeated the Tennessee Titans (led by Colin Kaepernick, mind you) to reach the Big Game. Other playoff qualifiers included the San Diego Chargers and defending Super Bowl champs Miami Dolphins.

On the NFC side, San Francisco finished with the top seed and with NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers under center, looked to be the favorites. However, they were topped in the division round by those Packers (Rodgers’ old team, of course) led by two-time NFL MVP Michael O’Connor. The NFC was hotly contested, as all playoff teams finished with at least ten wins (Philly at 11-5, Minnesota, Washington and Atlanta, led by touchdown Jesus Tim Tebow, at 10-6).

At the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the Indianapolis Colts (3-13) were once again the worst team in football and hold the #1 pick in the 2022 Draft, expected to be the deepest in recent memory. Despite still having Andrew Luck on the roster, the Colts are likely to take another quarterback either at #1, or will trade down to acquire more picks and a QB later on.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper predicts that anywhere between 10-15 quarterbacks have potential to be first round picks, but it remains to be seen how many or who will come off the board early. We’re expecting a record six or seven UConn guys to be drafted or impact undrafted free agents this year - we’ll talk about that a little later on.

As for our UConn rookies, most struggled to see the field this year; only fourth-round pick Ross Sinclair of the Giants saw any meaningful time, playing as the second string free safety and recording 20 tackles. Cam Stapleton, still the school’s career leader in sacks from the 2017 national title winning team, repped UConn well as he tallied a career high 14 sacks and made the Pro Bowl for the first time as a member of the 49ers.

Here are all of UConn’s guys in the NFL (from this dynasty, at least):

Cam Stapleton (DE, SF): 40 tackles (14 sacks), 90 ovr., 1st string (4th year). PRO BOWL
Josh Parrish (LT, IND): no stats, 75 ovr., 3rd string (2nd year)
Ross Sinclair (FS, NYG): 20 tackles, 73 ovr., 2nd string (Rookie)
Rashad Harris (WR, OAK): no stats, 68 ovr., 6th string (Rookie)
Marcus Bradford (LB, WAS): 10 tackles, 59 ovr., 4th string (Rookie)
Ryan Smelley (C, SD): 0 pancakes, 2 sacks allowed, 75 ovr., 2nd string (Rookie)

Second year defensive tackle T.J. Newell (DT) and rookies Jeff McNeal (RB/WR) and Sam Rourke (DE) remain free agents. All three received camp invites but did not crack any 53-man rosters or practice squads through the 2021 season.

Cornerback Jamar Summers (73 ovr.) remains a free agent, having been released from the New England Patriots last year. Running back Josh Marriner (82 ovr.) remains a free agent as well as he continues to recover from a torn achilles and ligament damage in his right knee. He hasn’t played since 2020 with the Seattle Seahawks, and, now pushing 27, could be close to the end of his career.

Former UConn QB David Hamilton (QB, CAR) of Old Dominion was downright abysmal for the 4-12 Panthers. He threw 53-132 for 608 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s 72 overall and was the second string quarterback for the Panthers behind starter Teddy Bridgewater (84 overall).

[Hellisan]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Shav, what a stud and great career. Love those guys that come out of nowhere to have a great career like that. Are you primarily a zone play caller, or a mix-it-up type, or what? I'm curious how one gets that many INT - do you think it was about his ratings, or he was just a guy that consistently played well above his ratings, or what? Great writeup on the players, I thought the Belichick quotes were a little too wordy though.

Maybe next time cut out the vast majority of the words.

"Good players. On to the next season." etc.

[itsbigmike]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Sad that Josh Marriner's NFL career is stalling. That'll be a great story line when he retires and then like three years later ends up coaching at UConn.

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Shav, what a stud and great career. Love those guys that come out of nowhere to have a great career like that. Are you primarily a zone play caller, or a mix-it-up type, or what? I'm curious how one gets that many INT - do you think it was about his ratings, or he was just a guy that consistently played well above his ratings, or what? Great writeup on the players, I thought the Belichick quotes were a little too wordy though.

Maybe next time cut out the vast majority of the words.

"Good players. On to the next season." etc.

Ha! Good points, Helli. I'll admit I definitely could have done a better job editing both of those last two posts down a bit, regardless of whether or not they fit our coach's style. In all disciplines, not just 'chising, I have a bad habit of overwriting, definitely something I need to do better at in the future.

In any case, regarding Shav... in this dynasty I play man almost exclusively, and never press guys. I think Shav's success is a result of a lot of what you mentioned. I am guilty of usering him every now and then, though I have lousy stick skills so I'm not sure if that helped any.

Shav came to us as a 74 overall true freshman, +6 or +7 from where he was originally listed in recruiting. He always played better than his ratings indicated, even after he got a big ratings boost this past offseason as I tested your manual progression on a handful of guys. He had this uncanny ability to go step for step with everyone (94 speed, 94 acceleration, 95 man coverage ratings as he leaves us).

For his 23 INT's, though, the one thing I noticed over the past season and a half is that quarterbacks would often lob passes to his side of the field. If Shav was within one step of the wide receiver, all he would have to do is have enough awareness to reach out his arms (he's 6-foot-1) and snag the ball. Shav also had a lot of interceptions in or around the end zone, especially on deep balls where those passes were lobbed as well.

So yes, a little bit of everything contributed to his insane statistics and superb career. Needless to say, I'm definitely going to miss having our anchor in the secondary next fall.

Sad that Josh Marriner's NFL career is stalling. That'll be a great story line when he retires and then like three years later ends up coaching at UConn.

For him and Summers, the lack of success is really a shame - much like Shav and Williamson in modern times, Summers and Marriner were the guys when we won our first national title. Marriner had a few solid years as a third down back for the Seahawks and then he had the injury and just hasn't gotten another shot. Being slightly undersized for the running back spot, about 5'10 and 195, a serious injury like that is a lot harder to recover from.

Summers just never quite developed for some reason, as well. Quite unfortunate, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Interesting point you make about Marriner and coaching, though. We already have Orlovsky on staff as QB coach, and offensive coordinator Bill Cubit nearing retirement age. Orlovsky's presence on staff could open up a lot of opportunity for alums and others who simply don't make it, like Marriner, so there's certainly some possibility to your idea there.

Thanks as always!

[Hellisan]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

I felt I should just quickly point out that I had no aim to my joke other than the Bill Belichick side and assuming Stephen should also be so incredibly curt with the media... Definitely not criticizing the length of your posts in any way (that would be funny, coming from me). Another favorite by Bill was delivered this week when they were asking if Tom would be a game time decision on Sunday. "It's Friday" - Looking forward to the offseason bro!

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

2021 Stats, Departures and Wrap-Up

UConn Huskies Stats - 2021
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
Isaac Jackson	268-404 (66%)	3998	14.9	266.5	70	35	20	168.2
Jordan Brown	6-12 (50%)	80	13.3	5.7	19	0	0	106.0
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
Luke Williamson	407	1921	4.7	54	8	22	128.0	1
J.P. Byers	156	975	6.2	41	9	8	64.9	1
Isaac Jackson	99	53	0.5	23	2	4	3.5	8
Mike Molden	9	31	3.4	9	0	1	7.7	0
Ja'Montres Jones	3	2	0.6	2	0	2	0.1	0
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	DROPS	YDS/G	YAC
Chamarkelle Byrom	66	1148	17.3	8	70	17	76.5	200
Lonte' Speier	63	1302	20.6	8	62	12	86.7	275
Ryne Thomas	49	544	11.1	6	25	1	36.2	183
Devin Brown	48	650	13.5	4	58	10	43.3	206
Ja'Montres Jones	18	208	11.5	2	26	3	15.9	82
Luke Williamson	12	82	6.8	1	23	0	5.4	64
Johnny Williams	9	93	10.3	2	19	3	6.2	34
J.P. Byers	4	31	7.7	2	11	0	2.0	25
Jayson Moss	2	5	2.5	2	4	0	1.0	0
Marcus Rodgers	1	6	6.0	0	6	0	0.6	0
Dallas Freeman	1	5	5.0	0	5	1	0.5	0
Drew Talley	1	4	4.0	0	4	1	0.4	2
Blocking					PCAKE		SACK
Kevin Jones					17		1
Ryne Thomas					8		0
Ja'Montres Jones					6		0
Vince Jones					5		3
Michael Clark					4		14
Korey Davis-Love					4		3
Joe Sykes Jr.					3		5
Travonte Glascock					2		0
Jylan Sowell					2		0
Lawron Leak					0		1
	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
Defense	SOLO	AST	TOT	SACK	TLOSS	PD	INT	TD
Thomas Willis	96	3	99	2	17	5	2	1
Mike Hill	91	6	97	0	17	1	3	0
John Cox	76	3	79	4	24	1	2	0
Jevon Sapp	60	2	62	5	18	3	0	0
Tony Rush	60	0	60	0	4	0	1	0
Vic Castalanetta	51	1	52	0	3	5	3	0
Shavlion Wade	42	2	44	0	3	9	9	1
James Mandrell	38	2	40	8	16	0	0	0
Sam Barnett	38	0	38	0	3	5	4	0
Altarri Gardner	34	1	35	18	21	0	0	0
Kent Newton	30	2	32	1	1	2	2	1
Alex Brown	25	2	27	0	1	0	1	0
Scott Coffman	22	2	24	0	5	0	0	0
J.D Rudie	22	0	22	0	0	0	0	0
Brett Lowery	22	0	22	8	11	0	0	0
A.J. Paxston	20	1	21	0	4	0	0	0
Kion East	12	2	14	0	0	0	0	0
Tory Greening	9	0	9	0	0	0	1	0
Kyler Parks	8	0	8	1	3	2	0	0
Ja'Montres Jones	5	1	6	0	0	0	0	0
Johnquez Blair	5	0	5	0	2	0	0	0
Aaron Brook	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0
Jeremy Broadricke	4	0	4	1	2	0	0	0
Brennick Samples	2	0	2	1	1	0	0	0
Blake Kimbrough	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
	Kickoffs					Punts
Returning	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	RET	AVG	TD
Carlton Parker	18	452	25.1	36	0	30	11.0	0
J.D. Rudie	9	253	28.1	47	0	10	17.6	0
Marcus Rodgers	5	146	29.2	56	0	6	17.1	0
Collin Miranda	0	0	0	0	0	2	11.0	0
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
Anthony Ricciardi	20	23	86	49	73	74	98	133
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
Kyle January	51	2056	49	40.3	32.4	0	8	9

New UConn Football Records:

Career:
Total Touchdowns: Luke Williamson, 65 (previous: Josh Marriner, 57, 2017)
Rushing Touchdowns: Luke Williamson, 62 (previous: Josh Marriner, 55, 2017)
Carries: Luke Williamson, 1036 (previous: Josh Marriner, 817, 2017)
Rush Yards: Luke Williamson, 4800 (previous: Donald Brown, 3800, 2008)
Interceptions: Shavlion Wade, 23 (previous: Jamar Summers, 20, 2017)

Season:
Total Yards:Isaac Jackson, 4,051 (previous: Bryant Shirreffs, 3578, 2015)
Pass Yards: Isaac Jackson, 3,998 (previous: Dan Orlovsky, 3485, 2003)
Pass Touchdowns: Isaac Jackson, 35 (previous: Dan Orlovsky, 33, 2003)

NOTE: I'll have the records list and season recaps post on page one updated to the full real soon - a lot of guys were close to breaking records, but not quite.

Players Departing

#	Position	Name	Class	Hometown	Reason	Overall	Career Stats
3	CB	Shavlion Wade	JR	Union, NJ	Going Pro	93	104 tackles (6 TFL), 23 INT, 2 TD
28	RB	Luke Williamson	RS-JR	Nautilus Park, CT	Going Pro	92	1036 rush, 4800 yards, 62 TD
9	QB	Isaac Jackson	RS-SR	Druid Hills, GA	Graduation	94	545-845, 8197 yards, 64 TD
54	ROLB	John Cox	RS-SR	Vineland, NJ	Graduation	89	270 tackles (75 TFL), 13 sacks, 6 INT, 4 FF, 2 TD
12	TE	Ryne Thomas	RS-SR	Tiverton, RI	Graduation	88	73 rec, 881 yards, 8 TD
60	DE	Altarri Gardner	SR	Derby, CT	Graduation	87	78 tackles (46 TFL), 32 sacks
76	G	Vince Jones	RS-SR	Caribou, ME	Graduation	85	19 pancakes, 9 sacks allowed
80	TE	Ja'Montres Jones	SR	W. New York, NY	Graduation	85	28 rec, 352 yards, 3 TD
55	MLB	Thomas Willis	RS-SR	Lodi, CA	Graduation	85	124 tackles (21 TFL), 3 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF, TD
24	CB	Kyler Parks	SR	Yazoo City, MS	Graduation	84	50 tackles (6 TFL), 2 sacks, 3 INT
1	CB	J.D. Rudie	RS-SR	Rutland, VT	Graduation	83	40 tackles, 0 INT
95	DT	Johnquez Blair	RS-SR	Simpsonville, CA	Graduation	81	5 tackles (2 TFL)
98	DE	Brett Lowery	SR	Ville Platte, LA	Graduation	81	39 tackles (22 TFL), 11 sacks, 4 FF
88	WR	Johnny Williams	RS-SR	Marion, NC	Graduation	79	9 rec, 93 yards, 2 TD
71	G	Brian Link	SR	Naugatuck, CT	Graduation	74	1 pancake

---------------------------------

Wrap-Up: Some of UConn's greats are riding off into the sunset after a dream ending to 2021, culminating with National Title #2. There are fewer uncertainties swirling above UConn this offseason as compared to last with a solidified conference and a head coach who isn't going anywhere. But with key players leaving, who will step up to replace them and who will join the fray as UConn preps for life after Ice-Jax, Luke Williamson, John Cox and Shav? Stay tuned to your favorite football dynasty thread to find out.

End Of Season Eight (2021)

I felt I should just quickly point out that I had no aim to my joke other than the Bill Belichick side and assuming Stephen should also be so incredibly curt with the media... Definitely not criticizing the length of your posts in any way (that would be funny, coming from me). Another favorite by Bill was delivered this week when they were asking if Tom would be a game time decision on Sunday. "It's Friday" - Looking forward to the offseason bro!

My comments were in no way inspired by you or anyone else, just my criticisms of my own work, which I'm good at making! I absolutely understood that you were talking about Stephen's comments, so no worries. Personally my favorite BB quote came when asked by the media about Gronk's concussion after last week. He said something to the effect of "it's not open-heart surgery".

I'm looking forward to getting the offseason up soon as well, now that we've officially put season eight in the books. This offseason should be rather straightforward and go by rather quickly; primarily as we aren't dealing with the same dramas of last season with coach and conference changes. Thanks for the continued support Helli!

[RoundingThird]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

I just want to take another minute to explain you how much this project means to me. Every time I read through your new posts, I feel so good about myself. UConn is a very special place. The people, the academics, the athletics, and the atmosphere are what it my dream school. I will forever be grateful that I got to attend my dream school, even if it is during a rather long dry spell for the male sports teams. I get that there are things more important than sports. Every day, my love for UConn grows, and I continually feel like a kid in a candy store when I walk this campus, sit in classes, and look out from my dorm room window and see the Gampel Pavilion dome and the new student gym that is being build. Every day, I think to myself: Wow, I'm really here. This is what I've waited for my entire life. With the fan support for UConn Athletics the lowest it's probably ever been, my support only grows stronger, but I see potential future basketball and football success as a bonus. It would be awesome if our teams could ever be as good as you have made them in this 'chise, but I love being here so much that it doesn't matter, because every day I spend here, I find that I never ever want to leave. Graduating might be the hardest thing I ever do.

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

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.

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

I just want to take another minute to explain you how much this project means to me. Every time I read through your new posts, I feel so good about myself. UConn is a very special place. The people, the academics, the athletics, and the atmosphere are what it my dream school. I will forever be grateful that I got to attend my dream school, even if it is during a rather long dry spell for the male sports teams. I get that there are things more important than sports. Every day, my love for UConn grows, and I continually feel like a kid in a candy store when I walk this campus, sit in classes, and look out from my dorm room window and see the Gampel Pavilion dome and the new student gym that is being build. Every day, I think to myself: Wow, I'm really here. This is what I've waited for my entire life. With the fan support for UConn Athletics the lowest it's probably ever been, my support only grows stronger, but I see potential future basketball and football success as a bonus. It would be awesome if our teams could ever be as good as you have made them in this 'chise, but I love being here so much that it doesn't matter, because every day I spend here, I find that I never ever want to leave. Graduating might be the hardest thing I ever do.

You know I appreciate hearing about your stories, and again I'm so happy to hear that you like it there so much - being your hometown school and the school you grew up with, I think you're bound to enjoy it just a little more, unlike me who didn't grow up with the same college atmosphere. I feel bad that sports aren't going too well over there - it feels weird to not see UConn as a men's basketball threat, but at least you've got the women's team (I was a big Breanna Stewart fan and am currently a Katie Lou fan, FWIW).

As for worrying about the future, don't. Enjoy what you've got while you've got it, as I've learned. In many cases with school, you can still be apart of the community after you leave. Even so, you've got a few years before the need arises to worry about things like that.

This project isn't going anywhere anytime soon; I greatly appreciate everyone who continues to follow along with this and take pleasure out of reading my updates. It's a lot more fun with all of you guys joining me on the journey! I feel just as excited playing these days as three years ago, and especially so now that we're breaking in a bunch of new players this coming season.

[young22]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

I'm moving faster than I expected with the offseason posts but I don't expect to start next season for at least six weeks. So take your time young! I'm happy to see you back here! This past season was a pretty good one, as you undoubtedly see (thanks for the congrats by the way ), but it certainly didn't have the potential to fall that way - I certainly was not expecting a title this fall.

I absolutely know how you feel with the urges to play - I have to play in small little intervals now myself. Here's hoping basketball season is going well for you! I visited my coach and went to some of my HS' games when I was up a couple weeks ago... felt sadder than ever about not playing (except for those wind sprints, which I will gladly live without )

Hoop is going pretty good (for me anyway, team was **** this year), thanks for the well wishes. I played the first 3 games of my team's season, was getting like 20 (got my first 30 point game!), then had to sit out the rest of the year cause my Achilles got really sore. Not playing is the worst. I missed about 5 weeks, and I will never take ball for granted again. I was so bored, I was honestly missing running suicides. Team imploded after I sat cause I'm the only dude that can play point, lost the rest of our games, finished last in the division. Just now coming back, played a bit the last few days and I'm rusty as hell, but I'm noticeably better from the work I put in while I was out. League with my AAU team starts in February, hopefully I'm 100% for that.

Just popped in NCAA for the first time since like November. I don't know how, but this game still holds up. It's crazy.

[Itsma806]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

pretty cool write up on the 2017 class. It was a nice read and kind of caught me up at least in the aspect about whats happened in your dynasty.

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Civil ConFLiCT is BACK!

UConn touches up plans for future out of conference schedules, littered with potential CAC games

UConn has officially revisited and begun to plan their future out of conference schedules, headlined by the return of the Civil ConFLiCT against UCF in a home-and-home in 2022 and 2023. UCF will travel to the Property this fall, while the ConFLiCT goes to Orlando in 2023. The two teams haven’t played since 2017, and any future games are to be determined. UConn currently owns a three-game winning streak in the series.

The Knights were Peach Bowl champs a year ago and this year’s game will likely be an early-season ranked showdown. UCF is also hiring a new coach, as Mike Denbrock (a former UConn OC) is set to move to a power conference job. The team has CAC alum Connor Turley (convict38) on staff as the OC; he is a frontrunner to be named the head coach in a couple weeks.

For 2022, UConn will wrap up their contract in the Big 10 road series with a trip to Iowa, and face off against CAC alum Dale Miller (glunsford) and Vanderbilt in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium (formerly LP Stadium).

The highlight of the 2023 slate features a trip to “Freday-gas” to visit Sam Freday’s (RoundingThird) UNLV Rebels, another CAC face-off. UConn will travel to Orlando to play UCF in that aforementioned rivalry game, and will welcome Houston back to the Property, another former AAC and Big 12 rival who was a staple on the UConn schedule for the first seven seasons of the dynasty (UConn also owns an 8-0 record against the Cougars since the start of the dynasty).

2024 will find UConn (tentatively) welcoming OC Spanky Westside and UAB to the Property, and then go on the road to take on Hawai’i with their CAC head coach Bob Trebell (DrGravyBoat) and Washington State with their CAC head coach Kaelyn Willingham (kswgrad2012). Willingham’s first ever game as a head coach came against UConn in 2018, a 57-17 blowout loss.

Dates of the games are forthcoming. All of the CAC games beyond 2022 will depend on whether or not a CAC is actually on staff.

After that, the schedule is still a work in progress. However, UConn is in talks to get head coach Quinn Shea and USC on schedule, as well as Central Michigan, Maryland and Coach Stephen Belichick’s alma mater of Rutgers, all currently with CAC offensive coordinators on staff.


2022
N - Vanderbilt (Nissan Stadium, Nashville)
vs. UCF
@ Iowa

2023
@ UNLV
@ UCF
vs. Houston

2024
@ Washington State
@ Hawai’i
vs. UAB (tentatively)

Future
vs. Central Michigan
@/vs. Rutgers
@/vs. Maryland
@/vs. USC

---------------------------------------------

Hoop is going pretty good (for me anyway, team was **** this year), thanks for the well wishes. I played the first 3 games of my team's season, was getting like 20 (got my first 30 point game!), then had to sit out the rest of the year cause my Achilles got really sore. Not playing is the worst. I missed about 5 weeks, and I will never take ball for granted again. I was so bored, I was honestly missing running suicides. Team imploded after I sat cause I'm the only dude that can play point, lost the rest of our games, finished last in the division. Just now coming back, played a bit the last few days and I'm rusty as hell, but I'm noticeably better from the work I put in while I was out. League with my AAU team starts in February, hopefully I'm 100% for that.

Just popped in NCAA for the first time since like November. I don't know how, but this game still holds up. It's crazy.

Those are some great numbers, congrats! Too bad it was so short lived. I know what it's like to be a doormat - I believe I mentioned once before that my HS team has been very bad this past decade or so, but things are improving; the guys have already tied last season's win total and still have about half of their schedule left to play.

Not playing is absolutely the worst, you nailed it right on the head. I've been following my old HS team through the division standings and the newspapers; it really stings not being out there. I remember my talking to my assistant coach last year about this, and how it would probably start to sink in when they were playing again and I wasn't. Sure enough.. Best of luck with the AAU stuff! Hopefully that goes better and all the limbs hold up.

The game's ability to hold up is indeed something special. I took a year off of the game between March '16 and July '17 - it's almost as if that time off never happened. Tying back into the last paragraph, we as people enjoy things more when they're gone; same goes for our NCAA video games.

pretty cool write up on the 2017 class. It was a nice read and kind of caught me up at least in the aspect about whats happened in your dynasty.

Thanks! I like writing these up for exactly the reason you mentioned, to recap some of what's happened, to take stock in where we are and where we've been. The recruiting class recaps are the best way to do that (plus, it's fun to grade stuff ). I understand that the 2017 recruiting class happened forever ago in real time, and that a lot of followers now likely weren't reading along back when these guys stepped onto campus, so I'm glad it helps the reading experience without having to read everything in the thread.

Thanks guys! Coaching Carousel is up next!

[young22]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Civil ConFLiCT is BACK!

UConn touches up plans for future out of conference schedules, littered with potential CAC games

UConn has officially revisited and begun to plan their future out of conference schedules, headlined by the return of the Civil ConFLiCT against UCF in a home-and-home in 2022 and 2023. UCF will travel to the Property this fall, while the ConFLiCT goes to Orlando in 2023. The two teams haven’t played since 2017, and any future games are to be determined. UConn currently owns a three-game winning streak in the series.

The Knights were Peach Bowl champs a year ago and this year’s game will likely be an early-season ranked showdown. UCF is also hiring a new coach, as Mike Denbrock (a former UConn OC) is set to move to a power conference job. The team has CAC alum Connor Turley (convict38) on staff as the OC; he is a frontrunner to be named the head coach in a couple weeks.

For 2022, UConn will wrap up their contract in the Big 10 road series with a trip to Iowa, and face off against CAC alum Dale Miller (glunsford) and Vanderbilt in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium (formerly LP Stadium).

The highlight of the 2023 slate features a trip to “Freday-gas” to visit Sam Freday’s (RoundingThird) UNLV Rebels, another CAC face-off. UConn will travel to Orlando to play UCF in that aforementioned rivalry game, and will welcome Houston back to the Property, another former AAC and Big 12 rival who was a staple on the UConn schedule for the first seven seasons of the dynasty (UConn also owns an 8-0 record against the Cougars since the start of the dynasty).

2024 will find UConn (tentatively) welcoming OC Spanky Westside and UAB to the Property, and then go on the road to take on Hawai’i with their CAC head coach Bob Trebell (DrGravyBoat) and Washington State with their CAC head coach Kaelyn Willingham (kswgrad2012). Willingham’s first ever game as a head coach came against UConn in 2018, a 57-17 blowout loss.

Dates of the games are forthcoming. All of the CAC games beyond 2022 will depend on whether or not a CAC is actually on staff.

After that, the schedule is still a work in progress. However, UConn is in talks to get head coach Quinn Shea and USC on schedule, as well as Central Michigan, Maryland and Coach Stephen Belichick’s alma mater of Rutgers, all currently with CAC offensive coordinators on staff.


2022
N - Vanderbilt (Nissan Stadium, Nashville)
vs. UCF
@ Iowa

2023
@ UNLV
@ UCF
vs. Houston

2024
@ Washington State
@ Hawai’i
vs. UAB (tentatively)

Future
vs. Central Michigan
@/vs. Rutgers
@/vs. Maryland
@/vs. USC

---------------------------------------------

Those are some great numbers, congrats! Too bad it was so short lived. I know what it's like to be a doormat - I believe I mentioned once before that my HS team has been very bad this past decade or so, but things are improving; the guys have already tied last season's win total and still have about half of their schedule left to play.

Not playing is absolutely the worst, you nailed it right on the head. I've been following my old HS team through the division standings and the newspapers; it really stings not being out there. I remember my talking to my assistant coach last year about this, and how it would probably start to sink in when they were playing again and I wasn't. Sure enough.. Best of luck with the AAU stuff! Hopefully that goes better and all the limbs hold up.

The game's ability to hold up is indeed something special. I took a year off of the game between March '16 and July '17 - it's almost as if that time off never happened. Tying back into the last paragraph, we as people enjoy things more when they're gone; same goes for our NCAA video games.




Thanks! I like writing these up for exactly the reason you mentioned, to recap some of what's happened, to take stock in where we are and where we've been. The recruiting class recaps are the best way to do that (plus, it's fun to grade stuff ). I understand that the 2017 recruiting class happened forever ago in real time, and that a lot of followers now likely weren't reading along back when these guys stepped onto campus, so I'm glad it helps the reading experience without having to read everything in the thread.

Thanks guys! Coaching Carousel is up next!

Looking forward to the season. You got me back doing dynasty reports again man.

Sent from my SM-G386W using Tapatalk

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

DC Conklin accepts Iowa head coaching job, OC Cubit to remain at UConn

UConn has once again been poached for head coaching fodder.

Defensive coordinator Josh Conklin, after just one year in East Hartford, has decided to leave and accept the vacant Iowa head coaching job brought about by Kirk Ferentz's retirement.

Conklin oversaw the national title winning defense, but bear in mind that UConn won a lot because of their offense last season. UConn had a top scoring defense, but often struggled giving up passing yards - they ranked in the bottom third in the nation in that statistic.

Conklin's last coaching stint didn't go very well either. In four years at Virginia between 2017-2020, the Cavs only made one bowl appearance and that program is on a downswing. Nevertheless, as one of the top coordinators of the country, Conklin has appeared to re-prove himself and has earned his shot. We wish him the best and, keep in mind, UConn faces Iowa in September.

It's unknown exactly who will replace Conklin just yet, but rumors have pointed to UConn hiring someone outside of the program once again. Fired Colorado head coach Don Pellum and former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald are names that have been brought up in UConn circles. An official hire is expected soon.

Luckily for UConn, they will only need to make one hire this offseason. Offensive coordinator Bill Cubit has announced that he'll be returning to the program for his fifth season on the job in 2022. Cubit will turn 69 in October, and rumors had linked him to retirement this offseason. Quarterback coach Dan Orlovsky will serve as assistant offensive coordinator and QB coach for the second year; he's being groomed for the OC job when Cubit does retire or leave.

Happy to keep Bill on board. We'll find a new DC. Real soon.

----------------

Looking forward to the season. You got me back doing dynasty reports again man.

I'm really happy to hear that, can't wait to see more from Westlake State (or anything else you may try!)

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Coach Carousel '22

Auburn, Alabama fire Malzahn, Anderson while Mark Richt (Miami) and Kurt Warner (ULM) top list of high-profile coaches on the move; Several Former UConn staffers on the move; CAC alums Brooks, Turley promoted to highlight another quiet CAC Cycle

A total of ten power conference programs found themselves in the market for new coaches this offseason, perhaps none bigger than the two teams taking part in one of the sport’s biggest rivalries: Auburn and Alabama. Both decided to part ways and start in a new direction after both underachieved in 2021, slumping to 5-7 records.

After Nick Saban’s retirement five years ago, Alabama has struggled under replacement Blake Anderson and finally cut ties with the fourth-year head coach. Though Anderson’s Tide won the Outback Bowl in 2019 with a Heisman finalist in tailback Eric Bonds, they haven’t been to a bowl game since and have been uninspiring to start the new decade. The Tide hired Old Dominion’s head coach Tim Hauck to take over, who will look to implement his high-powered Monarch offense.

While Alabama’s move was expected, Auburn’s may have been less so. The Tigers fired Gus Malzahn after a nine-year tenure on the Plains and after fielding competitive teams over the last five seasons. However, tension within the A.D. office and the disappointing 2021 season opened up the path for both sides to move on. Taking his place? Longtime dynasty followers have heard the name before.

Former UConn offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, a staffer on the 2017 National Title squad, was hired after a three-year stint at UCF that was capped off with a Peach Bowl blowout over North Carolina. The cupboard is not bare for Denbrock on the Plains, but some work will need to be done. Denbrock becomes the second former UConn staffer to get an SEC gig in recent years - he’ll face off in coming years against Marty English’s Tennessee Vols.

Another noteworthy move for UConn involved their top rival in Boston College. After an up and down four seasons, former UConn OC Mike Cummings was fired at BC following a 1-11 disaster this fall that saw the Eagles winless in ACC play and hardly competitive. In his place, the Eagles hired Nebraska offensive coordinator Dino Babers, who has now seen UConn in two straight seasons in the College Football Playoff. Cummings will remain a head coach as he was hired at East Carolina.

Other noteworthy national moves surrounded former Georgia coach Mark Richt, going back to his alma mater at Miami after a one-year stop at UL Lafayette, and Oklahoma State OC Kurt Warner, who got hired as UL Monroe’s head coach (after the Cowboys went a pathetic 3-9 in ‘21). Small-school names to note include former Illinois head coach Tim Beckman going to Bowling Green (he’s a former Toledo head coach), Bobby Petrino getting the head coaching job at Old Dominion, and Malzahn, who was hired at UTEP.

CAC NEWS

In another mostly quiet CAC cycle, two more CAC members have graduated to the head coaching ranks.

After the departure of Denbrock, UCF decided to promote their offensive coordinator Connor Turley (convict38) to the vacated position. The youngster has no shortage of tools at his disposal to succeed and helped create the offensive juggernaut that dominated AAC play last fall. He’s a hot young name and look for him to possibly get a Power 5 job soon.

The other new head coach is Texas State OC William Brooks (TheOtherPotterGuy). With Dennis Franchione’s retirement, the school felt success would be best maintained from within and promoted Brooks for his first head coaching job. He’s helped put together a lethal offensive attack and has been recruiting very well in recent seasons. Like Turley’s Knights, Brooks’ Bobcats likely won’t miss a beat this fall and should be conference title contenders once again.

Other existing CAC moves included Laurence Gilbert, who was fired as Virginia’s OC when they cleaned house after a 1-11 debacle. Gilbert will take over as OC at Troy. The other existing move impacts Bowling Green OC Ryan Malloy, fired after a 1-11 campaign. He’s been hired to be the OC at Buffalo, which has a new staff after head coach Jeff Quinn took the Northwestern job.

Noteworthy contract extensions come to UNLV head coach Sam Freday, who has struggled in two years, and Hawai’i head coach Bob Trebell, who was a finalist for the Auburn job (his alma mater). Some well respected OC’s in Central Michigan’s Max Crenshaw, Eastern Michigan’s Caleb Henderson and Maryland’s Jordan “The Ace” James also received extensions with their current teams.

We have five new CAC members this season, and those hires went as follows:

Bud Kilmer Jr. (xboxxerx) has been hired as the DC at Kansas State, a good hire to test a young coordinator matched with a solid defense on paper. Frankie Francisco (BigPlayJ1320) at UMass has some interesting pieces, as does Ryan Sorbera (YaBoySorbs) at Temple; the Owls finished last year ranked. Theron Sorensen (ronnysauce) will take over at Bowling Green as part of Tim Beckman’s staff, while young Foxke Brihay (nofx94) joins San Diego State’s staff as an offensive coordinator; the Aztecs have a solid group of veterans on that side of the ball.

I’ll post a full CAC Preview at a later date with team outlooks, top players and other information.

School	Old Coach	Reason for Leaving	New Coach	Previous Job
	Blake Anderson	Fired	Tim Hauck	Old Dominion HC
	Gus Malzahn	Fired	Mike Denbrock	UCF HC
	Mike Cummings	Fired	Dino Babers	Nebraska OC
	Noel Mazzone	Retired	Tim Beckman	Arkansas State DC
	Jeff Quinn	New Job	Warren Ruggiero	Temple OC
	Don Pellum	Fired	Lance Leipold	Troy HC
	Jon Tenuta	Retired	Mike Cummings	Boston College HC
	Kirk Ferentz	Retired	Josh Conklin	UConn DC
	Tony Gibson	Fired	Nick Holt	Nebraska DC
	Al Golden	Fired	Mark Richt	Louisiana HC
	Pat Fitzgerald	Fired	Jeff Quinn	Buffalo HC
	Tim Hauck	New Job	Bobby Petrino	Cal OC
	Jay Johnson	Fired	Josh Heupel	Oklahoma OC
	Dennis Franchione	Retired	William Brooks	Texas State OC
	Lance Leipold	New Job	John Grass	Jacksonville State HC
	Mike Denbrock	New Job	Connor Turley	UCF OC
	Mark Richt	New Job	Gregg Brandon	Virginia Tech DC
	Mike London	Fired	Kurt Warner	Oklahoma State OC
	Buster Faulkner	New Job	Gus Malzahn	Auburn HC
	Kevin Kelly	Fired	John Chavis	Middle Tennessee DC
	Sonny Dy.kes	Fired	Buster Faulkner	UTEP HC
	Chris Klieman	Resigned	Ryan Cubit	Various Jobs at Illinois