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

[dfsJunkie]

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

Heartbreaking loss to say the least. Riding high off an emotional win, your guys fell victim to the trap that was Wake Forest. There’s always next year I guess.

Must have been crushing for you.

[SilverBullet19]

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

I knew they could be a trap! Their defense was really strong, holding you to under 400 total yards. It looks like the mismatches in the passing game didn't materialize.

It's a really disappointing end to the regular season. A bowl game is just a small prize compared to a conference championship or a title run.

[young22]

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

Now that's tough. Bullet called it, pretty sure it was him that said they could be a trap. Sucks to end the season like that, but let's hope you can still win a bowl.

Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[thesportsguru11]

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



This will be kind of a random stuff post, I apologize for that.

Around the NCAA: Playoff Watch

As a reminder, here's the Champ Week Slate:

C-USA: Rice (8-4, 7-2) vs. #17 Western Kentucky (10-2, 8-1)
AAC: Navy (8-4, 6-3) vs. #5 UCF (10-2, 8-1)
SEC: #6 Florida (10-2, 7-1) vs. #1 Ole Miss (12-0, 8-0)
MWC: San Diego State (8-4, 5-3) vs. #11 Air Force (10-2, 8-0)
PAC-12: #19 Washington (8-4, 6-3) vs. #4 UCLA (10-2, 8-1)
ACC: #20 Miami (9-3, 7-2) vs. #12 Notre Dame (10-2, 8-1)
BIG TEN: #8 Michigan State (10-2, 8-1) vs. #2 Wisconsin (10-2, 8-1)
BIG 12: #9 Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2) vs. #18 Houston (8-3, 7-1)
MAC: Bowling Green (6-6, 5-4) vs. #16 Eastern Michigan (11-1, 8-1)

And here's where we stand:

VIRTUAL LOCK
#1 Ole Miss (12-0)

WIN AND IN
#2 Wisconsin (11-1)/#8 Michigan State (10-2)
#3 UCLA (10-2)
#6 Florida (10-2)

WAIT AND SEE
#9 Oklahoma (10-2)
#5 UCF (10-2)
#4 Nebraska (10-2) - Idle

IF ALL ELSE FAILS
#7 Texas (10-2) - Idle
#10 Air Force (11-1)
Winner of #12 Notre Dame/#20 Miami (9-3)

After two straight playoffs featuring almost the exact same teams, the playoff race this year features some new blood, which excites me. Further, there is a lot of chaos potential as several results could change the top four during champ week.

What we do know is that the SEC and Big Ten are guaranteed to get at least one team in. We know that Ole Miss, the nation’s only undefeated team, is likely to get in regardless of the results of the SEC Champ Game. We also know that the ACC will likely not get a team in this year.


BEST CASE: If Florida and UCLA win, the only work for me to do is seeding, and that would likely be easy. We’d take the two SEC teams, the Bruins as Pac-12 Champs and the Big 10 winner.

WORST CASE: Ole Miss and Wisconsin win, coupled with losses by UCLA, Oklahoma and UCF. At that point, we’re looking at a three-loss ACC champ or a team that didn’t play in their conference title game, such as Nebraska and Texas, or a mid-major team like Air Force if they win the Mountain West title.

OTHER NOTES: Wisconsin, despite having one loss fewer than everyone else, is in a do or die situation. I don’t think their resume will be enough to snag them a wild card spot if they lose; they played a poor out of conference slate and had a loss to Illinois that was good at the time (they were ranked for a few weeks), but not anymore considering the Illini slumped to 5-7.

While UCF is mathematically still in contention, they’ll need a lot of help. Despite an impressive win on the road against UConn, they have bad losses to .500 Texas A&M and Tulsa teams.

Don’t get distracted by Oklahoma’s number nine ranking. They are very much in the race and are effectively the five seed right now. They need help, but have been good all year and have a Heisman finalist in QB Justyce Tryson. They'll still need help, though: A win coupled with a loss from either UCLA or Florida.

If a team that sat idle enters the conversation, it’s Nebraska. They played a crazy schedule, beating Florida on the road and losing to Oklahoma by three points in September. Their loss to Wisconsin kept them out of the Big 10 title game, but they navigated a very tough schedule with lots of success and are still firmly in the mix with a 10-2 record, their two losses to top ten teams and by a combined two touchdowns. However, sitting home this week might not help their case and they’ll likely need a UCLA loss and an Ole Miss win to have a chance.

Full 2022 Conference Standings

BOLD = CAC Team

Notre Dame (9-3, 7-1)
Miami-FL (9-3, 6-2)
UConn (9-3, 6-2)
Pitt (8-4, 6-3)
Syracuse (8-4, 6-3)
North Carolina (8-4, 6-3)
Clemson (8-4, 5-4)
Florida State (5-7, 4-5)
Georgia Tech (7-5, 4-5)
Boston College (6-6, 4-5)
NC State (5-7, 4-5)
Virginia Tech (6-6, 3-6)
Wake Forest (4-8, 3-6)
Louisville (2-10, 2-7)
Duke (2-10, 2-7)
Virginia (3-9, 1-8)

EAST:
UCF (10-2, 8-1)
Army West Point (8-4, 6-3)
Temple (7-5, 6-3)
ECU (7-5, 6-3)
Cincinnati (5-7, 4-5)
USF (4-8, 3-6)

WEST:
Navy (8-4, 6-3)
Memphis (7-5, 5-4)
Marshall (5-7, 3-6)
Tulsa (6-6, 3-6)
SMU (4-8, 3-6)
Tulane (1-11, 1-8)

EAST:
Houston (8-3, 7-1)
Arkansas State (8-4, 6-2)
West Virginia (7-4, 5-3)
Kansas (6-5, 4-4)
Kansas State (3-9, 2-6)
Iowa State (4-8, 2-6)

WEST:
Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2)
Texas (10-2, 6-2)
Oklahoma St. (4-8, 3-5)
Baylor (5-7, 3-5)
TCU (4-8, 2-6)
Texas Tech (5-7, 2-6)

EAST:
Michigan St. (10-2, 8-1)
Rutgers (8-4, 5-4)
Ohio St. (7-5, 5-4)
Michigan (7-5, 4-5)
Indiana (6-6, 4-5)
Penn St. (4-8, 2-7)
Maryland (2-10, 0-9)

WEST:
Wisconsin (10-2, 8-1)
Nebraska (10-2, 8-1)
Iowa (8-4, 6-3)
Minnesota (9-3, 6-3)
Illinois (5-7, 3-6)
Purdue (3-9, 2-7)
Northwestern (3-9, 2-7)

EAST:
Western Kentucky (10-2, 8-1)
Old Dominion (7-5, 6-3)
Florida Atlantic (4-8, 4-5)
Louisiana Tech (6-6, 4-5)
FIU (4-8, 3-6)
Middle Tennessee St. (2-10, 1-8)

WEST:
Rice (8-4, 7-3)
Texas State (7-5, 6-3)
Southern Miss (8-4, 5-4)
UTEP (6-6, 4-5)
North Texas (5-7, 4-5)
UTSA (4-8, 2-7)

INDEPENDENTS

BYU (8-3)
UMass (2-9)

EAST:
Bowling Green (6-6, 5-4)
Akron (6-6, 5-4)
Miami-OH (5-7, 4-5)
Kent State (5-7, 3-6)
Ohio (2-10, 2-7)
Buffalo (3-9, 2-7)

WEST:
Eastern Michigan (11-1, 8-1)
Northern Illinois (8-4, 6-3)
Central Michigan (6-6, 6-3)
Toledo (7-5, 5-4)
Ball St. (6-6, 5-4)
Western Michigan (4-8, 3-6)

MOUNTAIN:
Air Force (11-1, 8-0)
Wyoming (6-6, 5-3)
Boise St. (6-6, 5-3)
Utah St. (5-7, 3-5)
Colorado St. (5-7, 3-5)
New Mexico (4-7, 2-6)

WEST:
San Diego State (8-4, 5-3)
Hawai’i (7-4, 4-4)
San Jose St. (6-6, 4-4)
Fresno St. (6-6, 4-4)
Nevada (5-7, 3-5)
UNLV (3-9, 2-6)

NORTH:
Washington (8-4, 6-3)
Washington State (8-4, 6-3)
Stanford (7-5, 5-4)
Cal (8-4, 5-4)
Oregon State (6-6, 5-4)
Oregon (7-5, 4-5)

SOUTH:
UCLA (10-2, 8-1)
Utah (6-6, 5-4)
Arizona (4-8, 4-5)
Colorado (5-7, 3-6)
USC (4-8, 2-7)
Arizona St. (3-9, 1-8)

EAST:
Florida (10-2, 7-1)
Tennessee (9-3, 7-1)
Georgia (7-5, 5-3)
Kentucky (5-7, 4-4)
Missouri (6-6, 3-5)
South Carolina (4-8, 2-6)
Vanderbilt (3-9, 1-7)

WEST:
Ole Miss (12-0, 8-0)
Alabama (7-5, 5-3)
Texas A&M (6-6, 4-4)
LSU (7-5, 4-4)
Auburn (5-7, 2-6)
Arkansas (5-7, 2-6)
Mississippi St. (3-9, 2-6)

Troy (6-6, 5-2)
New Mexico St. (7-5, 5-2)
South Alabama (7-5, 5-2)
Georgia St. (7-5, 4-3)
UAB (4-8, 3-4)
UL-Lafayette (6-6, 3-4)
ULM (3-9, 2-5)
Idaho (3-9, 1-6)

UConn defenders Hill, Newton, Mandrell up for national awards

Some good news into an otherwise disappointing second half of the season, as three UConn defenders are up for national awards. Linebacker Mike Hill, currently leading the nation with 108 tackles, is nominated for the Bednarik and Nagurski Awards for the best defensive player in the nation, as well as the Butkus Award for best linebacker. Though Hill's other statistics aren't eye-popping (just one sack and one interception), Hill has been the anchor for a very strong unit most of the season.

Defensive end James Mandrell, currently third in the nation in sacks at eleven, is a Lombardi Award finalist. Though quiet at times this season, the Michigan native, grad student and third-year starter has continued to be a steady force in opposing backfields. Winning may be tricky for Mandrell, however, as Iowa State's Dan Glover is ahead of him with 11.5 sacks and has had a better season overall.

Finally, senior Kent Newton is up for the Thorpe Award, given to the nation's best defensive back, and an award won by the best in UConn history, Jamar Summers and Kent Newton. Newton's seven interceptions are tied for the national lead, despite him opening the year as the number-two corner. Newton blossomed into one of UConn's best defenders throughout the season, assuming command of the top corner spot after injury to classmate Sam Barnett. Like Mandrell, Newton has to contend with Pitt's star corner Tyjuan Monroe, who, despite just five interceptions, has had a better season statistically (20 more tackles and 18 pass breakups compared to Newton's eight).

Finally, wideout/return man Marcus Rodgers is up for the Jet Rodgers award (apt, I know). The junior has returned both a punt and kickoff for a score this year, stabilizing a position long in flux with inconsistencies of Carlton Parker and Jeff McNeal in years past.


Here's a full breakdown of awards finalists (excluding the Heisman, and not writing out stats):

MAXWELL
Justyce Tryson (QB, rSR, Oklahoma)
Stephen Francis (QB, rJR, UCLA)
Devon McCullough (QB, rSR, Ole Miss)

CAMP
Patrick Tuivalea (RB, SR, Washington St.)
Justyce Tryson (QB, rSR, Oklahoma)
Stephen Francis (QB, rJR, UCLA)

BEDNARIK
Dan Glover (DE, SR, Iowa St.)
Mike Hill (LB, rSR, UConn)
Michael Riley (DE, rSR, Ole Miss)

NAGURSKI
Dan Glover (DE, SR, Iowa St.)
Michael Riley (DE, SR, Ole Miss)
Mike Hill (LB, rSR, UConn)

O’BRIEN
Justyce Tryson (QB, rSR, Oklahoma)
Stephen Francis (QB, rJR, UCLA)
Devon McCullough (QB, rSR, Ole Miss)

WALKER
Patrick Tuivalea (RB, SR, Washington St.)
Chris Caveed (RB, SR, Wisconsin)
Steven Kent (RB, SR, Army West Point)

BILETNIKOFF
Landon Puckett (WR, SO, Michigan St.)
Doug McClain (WR, rSR, Western Kentucky)
Kevin Porter (WR, rJR, Oklahoma)

MACKEY
Brendan Tangier (TE, FR, Rutgers)
Justin Slaughter (TE, rSR, Stanford)
Rian Walton (TE, rSR, BYU)

OUTLAND
James Hill (G, rSR, Florida)
James Peters (C, rSR, Florida)
Champ Phillips (C, rJR, Texas)

RIMINGTON
James Peters (C, rSR, Florida)
Champ Phillips (C, rJR, Texas)
Micah Evans (C, rSR, LSU)

LOMBARDI
James Mandrell (DE, rSR, UConn)
Michael Riley (DE, rSR, Ole Miss)
Dan Glover (DE, SR, Iowa St.)

BUTKUS
Mike Hill (LB, rSR, UConn)
Gaylan Riley (LB, rJR, Oregon)
Kaleem King (LB, FR, South Carolina)

THORPE
Kent Newton (CB, rSR, UConn)
Tyjuan Monroe (CB, SR, Pitt)
Paul Evans (CB, rJR, Cal)

GROZA
Parker Standridge (K, SR, Notre Dame)
Carter Pardon (K, SR, Southern Miss)
Adam Fine (K, SR, N.C. State)

GUY
Chad Mills (P, FR, Ole Miss)
Alex Daffer (P, JR, LSU)
Alex Stallings (P, SR, Notre Dame)

JET RODGERS (Best RET)
Marcus Rodgers (WR, rJR, UConn)
Chase Weldon (RB, rFR, Ohio State)
Adam Benjamin (WR, rJR, Western Kentucky)

COACH OF THE YEAR
Hugh Freeze (Ole Miss)
Chris Creighton (Eastern Michigan)
Mark Dantonio (Michigan St.)


....and the most important award of all....

Foxke Brihay (OC, San Diego State, nofx94)
Laurence Gilbert (OC, Troy, Mike7Vinas)
Caleb Henderson (OC, Eastern Michigan, NewscasterNews4)
Connor Turley (HC, UCF, convict38)
Kaelyn Willingham (HC, Washington State, kswgrad2012)

Heartbreaking loss to say the least. Riding high off an emotional win, your guys fell victim to the trap that was Wake Forest. There’s always next year I guess.

Must have been crushing for you.

I knew they could be a trap! Their defense was really strong, holding you to under 400 total yards. It looks like the mismatches in the passing game didn't materialize.

It's a really disappointing end to the regular season. A bowl game is just a small prize compared to a conference championship or a title run.

Now that's tough. Bullet called it, pretty sure it was him that said they could be a trap. Sucks to end the season like that, but let's hope you can still win a bowl.

Thanks guys, certainly a tough pill to swallow. We got so excited, then it all came crashing down in front of us. They came to ready to play, played TREMENDOUS team defense and exploited our fatigued defense with a heavy dose of running Waters in the end, along with some great blitzing. They used a similar gameplan as UCF did, and it worked to perfection.

You can absolutely say that we got caught napping, I didn't expect Wake to put up much of a fight and only realized we were in for a game when it was 14-0. I took their statistics lightly when I should have heeded the advice of you all. What else can I say other than it happens sometimes, I've thought for several weeks that this team wasn't good/consistent enough to be a playoff team, and that proved accurate. I've come to like not winning every year as it keeps things fresh and motivating to fire up games. Besides, with the very young team we've had this season (only eight seniors), we'll be better next year with most of the key contributors returning on offense, at the very least. There are several possible transfer candidates in my eyes as well as possibilities for early declarees (J.P. Byers, Vic Castalanetta, Jevon Sapp, Devin Brown, etc.), but if we can dodge them we should be right back in playoff contention next year.

I'll also take a second to say that as talented a player as Jordan is, he just can't seem to make it translate to the field all the time for some reason - today's game case in point. It may be just the purist, straight line, I-form offense I run, but his season has been a bit disappointing. I'm looking at some lineup changes for the bowl game, so we'll see if we can't give Jordan some momentum entering the offseason. His improvement will be key to our chances at returning to the CFP next year.

Considering our ranking inside the top 20, we should still get a nice bowl game either in low tier-1 or high tier-2; something like the Cigar Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl), the Citrus Bowl (formerly the Capital One Bowl), the Fidelity Bowl (formerly the Gator Bowl), something like that. The season isn't a total loss (yet), but a win against another solid, top 25 opponent could help salvage the disappointing second half a bit. We haven't finished under ten wins in about five years, so that would be nice to try and avoid.

[huskerfan01]

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

Heartbreaking loss. The CFP is now blown wide open with only one lock going into champ week. SEC + B1G seem to both have quarterfinal matchups. Will be an interesting Championship week

[nofx94]

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

Reading this dynasty always makes me feel like I should spend the time running a playoff in one of mine, but I've always been so concerned I'd mess up the file I use. Maybe this fall I'll try it out. It's really cool how it gives you an added level of realism and an added level of user control simultaneously.

Anyway, that Wake loss is definitely heartbreaking, but like you said, not being in the mix at the end every year creates more drama for the audience. A ten-win season is still within grasp. And now you have something to push for. I feel like there's still some backlog I need to comb through, but this is undoubtedly one of my favorite stories to read on the site. And the way you engage the audience with the CAC is really endearing. And I'm not just saying that because of our success at SDSU. Lol.

I'm also impressed with your dedication to a classic pro-I. I ran a triple option I in the PS2 days way back and I've experimented with different versions of the spread-I, but as pretty as I find the Stanford/Wisconsin style offense, I can never dedicate myself to it. I hope you're able to find a way to accentuate Jackson's talents more next year, but never at the expense of Ws.

Also, cool to see how many guys you have in the run for individual accolades every year. Excited to see how the end of the season shakes-out. Go Huskies!

[itsbigmike]

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

Winston went off for WMU in their season finale. Good to go out with a win for the season.

Tough loss for UConn, though. Silverbullet called it.

[thesportsguru11]

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

Winston went off for WMU in their season finale. Good to go out with a win for the season.

Tough loss for UConn, though. Silverbullet called it.

Like you, we'll get one more shot to close the season on a high note, and hopefully we can do that against a good opponent in a decent bowl game. The second half didn't go as we thought it would, so a win might cover some wounds for UConn.

Toledo has always been a tough team, so nice work beating them and Central earlier this year for a few good victories. If memory serves, you'll get back most of your top receivers next year (Winston and LaDante Reynolds, notably), while starting a junior QB next year in Phillip Clackston, who has played a little. Entering year three, I'd imagine the expectation is bowl or bust; hopefully, anyway!

Heartbreaking loss. The CFP is now blown wide open with only one lock going into champ week. SEC + B1G seem to both have quarterfinal matchups. Will be an interesting Championship week

You're exactly right on the playoff race, a lot of moving parts will help things come together. It's unfortunate that we won't be apart of it, but with the way we've played lately, we didn't really deserve a shot at it. Bet that we'll be back even stronger next year though!

What's even more interesting is that for the playoff race, it's entirely possible for two teams from the Big 10 AND the SEC to get in if Florida and Michigan State win. We'd likely have a helluva debate if that happened, though.

It's also entirely possible for a two-loss Group of 5 team to get in. Who'd of thunk it?!

Thanks for dropping in huskerfan!

Reading this dynasty always makes me feel like I should spend the time running a playoff in one of mine, but I've always been so concerned I'd mess up the file I use. Maybe this fall I'll try it out. It's really cool how it gives you an added level of realism and an added level of user control simultaneously.

Anyway, that Wake loss is definitely heartbreaking, but like you said, not being in the mix at the end every year creates more drama for the audience. A ten-win season is still within grasp. And now you have something to push for. I feel like there's still some backlog I need to comb through, but this is undoubtedly one of my favorite stories to read on the site. And the way you engage the audience with the CAC is really endearing. And I'm not just saying that because of our success at SDSU. Lol.

I'm also impressed with your dedication to a classic pro-I. I ran a triple option I in the PS2 days way back and I've experimented with different versions of the spread-I, but as pretty as I find the Stanford/Wisconsin style offense, I can never dedicate myself to it. I hope you're able to find a way to accentuate Jackson's talents more next year, but never at the expense of Ws.

Also, cool to see how many guys you have in the run for individual accolades every year. Excited to see how the end of the season shakes-out. Go Huskies!

I'll start with your comments on UConn. A ten-win season, like I mentioned above, might help cover some wounds and allow us to regroup entering the offseason, so hopefully we can do that. Another loss might mean a long offseason for Coach Belichick and crew trying to assess exactly what happened and what needs to improve. For the awards, while the defensive ones are heavily biased in favor of the user due to the odd assisted tackle thing, I think it's fair that those four are in the mix for us. They've been statistically near the top of the national leaderboards all year. Winning on the other hand? Not so sure. For example, most of Newton's production came in two games (a 3-INT game v. Louisville and a 2-INT game v. Pitt, IIRC). Hill has 108 tackles and 22 for loss, but only one interception and one sack; not sure if that will hold up against other finalists. We'll see, though!

I've run the Ace and I-forms for most of the dynasty's run; I love running the ball and those looks are often the best ways to do it. The only time I tend to use shotgun in '14 is when Linzell Tyson is on the field for his triple option, splitback sets. We threw the ball a bit more last season, but this year reverted back to principles we ran with during the Diaco era; slow the clock, ground and pound, pass on necessary downs. I may try to change some things up for next year especially as we have a lot of mouths to feed at wide receiver (our top talents Lonte' Speier and Chamarkelle Byrom are still just true sophomores), but I'm hesitant to do anything drastic.

The pro-style offense I try to run creates a better NFL prospect out of Jordan, but the consistency just hasn't been there. He's shown flashes of being great, but luckily he's still young and has time to work that out. We've had a long history of QB busts in the dynasty, and I'd be really dismayed if Jordan joined that list, as he's the most talented of that bunch by far. Even so, he'll likely have a great shot at being drafted very high, perhaps as early as next season.

The playoff/DB editor is the best thing that happened to me in terms of video game playing; it's completely transformed the way I play and think about the game. The videos in that big thread over in the NCAA section were very helpful. I almost wrecked this file early on, so don't despair if you struggle at first; I've reached the point where I can do it without the aid of the videos, too! (But knowing my clumsiness that shouldn't mean smooth sailing forever, sadly. )

As for the pace of the report, expect things to slow down after the bowl game. I'll go through the offseason on my own next week and then take maybe three/four weeks to post it all. This would leave me at the start of season ten when I go back to school, and I'll try to play the entirety of next season throughout first semester, which I did last year.

I feel bad when this moves too fast for some of you to follow along reasonably, but sometimes that's hard to control. I simply want to post as much as possible while there's time, and Tuesday was a great case in point, being off work for the day. When school starts again, though, I'm shooting for a more reasonable ~one game a week, which should keep everyone engaged and up to date. I greatly appreciate the sudden influx of comments and likes, hopefully we can keep that up as football season approaches!

THANKS AS ALWAYS EVERYONE!

[thesportsguru11]

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

Recruiting; Early Signing Day Check-In

With the early signing deadline now passed, let’s take a look at where UConn stands entering the offseason. Here's their board of players who have already committed to UConn or other schools.

NOTE: Projected overall does not take into account edits that I have made for awareness and injury ratings.

Since we last talked, UConn has added seven new commits, including a few impact players. Most noteworthy are three mid-season adds to the board; four-star defensive end Demetris Sands, three-star corner D’Vaughn Bates and JUCO athlete Ahmir Rider. All three could be impact players very soon.

Sands, lightly regarded by bigger programs, will compete for time at either defensive end spot with James Mandrell graduating and Kiel Hughes seeing less playing time in recent weeks. Sands joins a large group of commits who will search for time, including Quayshaun Wise, Andre Cwik and Eric Reddick. With the lack of interest most schools showed, however, I’d be willing to bet that Sands comes to UConn with a chip on his shoulder. Look for him to be playing very early on.

Rider and Bates will come to UConn as defensive backs. Bates will be a long-term solution to the thinning depth chart at cornerback, while Rider will slot in either at corner or safety depending on what Vic Castalanetta and Tony Rush elect to do after the season. Both are set to graduate, but have a year of eligibility remaining. Rush could use a graduate transfer after losing his starting job, while Castalanetta may be an NFL prospect and elect to leave early for the draft.

Rider could also play some snaps at running back depending on depth. Rider is a tremendous athlete who could be a real steal for UConn; the Huskies never dipped into the JUCO ranks much under Bob Diaco. Bates is another good athlete with a lot of speed, who could be a star with the right coaching and development. It should be worth noting that Coach Belichick was a former safeties coach with the New England Patriots, meaning that these two should be in great hands. Naturally, I'm excited to get to play with both.

Elsewhere, four-star Florida defensive tackle Jamar Sledge finally committed this week, strengthening a somewhat thin group at defensive tackle. He may need to sit behind Tarik Madison for a while, but Sledge will certainly push young guys Matt Tellers and Ethan Buckingham for time, possibly slotting in as the second defensive tackle as early as the fall. Much of Sledge’s opportunities will be dependent on what Jeremy Broadricke elects to do, another fifth-year senior this fall who could transfer back home to Los Angeles.

Linebacker Gavin Carter, center Jeremy Thompson and tight end Tyree Tate are development prospects, but will provide depth and will have chances to play in time. Tate is notably a receiving tight end, while Thompson's size makes him flexible across the offensive line.

Offseason Preview

UConn has a big board of prospects, but only a few that they actually want.

Leading the charge is the #1 prospect on the board all year long, linebacker Payton Ash from Mississippi. The goal for us was to simply stay in the race for Ash, which has been very tightly contested. With UConn doing so, we can expect them to put as many points as absolutely possible to land Ash.

He is considered as a perfect linebacker prospect; good athlete with a good skillset, but lots of room to improve as well. It’s entirely possible he has the highest floor and the highest ceiling of anyone on the UConn recruiting board, and Ash might have the chance to start immediately should he commit. He would compete with Avan Goulding, Colorado transfer Marlon Bush Jr. and other youngsters for time. He’s the top target, and it’s not even close.

Other players UConn will continue to target are Ohio tackle Cole Monroe and tight end Tate McCall from Florida. McCall is a bit more expendable with other recent commitments at tight end, but UConn will still go after him and maybe give him a redshirt year to be groomed to eventually replace Alex Paige. Monroe, on the other hand, could be a day one starter like Ash, as we have discussed. UConn is not very talented on the offensive line, and is set to replace several guys very soon anyhow. Monroe will likely slot at left tackle, and will be a heavy target for Coach Belichick come January.

Five-star quarterback Alex Ferguson has UConn as his top school, but it’s uncertain if UConn actually wants him, given that their depth chart is set for next year. Ferguson was favoring Penn State before dropping them from his list completely, leaving UConn as the favorite by far. We’ll see what UConn elects to do.

While still in the mix for highly touted athlete Rondell Downs, it’s uncertain where he’ll fit. He can play defense a little, but reportedly wants to play offense in college. That would stand to leave North Carolina as the favorite to land his services. Especially with UConn losing very little at the skill positions this offseason, Downs may not fit too well immediately and may not be targeted heavily.

One new target to keep an eye on is 3-star junior college wideout Preston Martin-Moser, a projected 80 overall guy. We don’t need him, but he’s as close to a complete wide receiver as you can get in recruiting. With a very large turnover coming at the wide receiver spot over the next two years, Martin-Moser could be a guy to redshirt and stash for down the road.

It’s also worth noting that UConn is already four scholarships over the limit for this year with the large number of commits so far. This does not take into account, however, the possibility for transfers out of the program or early departures for the NFL that would take up spots. As such, I would not be surprised if we decided to go after just Ash and Monroe to try and limit ourselves if we need to make any cuts; those two are of the highest importance for us to get this offseason.

UConn currently has the 6th ranked class with their 14 commits. Oregon currently holds the #1 ranking with one 5* (WR Alex Jackson) and eleven 4* commits.

CAC Recruiting

The highest ranked CAC class at the moment belongs to OC Foxke Brihay at San Diego State - ranked 22nd. The Aztecs have landed a pair of 4* commits, led by 5’9 RB A’Damian Paddock, and eleven 3* commits. Close behind are HC Willingham at Washington State (26th), OC Sorbera at Temple (28th) and OC Davis at Southern Miss (32nd). It should be noted that I (Coach Shea, USC) have the worst class in the entire country, snagging just two prospects so far. However, it should also be noted that one of them is likely the quarterback gem of this class, local kid Cade Weatherbee (+12 to 80 overall, I think.)

[dfsJunkie]

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

I can already see opposing OCs and QBs sweating... I’m thinking that Huskie d-line is going to be absolutely filthy for the next few years.

[young22]

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

Great class. D-line looks like it'll be great when these guys develop, and y'all have a 5* QB coming in too? ACC better look out. Y'all get Sands and this class has to be the best in the country.

Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[thesportsguru11]

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

I wasn't going to post again today (delaying getting ready for work LOL), but these two got me thinking; I ran a hypothetical in my head that you all need to see on paper.

I can already see opposing OCs and QBs sweating... I’m thinking that Huskie d-line is going to be absolutely filthy for the next few years.

Great class. D-line looks like it'll be great when these guys develop, and y'all have a 5* QB coming in too? ACC better look out. Y'all get Sands and this class has to be the best in the country.

I think you’ve got the tables backwards, young. While Ferguson is likely going to come to UConn barring something miraculous, we’ve already landed Sands, being in the “signed” pile. I’ll apologize as I probably could have made that clearer, though. I don’t know about top class, but I think Ferguson, Ash and Monroe could make this a top ten group; oddly enough, I don’t believe I’ve had a top ten class yet in this dynasty.

In any case, I knew entering the season we needed reinforcements on the D-Line after none of our guys developed at all last year, but I wasn’t expecting this much help. We’ve gotten so much, in fact, that I’ll be willing to place a bet that at least one of them departs via transfer next year if they don’t play immediately, and honestly it could be Sands; as a higher rated prospect, he may not be patient enough to stick it out.

I don’t know what’s going to happen with our four current D-Ends on the roster; Kiel Hughes, Brennick Samples, DeAaron Kensing and Daulton Hiatt. Hughes has started each game this year, but hasn’t played as many snaps as the season has gone on, while the others haven’t played much or at all. The competition will be a good thing.

Manual progression that I’ve implemented means that not all of this will happen as expected (for better or worse), but we could have something exciting here. We'd also have to move to a 4-3 to fit all of this. Check out the potential lineup we could have in three years at the front, assuming everyone stays, I can land my guy Payton Ash and a ~5 point overall gain through progression which the CPU usually does:

DE
Demetris Sands - would be a JR, projected 89 ovr.
DeAaron Kensing - would be a rsSR, projected 89 ovr.
Quayshaun Wise - would be a JR, projected 84 ovr.
Andre Cwik - would be a JR, projected 83-84 ovr.
Eric Reddick - would likely be a rsSO, projected 82-83 ovr.
(maybe Daulton Hiatt and Ontrell Jackson are here, but I bet they’re gone by this time)

DT
Tarik Madison - would be a SR, projected 89-90 ovr.
Jamar Sledge - would likely be a JR, projected 84-85 ovr.
Ethan Buckingham - would be a rsSR, projected 85 ovr.
Matt Tellers - would be a rsSR, projected 85 ovr.

OLB (one of the top three might move inside)
Payton Ash - would be a JR, projected 91-92 ovr. (he BETTER commit!)
Avan Goulding - would be a SR, projected 89-90 ovr.
Marlon Bush Jr. - would be a rsSR, projected 87-88 ovr.
Scott Sarria - would be a rsSR, projected ~80 ovr.
Gavin Carter - would likely be a rsSO, projected 79-80 ovr.
Vasean Gatewood - would be a rsJR, projected 73 ovr.

ILB
Marshawn Dortch - would be a SR, projected 89-90 ovr.
Kerdarius Barber - would likely be a JR, projected 80 ovr.
Jayson Meier - would be a rsJR, projected 80 ovr.

CB
Linzell Tyson - would be a SR, projected 85 ovr.
Kelvin Cooke - would be a rsSR, projected 85 ovr.
D’Vaughn Bates - would be a JR, projected 82 ovr.


While this likely won’t happen as such…. Hey.. stop salivating over there! If we can recruit some good corners and safeties next year, our defense could truly be set for years, even if some of these guys transfer. Coach Belichick and Coach Cubit have done an incredible job recruiting the last two years.

And Payton Ash is the key to all of this, why I listed him as a "must-need" on our recruiting board. I cannot physically wait to pour the house at him when I do the offseason and swipe his butt away from the SEC. I’m not exaggerating when I say he has the potential to be the best, most impactful defensive player we’ve had yet (more than Shav Wade), and tie together this potentially monstrous unit we’re constructing.

[young22]

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

I wasn't going to post again today (delaying getting ready for work LOL), but these two got me thinking; I ran a hypothetical in my head that you all need to see on paper.






I think you’ve got the tables backwards, young. While Ferguson is likely going to come to UConn barring something miraculous, we’ve already landed Sands, being in the “signed” pile. I’ll apologize as I probably could have made that clearer, though. I don’t know about top class, but I think Ferguson, Ash and Monroe could make this a top ten group; oddly enough, I don’t believe I’ve had a top ten class yet in this dynasty.

In any case, I knew entering the season we needed reinforcements on the D-Line after none of our guys developed at all last year, but I wasn’t expecting this much help. We’ve gotten so much, in fact, that I’ll be willing to place a bet that at least one of them departs via transfer next year if they don’t play immediately, and honestly it could be Sands; as a higher rated prospect, he may not be patient enough to stick it out.

I don’t know what’s going to happen with our four current D-Ends on the roster; Kiel Hughes, Brennick Samples, DeAaron Kensing and Daulton Hiatt. Hughes has started each game this year, but hasn’t played as many snaps as the season has gone on, while the others haven’t played much or at all. The competition will be a good thing.

Manual progression that I’ve implemented means that not all of this will happen as expected (for better or worse), but we could have something exciting here. We'd also have to move to a 4-3 to fit all of this. Check out the potential lineup we could have in three years at the front, assuming everyone stays, I can land my guy Payton Ash and a ~5 point overall gain through progression which the CPU usually does:

DE
Demetris Sands - would be a JR, projected 89 ovr.
DeAaron Kensing - would be a rsSR, projected 89 ovr.
Quayshaun Wise - would be a JR, projected 84 ovr.
Andre Cwik - would be a JR, projected 83-84 ovr.
Eric Reddick - would likely be a rsSO, projected 82-83 ovr.
(maybe Daulton Hiatt and Ontrell Jackson are here, but I bet they’re gone by this time)

DT
Tarik Madison - would be a SR, projected 89-90 ovr.
Jamar Sledge - would likely be a JR, projected 84-85 ovr.
Ethan Buckingham - would be a rsSR, projected 85 ovr.
Matt Tellers - would be a rsSR, projected 85 ovr.

OLB (one of the top three might move inside)
Payton Ash - would be a JR, projected 91-92 ovr. (he BETTER commit!)
Avan Goulding - would be a SR, projected 89-90 ovr.
Marlon Bush Jr. - would be a rsSR, projected 87-88 ovr.
Scott Sarria - would be a rsSR, projected ~80 ovr.
Gavin Carter - would likely be a rsSO, projected 79-80 ovr.
Vasean Gatewood - would be a rsJR, projected 73 ovr.

ILB
Marshawn Dortch - would be a SR, projected 89-90 ovr.
Kerdarius Barber - would likely be a JR, projected 80 ovr.
Jayson Meier - would be a rsJR, projected 80 ovr.

CB
Linzell Tyson - would be a SR, projected 85 ovr.
Kelvin Cooke - would be a rsSR, projected 85 ovr.
D’Vaughn Bates - would be a JR, projected 82 ovr.


While this likely won’t happen as such…. Hey.. stop salivating over there! If we can recruit some good corners and safeties next year, our defense could truly be set for years, even if some of these guys transfer. Coach Belichick and Coach Cubit have done an incredible job recruiting the last two years.

And Payton Ash is the key to all of this, why I listed him as a "must-need" on our recruiting board. I cannot physically wait to pour the house at him when I do the offseason and swipe his butt away from the SEC. I’m not exaggerating when I say he has the potential to be the best, most impactful defensive player we’ve had yet (more than Shav Wade), and tie together this potentially monstrous unit we’re constructing.

Meant Ash, the OLB. Sands does look like a beast though.

Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[SilverBullet19]

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

As you said, Guru, this could be a freakishly fearsome defensive front. I'm in the midst of rebuilding mine, as I have no one over a 79 if I remember right, but they're all young too. It's damn near impossible to stop the run, we only do if they turn to the pass. On top of that, I can't usually get pressure without a blitz. It's causes challenges...

So if you have guys stick around and build that DL and LB corps...watch out, UConn will be tough!!!

Can't wait to see where you land in the bowl race man.

[RoundingThird]

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

I'm back!!!!!! I still love what you're doing, and always will. In about 2 weeks, I'll start working for the actual UConn football team, on the field for the home games at "The Property" and periodically traveling with the team, at least while I'm still an underclassmen. So, you and I will get to further build upon this bond we've formed around this team. But, for the first time in my life, I will not be buying Madden this year, and I will not be coming out with a new 'chise in the fall. I'll still be here following this. Maybe I'll show it to some of the players.