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

[Hellisan]

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

Writeups of the players leaving were wonderful, I especially enjoyed the IceJax and Rourke write-ups. Two sides of the coin, the decorated and undecorated and they panned out totally differently. During the offseason, I don't know about you, but it's difficult to slow down and do a full accounting of the players that left. But if you do, it's really rewarding. I know I really enjoyed it. Helped to really frame this dynasty. And it's great to see the much deserved love from the other guys as well, related to UConn or not. Keep up the great work Guru.

[thesportsguru11]

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

Former CU coach Pellum hired as UConn DC

As expected, UConn has filled their defensive coordinator position from outside the program. Head coach Stephen Belichick and athletic director Bobby Valentine have announced the hiring of former Colorado head coach Don Pellum to replace Josh Conklin, who left last week to take the Iowa head coaching job.

The 60-year old had led the Buffs since 2015; he went 44-44 in seven years, including a 2-1 bowl record. A 3-9 finish a year ago led to his firing. Prior to Colorado, Pellum had spent roughly 20 years as a defensive position coach at Oregon. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2014, and after a national title win, Pellum was hired away by the Buffs.

UConn had also considered former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald as a finalist for the job before ultimately hiring Pellum.

Pellum runs a 3-4 multiple look, which is what Coach Belichick ran for most of last season. Though I would widely expect more 3-4 again this fall, depth along the front seven, especially at linebackers, look a little thin headed into signing day.


Front Seven Depth Chart:

LE:
#94 Brennick Samples - rSO
#2 DeAaron Kensing - rFR

RE:
#93 James Mandrell - rSR
#59 Kiel Hughes - rSO
#89 Daulton Hiatt - rFR

DT:
#49 Jeremy Broadricke - rJR
#90 Ethan Buckingham - rFR
#97 Matt Tellers - rFR

LOLB:
#13 Jevon Sapp - rSO
#99 Scott Coffman - rSR
#44 Scott Sarria - rFR

MLB:
#4 Mike Hill - rSR
#57 Alex Brown - rSR
N/A Jayson Meier - FR

ROLB:
#56 A.J. Paxston - rSR
N/A Avan Goulding - FR


It remains to be seen if Pellum will try to implement more four-lineman sets to account for this, or how many more linebackers will commit once signing day comes around. Notable linebacking prospects still awaiting commitment include 4* Marshawn Dortch and 3* Vasean Gatewood and Easton Lennox. UConn has a handful of athletes who could provide depth at defensive tackle and are also awaiting upon the decision of 3* prep prospect Tarik Madison.

Belichick, notably not wanting to steal the spotlight from Coach Pellum, stated he “likes the hire.”

Pellum considers the opportunity “an honor - to get to work with a talented young coach and a program building a great national reputation.” Pellum also stated he hopes that his veteran leadership “is a positive to all of the young men I’ll be working with.”

Pellum brings transfer along with him in LB Marlon Bush

Shortly after the announcement of the hire, Coach Pellum already made his mark on the UConn defense. Rising redshirt freshman Marlon Bush Jr. has announced his decision to follow the former Buffs head coach to UConn as a transfer. Bush sat out last season in his first and only year in Boulder, and will do so again in 2022 due to NCAA transfer rules.

“Coach Pellum is an incredibly intelligent and talented coach with all of his years and all of the roles he has had. I’m blessed to be accepted by Coach Belichick and excited to continue to play for the coach who recruited me at the same time!”

The Ohio native Bush (68 overall) is not a spectacular athlete, but his tackling and play recognition are good for someone his age. He’ll start out at right outside linebacker along with incoming freshman Avan Goulding, who is attempting to enroll early for spring practice. The two will likely battle to start at that position when Bush is eligible in 2023. Fifth year senior (and fellow Buckeye stater) A.J. Paxston will serve as a one-year stopgap as he will start barring extreme circumstances.

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

Writeups of the players leaving were wonderful, I especially enjoyed the IceJax and Rourke write-ups. Two sides of the coin, the decorated and undecorated and they panned out totally differently. During the offseason, I don't know about you, but it's difficult to slow down and do a full accounting of the players that left. But if you do, it's really rewarding. I know I really enjoyed it. Helped to really frame this dynasty. And it's great to see the much deserved love from the other guys as well, related to UConn or not. Keep up the great work Guru.

Many thanks, Helli!

The recruiting in this dynasty has really been a fascinating case study. In terms of star power, for the first eight years we haven't recruited all that well with just a pair of five-star prospects (Sam Rourke and Chamarkelle Byrom, now three with incoming freshman Ashanti Swift). For that matter, a lot of our four-star guys over the years haven't really worked out either, as we'll start to see when the 2018 and 2019 classes trickle out of the building in the coming seasons.

However, we've hit so many times on these mid-level, three star prospects - think Isaac Jackson, Shav Wade, Altarri Gardner and John Cox - and those have been the guys we built the team and the program around. It's worked out pretty well so far!

I love doing the recruiting classes in review.. they serve purpose for me and for you all as well. For those who are newer to the thread, they can get a taste of some of the bigger star players from years past they may have missed. For guys who have been long-time followers, they can be reminded of some of the guys from long ago who we liked coming in but didn't pan out and maybe haven't heard from in a while (David Hamilton, in particular).

I'm a very sentimental person and I like thinking about the past. Now that the dynasty has taken on two distinct parts - the pre and post-hiatus of 2016 - I enjoy these posts because I can think about the past when these guys got recruited in real-time. Reflection is part of what makes this dynasty special to me, so I need to take the opportunities to do so when they arise!

[thesportsguru11]

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

Coffman, Parker leave program as grad transfers

Carlton Parker in action against Kansas in 2020, his redshirt sophomore year.

UConn has been dealt a big blow depth wise as two fifth-year seniors have announced their departures from the program as graduate transfers.

Linebacker Scott Coffman is leaving UConn to go to his native Alabama and attend UAB, while wide receiver/running back/return man Carlton Parker is returning to his native North Carolina to attend East Carolina with new head coach Mike Cummings, a former UConn OC. Both players are eligible immediately, having completed their degrees as academic seniors last year. Both took to Instagram to announce the news.

Coffman and Parker were projected to be backups in 2022, their fifth and final year of eligibility. Coffman started the first six games of 2021, but missed a few weeks with injury and lost his starting job to redshirt freshman Jevon Sapp upon returning. Sapp became a freshman All-American and will be one of UConn’s top players this fall. Coffman was projected to be UConn’s fifth linebacker, but wanted to return home as he will not be starting. He'll finish his time at UConn having recorded just 24 tackles (seven for loss) and one sack.

Parker has been used in a number of different roles in his four years in the program, from third down tailback, to return man, to wide receiver. Parker was originally brought to UConn as a wide receiver before depth forced him to move to running back in 2020. When moved back to wide receiver last fall, Parker struggled and didn’t see the field. He also had issues with muffed punts and was removed from his return man role by the end of the year; he was unlikely to see the field this fall and decided for one last shot elsewhere. Parker will leave UConn having ran for 243 yards and ten touchdowns with over 100 kick and punt returns handled as well.

Wide receiver is a very deep spot, so Parker’s backup role will be easily filled. Second and third year players such as Collin Miranda, Marcus Rodgers and Drew Talley will now play for some time. Coffman’s departure hurts a rather thin linebacking unit, but incoming freshman Avan Goulding and redshirt freshman Scott Sarria should be able to shoulder the load, along with other youngsters who may still commit.

Coffman and Parker join in a long line of UConn recruiting busts from the Bob Diaco era. Both were four-star recruits at the top of the highly touted class of 2018, but neither panned out and now will not complete their careers at UConn. Other noteworthy busts from that class include former QB Tanner Dean-Lowry, athlete Kyler Parks and tight end Ja'Montres Jones, who had minimal impact until his senior year.

Coach Stephen Belichick was not available for comment about the two departures.

[slicknick3822]

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

Was it just a weird coincidence that Bush Jr. transferred or was that something you were able to do in the editor?

[thesportsguru11]

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

Was it just a weird coincidence that Bush Jr. transferred or was that something you were able to do in the editor?

I would say the former... sort of. Every now and then in the transfer screen I see kids who transfer with the reason "Coach Leaving" .. they are going to follow a certain coach to a new school, and that appears to be what happened here. This is actually the first time this has happened to me.

Also, just to let you guys know where I'm at here. The signing day post, CAC preview and NFL Draft recap are almost ready, which means I've just got to write about spring practice and my attempts at manual progression before we start the new season! Hopefully I'm not too rusty when I start playing again because I haven't touched the controller since December, so we'll see!

[thesportsguru11]

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

UConn snags linebackers Dortch, Gatewood, D-Tackle Madison to cap off quiet signing day, unspectacular 36th best class

Though much of this year’s recruiting class was situated before entering signing day, five-star running back Ashanti Swift, linebacker Avan Goulding and intriguing two-way DB-QB athlete Linzell Tyson were the only likely early contributors, making National Signing Day a big deal for UConn. Missing a few key pieces, second year coach Stephen Belichick took care of business and filled out positions of need as best as he could. Finishing the day with the 36th best class, Coach Belichick was able to snag 16 total commitments by the time the ink dried (plus transfer Marlon Bush from Colorado).

UConn received L.O.I.’s from arguably their top three targets. Four-star inside linebacker Marshawn Dortch from Virginia headlines the group, followed by three-star linebacker Vasean Gatewood and three-star athlete Tarik Madison, a possible contributor immediately at defensive tackle or on the offensive line. Dortch and Gatewood are especially important as depth in the middle line has begun to thin out with recent graduations. Dortch will likely be the third middle linebacker in a 3-4 set as a true freshman, while Gatewood will likely take the backup role of Scott Coffman, who just transferred to UAB. Madison will likely compete for a defensive tackle role immediately and could get some reps on the offensive line as well in spring ball.

The other signees for UConn today included 3-star New York defensive end Ontrell Jackson and 2-star free safety Isaiah McKinley from Pennsylvania, who will be long-term depth options.

It was not a perfect day for the Huskies, as they did lose out on several key battles including wideouts Denzel Moore (Michigan) and Hashante Morgan (Pitt), as well as 4-star athlete Olu Wkunde (Virginia), 3-star corner Curtis Tuttle (Rutgers) and linebacker Easton Lennox (Cincinnati). All of them could have been contributors for the Huskies down the road, but we wish them the best anyway. Surely, Coach Belichick is happy with what he’s got and pleased he won’t have to make any cuts to the roster this year.

Ed. Note: At one point earlier last season, Swift was scouted down to a 70-something overall and I made that note when he committed. Much to my surprise, his overall jumped to 83 when he got to the position changes screen. Not sure what happened there, but just wanted to let you all know in case any eagle-eyed/sticky-note-brain readers caught on. No, I'm not trying to make things easier for myself.

Around the Nation

Florida landed the nation’s top class, highlighted by cornerback Tydell Mingo, Jr., the ninth-best recruit in the ESPN 100. Florida State finished #2 with an astounding seven blue chip commitments, headed by linebacker Marcus Dotson (#8 in ESPN 100).

The nation’s top prospect, New Jersey defensive tackle Quantrice Sheffield, committed to Michigan over Alabama and Old Dominion. Top quarterback Corey Landon stayed local and committed to Washington, where he may be a terror to CACs Kaelyn Willingham (Washington State) and Quinn Shea (USC) for years to come.

Shea’s Trojans landed the top CAC class, led by four-star wideout Quedell Barrett. Maryland (OC Jordan James) and Rutgers (OC Tyrell Coley) followed with the second and third best classes, respectively. All three had classes ranked higher than UConn.

Top Recruiting Classes - 2022
RK	TEAM	5	4	3	2	1	TOTAL
1	Florida	2	13	8	0	1	24
2	Florida State	7	4	10	0	0	21
3	Oklahoma	2	10	9	2	0	23
4	Ohio State	1	10	14	0	0	25
5	Penn State	0	13	6	2	1	22
6	Notre Dame	1	9	10	1	0	21
7	USC	0	10	7	0	2	19
8	Miami-FL	0	9	7	5	0	21
9	Tennessee	1	8	7	2	0	18
10	Texas A&M	0	10	5	1	0	16
11	Cal	1	7	10	1	0	19
12	Texas	0	8	11	0	0	19
13	Auburn	1	6	12	0	0	19
14	Arkansas	1	5	13	1	0	20
15	Washington	1	6	7	2	2	18
16	Alabama	0	7	8	0	3	18
17	Oregon	0	7	8	1	0	16
18	Michigan	1	5	9	3	0	18
19	Georgia	2	4	9	0	2	17
20	Ole Miss	0	7	7	2	1	17
21	South Carolina	0	6	10	2	0	18
22	Clemson	1	6	6	1	2	16
23	Virginia Tech	0	4	15	3	1	23
24	Arizona State	0	5	11	4	1	21
25	North Carolina	0	5	11	3	2	21

SPARQ Top 20

Top CAC Recruiting Classes - 2022
RK	TEAM	5	4	3	2	1	TOTAL
7	USC (HC Shea)	0	10	7	0	2	19
31	Maryland (OC James)	0	5	7	4	2	18
35	Rutgers (OC Coley)	0	2	14	5	0	21
48	Louisville (OC Woodard)	0	2	12	3	3	20
51	UCF (HC Turley)	0	1	14	4	2	21
57	Washington State (HC Willingham)	0	0	16	4	0	20
66	Central Michigan (OC Crenshaw)	0	0	14	3	4	21
68	Vanderbilt (HC Miller)	0	0	11	9	2	22
69	Middle Tennessee State (OC St. Brown Sr.)	0	1	7	10	3	21
75	Memphis (OC King)	0	1	8	5	6	20
76	Iowa State (OC Jacobsen)	0	0	12	5	2	19
78	UTEP (OC Mac)	1	0	6	6	6	19
79	Purdue (DC Smith)	0	0	10	8	2	20
84	Texas State (HC Brooks)	0	1	6	8	2	17
85	Southern Miss (OC Davis)	0	0	9	8	2	19
88	Bowling Green (OC Sorensen)	0	1	0	5	5	11
92	UAB (OC Westside)	0	0	8	8	1	17
93	San Diego State (OC Brihay))	0	0	9	5	3	17
95	Western Michigan (OC Harrison)	0	0	9	3	6	18
96	Temple (OC Sorbera)	0	0	6	9	5	20
97	Kansas State (DC Kilmer Jr.)	0	0	9	4	3	16
99	Buffalo (OC Malloy)	0	0	6	10	3	19
101	Hawai'i (HC Trebell)	0	0	5	9	8	22
108	Eastern Michigan (OC Henderson)	0	0	6	9	2	17
110	UMass (OC Francisco)	0	0	6	6	7	19
111	Troy (OC Gilbert)	0	0	6	7	5	18
115	UNLV (HC Freday)	0	0	4	11	3	18
116	Kent State (OC Grant)	0	0	7	5	3	15
120	Ball State (OC Baumann)	0	0	5	5	7	17
122	Cincinnati (OC Nama)	0	0	6	2	8	16
23	South Alabama (OC Favre)	0	0	6	4	3	13

Ed. Note 2: Once again, thanks to mattrd39 for his tremendous work creating the real 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes, the latter of which was the model for this recruiting class. I simply renamed the top ~500 players to strip some of the reality out of it. I've already started working to edit next season's recruiting class for fake names and such, and I may make it available for others interested down the line.

[thesportsguru11]

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

NFL Draft 2022

Nelly #1 to Colts as 10 quarterbacks go in first 30 picks; Shav taken 33rd overall, will team with Nelly in Indy as Ice-Jax, Williamson taken in middle rounds by Dallas, Denver

Nelly won almost everything there is to win in college football, and now he's taking his talents to the NFL, where he'll need a little Luck. Se'Nelquez "Nelly" DeWeaver, the loudmouth, arrogant former Oregon quarterback, was taken first overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, who were picking at the top for the second straight year. The pick comes as a slight surprise considering Andrew Luck is still on the roster, but they may be looking for a successor or someone to light a fire under his arse right now to get the team competitive again.

Nelly was the first of ten signal callers to be taken in the first round of what was widely believed to be the deepest quarterback class in many years. Other notables amongst those ten included Cal's Derek Culton to the Bills, Ohio native-but Michigan alum Darrell Reid to the Ravens, and CAC-taught Warren Johnson from Middle Tennessee State to the Chiefs at #9. Coach Bob Diaco got into the QB sweeps later in the first round as well, his London Black Knights selecting Wyoming's Garth Fodelhoyer at pick 25 despite having a solidifed starter in Pro Bowler Jerrod Heard.

Here's the full first round:

Pick	Team	Player	Position/School
1	Indianapolis	Nelly DeWeaver	QB/Oregon
2	Arizona	J.J. Cooley	QB/UCLA
3	Carolina	Tim Sherman	LB/Michigan
4	Buffalo	Derek Culton	QB/Cal
5	Baltimore	Darrell Reid	QB/Michigan
6	New York (N)	Trent Castalanueta	QB/Auburn
7	Tampa Bay	Brandon Pressley	LB/South Carolina
8	Pittsburgh	Justin Valporia	FS/Oklahoma
9	Kansas City	Warren Johnson	QB/Mid Tenn. St.
10	St. Louis	Willie Humphrey	QB/Florida St.
11	Dallas	Jared Brantley	DE/Colorado
12	Oakland	Billy Hall	C/Michigan
13	Denver	Charles Young	S/USC
14	Chicago	William Jennings	QB/Arkansas
15	New England	Ramon Griffith	WR-TE/Rutgers
16	Houston	Tryce Jefferson	WR/UCLA
17	New Orleans	Ben Basped	CB/Michigan
18	Cleveland	Mike Dailey	DE/Iowa
19	Detroit	Gintavious Peterson	LB/UCLA
20	Seattle	Caleb Thomas	LB/Navy
21	New York (A)	Kentrew Jackson	WR/LSU
22	Chicago (from SD)	Brandon Powers	LB/Michigan St.
23	Washington	Jamar Francis	WR-TE/Florida St.
24	Tampa Bay (from MIN)	Steven Balchiar	QB/Notre Dame
25	London	Garth Fodelhoyer	QB/Wyoming
26	Minnesota (from ATL)	Eric Lane	TE/Nebraska
27	Washington (from PHI)	Jerry Jefferson	S/Northwestern
28	Tennessee	Charlie Williams	WR/Iowa
29	Miami	Clayton Johnson	LB/Ohio State
30	San Francisco	Greg Moss	G/Stanford
31	Denver (from GB)	DeDronte Sampson	DE/LSU
32	Cincinnati	Hunter Mason	DT/Mississippi St.

UConn Draft Picks

Only four Huskies off the title squad were selected in this year's draft. Shav Wade surprisingly slid out of the first round and fell to the Colts at #33 overall, the first pick of round 2. Isaac Jackson was taken by the Cowboys in the third round, where he'll learn behind Cam Newton for the foreseeable future. Running back Luke Williamson went in the fifth round to the Broncos; many teams were likely scared off because of some ridiculous workloads in his three years (over 1,000 carries). Defensive end Altarri Gardner went round six to the Texans, as he is still recovering from a broken wrist that ended his senior season prematurely.

Notable undrafted players from UConn included linebackers Thomas Willis and John Cox, as well as guard Vince Jones. All will look for training camp invites and we will keep you posted on their progress.

Pick	Player	Position
R2. P1 IND	Shavlion Wade	CB/UConn
R3. P11 DAL	Isaac Jackson	QB/UConn
R5. P13 DEN	Luke Williamson	RB/UConn
R6. P16 HOU	Altarri Gardner	DE/UConn

CAC in the Draft

You will note that USC quarterback and former UConn slinger Tanner Dean-Lowry slipped all the way to the sixth round, picked up by the Vikings.

Other Notables

Other noteworthy picks included several familiar faces from Oregon, Nebraska, the ACC, and a kicker going at #34 overall. Seriously. #MaddenLogic

Also Excluded but wanted to add because I'm too lazy to fix the picture: RB Steven Everett from Georgia Tech and DT Tra Fuller from Penn State were picked by Coach Diaco and London's Black Knights in the third and sixth rounds, respectively.

Note: I intend to do a little NFL preview this season that will let us know how our UConn alums are doing entering the season, and check out who's where on your favorite NFL teams. That will be coming a little later on.

[thesportsguru11]

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

Spring/Summer Ball Headlines

Position Changes for Paige, East



East (LEFT), Paige (RIGHT) will look for increased PT at new positions this fall.

Coach Belichick has announced the moves of redshirt sophomore quarterback Alex Paige to tight end, as well as redshirt junior Kion East from free safety to middle linebacker.

Paige was recruited to the program during the 2019 season and took a redshirt as a sophomore last year. His place on the quarterback depth chart looked less certain as the year went on and he likely didn’t have a future there. He did not throw a pass in his two years at QB. Paige was a scrambling quarterback, so he should transition to more of a receiving tight end. Coach Belichick is hoping Paige can gain at least 25 pounds to his 205 pound frame and improve his blocking skills during spring and summer camps. He should fend off incoming freshmen Kenny Graves and Josh Mirvil to take the starting job vacated by Ryne Thomas.

East, meanwhile, will move a line down on the defense to assist the depth at middle linebacker. Another athlete upon entering the program, he materialized at free safety, where he played some in high school. Despite playing all fifteen games last year, East has never started one and recorded just 12 tackles. He was always a bit of an awkward fit at free safety with his 6’6, 220-plus pound frame, but the coaching staff is hoping the move can help capitalize on East’s skills and get him on the field a little more. He is expected to compete with fifth-year senior Alex Brown and incoming freshman Marshawn Dortch for the second inside spot in the base 3-4.

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


Jordan Brown officially named starting QB; redshirt freshman Kelly Carlson impressive


Jordan Brown (RIGHT), tosses a pass over the top of defensive end Brennick Samples.

Heir apparent since the day he stepped on campus, Jordan Brown is finally ready to take over the starting QB job as a true sophomore. He’s looked good in spring practice so far, says Coach Belichick, noting that he’s been making good decisions and displaying good accuracy.

“He’ll be ready to go come Week One”.

While we expected Brown to play well, the one name you may not have expected to shine in early practices is redshirt freshman Kelly Carlson. The Illinois native is a dual-threat who is much different than the pocket passing Brown, but his arm has improved and he may be in position to seize the backup job ahead of redshirt sophomore T.J. Appleby and true freshman Morgan Bench.

Another name to watch out for in the QB depth race is incoming freshman Linzell Tyson, who will start out playing defense but could bring some value on offense down the line as a change of pace quarterback. I figure that he’ll be in a fight with Carlson for backup duties, but will slot in at #3.

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


Offensive Line: Sowell taking first team reps at left guard; Clark still at right tackle for now


Jylan Sowell takes on D-Tackle Jeremy Broadricke in the trenches.

The UConn offensive line sweepstakes are under way. UConn will return three starters this fall - senior left tackle Kevin Jones, senior center Lawron Leak and sophomore guard Korey Davis-Love, a freshman All-American last year. After that, things are going to get interesting. UConn has recruited a lot of bodies to try to add depth, and they have succeeded in doing so. Now comes the question of who is going to step up and play.

Left guard will see a new starter after three year starter Vince Jones graduated. Occupying that spot, at least in early practices, has been junior Jylan Sowell, a New Jersey native. Coach Belichick has been optimistic that Sowell will be able to hold onto and solidify his first-string status there, but others will get a tryout. Junior Mason Godfrey is one to watch, as well as local junior college transfer Nate Dotson, who has one of the best skill sets of the entire unit.

Elsewhere on the line, right tackle was one of the most scrutinized positions on the entire team last year. Joe Sykes got the opening day start against Penn State, but that ended disastrously as he allowed four sacks in the first half before getting benched. Michael Clark came in and stabilized the situation for the remainder of the season, but he was hardly a stud - he gave up 14 sacks in as many starts. Needless to say, the Huskies will be trying a number of bodies at right tackle to help keep the pure pocket passer Jordan Brown upright. Clark will figure as the odds-on favorite, but Sykes will get another chance and look out for Dotson and junior Dustin Mansfield as well.

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


Sapp ready to lead defense after surprising 2021 breakout


Jevon Sapp (White, #13) is expected to be a leader on the defense this fall after breaking out in 2021.

One of the best surprises of the 2021 season was the breakout sensation at left outside linebacker, Jevon Sapp. The North Carolina native was thrust into a starting role upon the injury of struggling starter Scott Coffman, and Sapp never looked back. In just eight starts as a redshirt freshman, Sapp ranked fourth on the team in total tackles (62) and sacks (5) and third in tackles for loss (18). Now a redshirt sophomore, Sapp’s stock has risen drastically and is expected to be the leader on the defense this fall. A tall task for someone who has been a starter for just six months, maybe, but Sapp is ready.

“Whatever the team needs, I’ll do it”, he said confidently in an interview with the Hartford Courant. Sapp impressed with an uncanny ability to chase down the ball, and he says that he has been working hard with his coaches to improve his technique and agility. Sapp is expected to receive a huge overall boost during manual progression due to his performance and work ethic off the field, and I would not be surprised if the young star parlays another big season this fall into an NFL paycheck by 2023.

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


Veterans, Youngsters hoping to ease loss of Shav Wade at corner

How do you replace possibly the best defensive player in school history? With one man, you don’t. But UConn seems to be just fine accepting the fact that #3 won’t be roaming the secondary this fall. Fifth-year seniors Sam Barnett and Kent Newton both have lots of experience and should do an adequate job as starters. Barnett is entering his third year as a starter and Newton started several games last fall as the nickel corner. The one key to watch out for is Barnett’s injury history - he’s missed time in each of the last two seasons with concussions.

Redshirt sophomore Tory Greening and redshirt freshman Kelvin Cooke are ready to step up as the projected top backups. The staff likes both due to their size and athleticism. Both are still very raw, however, as Cooke has not yet played and Greening does have one career interception, but has not played many meaningful snaps to this point.

Another name to look out for is incoming freshman, athlete dynamo Linzell Tyson. The New Jersey native has a legitimate shot to play both quarterback and cornerback, but his services will be most needed in the secondary. Though he isn’t a superb athlete like Greening or Cooke, Tyson is young and ready to make an impact. He may not play immediately, but he’s certainly a name to look out for real soon.

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


Other Position Battles Pre-Ratings Progression


Tony Rush, once a hot commodity at safety, is fighting for his job entering 2022.

We’ve already talked about some of the spots that are seeing competition this spring, notably along the offensive line. Elsewhere, left end Altarri Gardner needs to be replaced, and any of four edge rushers could be in the mix, including Brennick Samples, Kiel Hughes, Daulton Hiatt and DeAaron Kensing. Coach Belichick expects this battle to stretch well into the summer and early fall.

Free safety Tony Rush, once a highly touted recruit, had a horrendous season last year. As a result, his free safety spot may be up for grabs as well. His case to retain his starting role is helped by Kion East moving to linebacker. However, redshirt sophomore Aaron Brook, a strong safety, may be next in line. Linzell Tyson is another who could be tested out at that spot to see what happens.

Running back is not a spot where the starter is in question; with Luke Williamson's departure for the NFL, we know redshirt junior J.P. Byers will be the starter following an impressive 900+ yard campaign in limited carries last fall. The question becomes who slots in where depth wise. Byers' classmate Mike Molden is the only other returning back with any career carries, but he will be pushed by mega-freshman Ashanti Swift when he arrives on campus in a few weeks. Also figuring into the mix will be redshirt freshmen Jonathan Shaffer, a four-star recruit last year, and local prospect Scottie Phillips.

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


Guru Working on Updating Stadium Sounds Playlist

Deegeezy’s legendary post about his stadium sounds last year inspired to me to work on my own set list for the Property a couple seasons back. Though his actually tied into his story, mine do not. So I wanted to take a minute in this random post to just talk about my stadium sounds in a futuristic Rentschler Field environment featuring the wildly successful UConn Huskies.

Ever since shedding the nickname of “The Rent” in favor of “The Property” for our beloved Rentschler Field, UConn has logged a 26-3 home record (over the last five years). With that, much will stay the same in terms of music and stadium atmosphere.

We’ll be hearing things like the traditional “Welcome to the Jungle” on 3rd and 4th downs, band music and “Go U-C-O-N-N!” from the fans on first downs and big plays, as well as “House Party” from Sam Hunt to celebrate touchdowns.

There will also be less traditional sound clips such as the Jeopardy! think music during opponent timeouts; yours truly is a big fan of said show, and we’ll be using the 1997-2008 think music.. duh. T.I.’s “Bring ‘em Out” will send our defense onto the field, and I have other clips I’m working in such as Jorge Quintero’s "300 Violin Orchestra", “Enter Sandman” (likely for when our offense takes the field), “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes and the “Kernkraft 400 Sport Chant Remix”.

I love how the stadium sounds add another layer of depth to the home game experience and I’ll be sure to have The Property.. um… lit (I think that’s what the kids say) in 2022.

[whughes]

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

Great stuff as always Guru. I’m really looking forward to seeing where Tyson ends up. The quarterback battle should be one to keep an eye on too. We all know to well how guys don’t always pan out there like we anticipated them to

[thesportsguru11]

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

Off-Season Manual Progression

This is something I’m trying for the first time with the whole team - I did a few particular edits last year but not the whole thing. I ran this a little differently than Hellisan's format dictates as I did give myself a little control over some of the bigger gains, primarily due to last season's performance. That's why, notably, Jevon Sapp got a huge boost and Joe Sykes got a huge decrease. Others such as Lonte' Speier, Tony Rush and J.P. Byers saw their improvement dictated by their performance last year. By and large, though, the game and the odds did most of the work!

Here goes nothing!

Overall: We had the best offensive season in school history last year, and we're only looking better. I can't understate how good a job Bill Cubit has done working with these youngsters.


Quarterback: Futher confirmation of what we know; Brown is #1, Carlson is #2. I wouldn't be surprised if Appleby left the team as a transfer next year; he's a Texas native and is struggling up here. Like Alex Paige, he doesn't have much of a future at QB.

Running Back: Good all the way around - the only debate becomes who is the #2 back, Mike Molden or incoming freshman Ashanti Swift? Dallas Freeman may be the starter at fullback come Week 1.

Wide Receiver: While Byrom gets all the love, it's clear that Speier is the better all-around receiver. He's primed for a huge year. Devin Brown has been making plays in the slot so far, and we have a nice group of backups.

Tight End: Not much to say here, as Alex Paige will be the starter. He's been transitioning well to the position, and been making some plays as the receiving tight end we all like to see. Though he still has a ways to go, Coach Belichick likes his potential at that spot.

Tackle: Kevin Jones had a disappointing offseason, but has no competition - he'll start at left tackle for the third straight year. Michael Clark didn't progress well, but he's still been playing the best out of anyone else. Nate Dotson will continue to push him. Depth elsewhere is concerning as former three-star gem Joe Sykes is in bust territory and Dustin Mansfield has likely reached his ceiling as a football player.

Guard: Korey Davis-Love had a great offseason and is another youngster we're building around. Jylan Sowell is moving closer to the starting left guard job.

Center: I thought Lawron Leak was going to be a star when he committed, but he's still a capable center. Travonte Glascock is a try-hard guy, and he improved a lot, but I don't know if he's the answer when Leak graduates.

Overall: Minus Sapp, Bush and Mandrell, I'm disappointed with almost everyone in the front seven; here's hoping new defensive coordinator Don Pellum can whip them into shape come fall. The secondary looks good, and maybe we won't miss Shav all that much.

Defensive End: Mandrell had the best offseason, and that's not a good sign. With one starting spot available, all of our young guys flopped. That has me more than a little concerned.

Defensive Tackle: Another spot where our young guys could have made big strides, but didn't. Like Lawron Leak, Jeremy Broadricke could've been a star, but likely won't become one this late in his career. He's still going to start in the base 3-4, but he hasn't been overly impressive in summer practices. Lucky him, Buckingham and Tellers barely progressed.

Outside Linebacker: Jevon Sapp is ready for the big time! A.J. Paxston has experience and will get his shot to start; I'd expect incoming freshman Avan Goulding to be OLB #3. I can't wait until Colorado transfer Marlon Bush is eligible next year. Don Pellum's presence greatly impacted his offseason success.

Inside Linebacker: Not too impressed with anybody here, but look for Hill and Alex Brown to get greatest share of PT. Kion East has been playing well, but may not be ready to start just yet.

Corner: Kent Newton blew me away with significant improvement across the board. He and Barnett will comprise the only white cornerback duo in the entire nation. Greening stood out as well and will step into the slot corner role this fall. Kelvin Cooke disappointed me and will likely fall behind Linzell Tyson on the depth chart - he's a step behind the game and has a long way to go before playing.

Safety: I can maybe forgive one bad year, but Tony Rush is still struggling with his tackling, and worse, his pass defense has been shaky at best. Aaron Brook will give him a run for his starting job as Rush, a former four-star recruit, begins to flirt with bust territory. Castalanetta continues to work hard and will start for the third straight year - he's a legitimate NFL prospect.

Special Teams: Ricciardi's phenomenal freshman season carried over with marked improvement. Kyle January was a pleasant surprise after a quiet freshman year.

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

Great stuff as always Guru. I’m really looking forward to seeing where Tyson ends up. The quarterback battle should be one to keep an eye on too. We all know to well how guys don’t always pan out there like we anticipated them to

Thanks as always for the kind words bud!

We're sorely lacking depth at corner, so Tyson is going to have to play there. Including him, we've got just five corners on the squad this year. I think he'll slot in as the fourth corner, meaning he'd appear in nickel and quarter packages exclusively right now - he won't be a starter from day one like Shav almost was.

I ran a practice session this morning with the focus on seeing what Tyson can do at QB with Ashanti Swift at tailback. He's certainly capable under center, especially running the option, but some of his pitches were inaccurate and his throw accuracy needs to get a lot better. Nevertheless, he's a better runner than anyone else on the QB roster, which could make himself a candidate to play in these sort of wildcat situations. After all, the Belichick way is all about putting guys in the right situations to succeed!

I still haven't quite decided how I want to work out the QB depth chart just yet, as we have lots of options. Jordan Brown is our #1, Carlson will be #2 over Appleby. I'd bet Tyson will slot as 2b, and maybe even look out for Alex Paige to fight Tyson for some QB runs - now at TE and a bit bigger, Paige reminds me of former Oklahoma QB Blake Bell a few years ago and could get some short yardage carries.

I think Jordan Brown is finally going to live up to the hype. Shirreffs was good but not great, David Hamilton flopped, TDL left early... Brown feels a little different than all of those guys. He has the best arm of any quarterback we've seen to this point, he had a great offseason and he's looked good in each practice session so far. The only problem is he hasn't played a meaningful snap yet, but I'm confident! Hopefully we'll find out real soon if Brown is the real deal - I think I'll get Week 1 against Iowa fired up by Monday!

[thesportsguru11]

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

2022 CAC Preview

Rise up for season 7 of the CAC side story! Coach Shea led USC to the Playoff for the third time last fall, but several youngsters will look to steal his thunder. Can conference foe Kaelyn Willingham stun the nation, led by star senior tailback Patrick Tuivalea? How about hot young head coaches Connor Turley at UCF and William Brooks at Texas State? Who from amongst the growing group of coordinators will get promoted come year's end? Good luck to all and let's make this the #YearOfTheCAC!

[Knickerbocker91]

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

Good to see this is still going strong. Loving the in depth reports as always. Not as much talent as in years past but I'm sure you still have high expectations. I won't lie, I've been pushed away from college sports lately because of all the allegations and scandals and other forms of misconduct big programs are going through. Makes me mad guys like Art Briles still have a job in my dynasty. Until I pick back up my controller, I'll just play vicariously through you and Geezy.

[itsbigmike]

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

I'm liking those offensive skill guys for WMU and Coach Harrison.

[thesportsguru11]

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

NFL Preview 2022

UConn alumni prep for season; Brooklyn Beats owner Jeffrey Loria pulls coup, moves Bills away from Buffalo in shocking middle-of-the-night development

The Dolphins, led by former Heisman winner Treon Harris, have owned the division in recent years, but the Patriots will look to rise up from mediocrity; they've gone 8-8 in each of the last two seasons and have Clayton Thorson, one of the top young slingers in the game. Both the Beats and Jets have good defenses, but need their mid-level quarterbacks to step up if they want a shot at the division crown.

My Pick: Dolphins (Patriots, wildcard)




Everyone is chasing the Super Bowl Champion Bengals, who have one of the deepest rosters in the NFL. The Browns likely have the best shot to supplant the Bengals, as Johnny Manziel has lots of playoff experience and solid weapons around him.

My Pick: Bengals




The Titans have ran the division in recent years, but Peyton Manning isn't walking through that door again. Bob Diaco is under increasing pressure to win in London, given that he has a very talented squad that is collectively in their prime. Can Jerrod Heard prove he's finally a top tier QB in the NFL?

My Pick: Black Knights (Titans, Wildcard)




Justin Farrington II led the Chargers to the playoffs in his second year and will look to improve on that success in year 3. Given that the other teams in the division have unproven offenses, I wouldn't put it past San Diego to get there again.

My Pick: Chargers




One of the deeper divisions in football features the offensive juggernaut Eagles, who won the division crown last year. The Cowboys have a talented offense but weak defense, the Redskins were a wildcard team last year, and the Giants look much improved after a tough 2021.

My Pick: Eagles (Cowboys and Redskins, wildcards)




The Packers have been to four of the last eight Super Bowls and look just as strong as ever with two-time NFL MVP Michael O'Connor under center. Another playoff team from last year, the Russell Wilson-led Vikings, will give them a run for their money, but the Packers should cruise.

My Pick: Packers




The Falcons won the division last year, but Tim Tebow hung it up after the season and their new quarterback was found in Week 4 of the Preseason. The Saints have an unproven Asiantii Woulard at QB, and the Bucs are banking on Brock Osweiler. Pass. Look for the Panthers, who have one of the most complete teams in the NFC, to return to the postseason after a two-year absence.

My Pick: Panthers




The 49ers were the top team in the NFC last year before an early playoff exit at the hands of the Packers, Aaron Rodgers' former team. Though the Niners have a weaker receiver group, every other team has major question marks on offense that will prevent them from getting a shot at the postseason.

My Pick: 49ers

Playoff Picks:

AFC: Byes - Bengals, Black Knights

Wildcard:
Patriots over Chargers
Dolphins over Titans

Divisional:
Bengals over Patriots
Black Knights over Dolphins

Conference Champ:
Black Knights over Bengals


NFC: Byes - Eagles, 49ers

Wildcard:
Panthers over Redskins
Packers over Cowboys

Divisional:
Packers over 49ers
Eagles over Panthers

Conference Champ:
Eagles over Packers

Super Bowl:
Eagles over Black Knights


Diaco Era UConn Players in NFL

Position	Player	Team	Year	Overall	Depth
DE	Cam Stapleton	49ers	5th	85	1st
C	Ryan Smelley	Chargers	2nd	75	2nd
OT	Joshua Parrish	Eagles	3rd	75	2nd
CB	Shav Wade	Colts	Rookie	73	4th
FS	Ross Sinclair	Giants	2nd	72	2nd
WR	Rashad Harris	Raiders	2nd	68	5th
QB	Isaac Jackson	Cowboys	Rookie	66	3rd
RB	Luke Williamson	Broncos	Rookie	64	4th
	FREE AGENTS
DE	Sam Rourke		2nd	75
DT	T.J. Newell		3rd	68
LB	John Cox		Rookie	63
LB	Marcus Bradford		2nd	59
DE	Altarri Gardner		Rookie	59
G	Vince Jones		Rookie	53
LB	Thomas Willis		Rookie	52
	UNKNOWN/RETIRED
RB	Josh Marriner		5th	82
CB	Jamar Summers		5th	73
RB	Jeff McNeal		2nd	56

Slightly disappointing that none of these guys have really become contributors to this point: Cam Stapleton, however, was a Pro Bowler last year.

Lots of changes as Josh Parrish was traded from the Colts to Eagles in the preseason, Marcus Bradford and T.J. Newell were both cut from the Redskins in the first few weeks of the new season as well. Sam Rourke and Altarri Gardner got camp invites to the Lions and Texans, respectively, but ultimately did not make the 53-man rosters.

Josh Marriner remains unsigned after missing last year with a severe knee injury; at this point, his career may be over. Former UConn All-American Jamar Summers also remains unsigned after spending 2021 out of the NFL. Jeff McNeal also did not receive a camp invite this year and his NFL career is likely over before it began.

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

Good to see this is still going strong. Loving the in depth reports as always. Not as much talent as in years past but I'm sure you still have high expectations. I won't lie, I've been pushed away from college sports lately because of all the allegations and scandals and other forms of misconduct big programs are going through. Makes me mad guys like Art Briles still have a job in my dynasty. Until I pick back up my controller, I'll just play vicariously through you and Geezy.

Frankly I don't blame you for feeling that way. Watching college sports is still fun for me, but it definitely is not the same knowing that shady goings on are taking place. I wish the NFL and the NBA would finally give in and work toward more elaborate minor league systems (like the MLB and NHL do) to make this pay for play less commonplace. The guys who want to be there and are satisfied with education will be there, and those who want to get paid can go to a pro league, get paid and have another option to develop their skills until they're ready for the big show.

I know it's a little more complicated than that, and it may ruin the business of college sports (because the world is one giant business these days), but could go a long way toward fixing the integrity of the product.

Also, Art Briles is still kicking at Baylor in my dynasty as well. Lucky us, Baylor is back to a mediocre football program in this world. I could (and probably will at some point) edit him out if the game doesn't make him retire first, along with any other rules/law violators who may still be around (Rich Rod, etc.). What I like about the CAC guys is that we can assume all of them are acting legally, fairly and within NCAA bylaws, because we have no evidence to assume otherwise.

Many thanks for the kind words as always, and I hope to see new updates when/if you get the itch to play again!

I'm liking those offensive skill guys for WMU and Coach Harrison.

I think you guys could be a dark horse in the MAC with Kelly coming over as a grad transfer and teams like CMU, Toledo and Miami-Ohio reloading. Kelly has experience and is a good dual threat guy. You've also got a couple young freshmen behind him, so Kelly is a nice stopgap until they're ready.

Reynolds is actually not your highest rated wideout either - but he's definitely an exciting young guy. I'm really looking forward to seeing how your Broncos can do this year!

[young22]

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

I'm surprised Shav didn't go in the first. Looking forward to the year

Sent from my SM-G550T1 using Operation Sports mobile app