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

[Knickerbocker91]

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

Are you using one of the dynasty editing tools to get underclassmen to declare early or is the game simply complying with your wishes? Either way, I always enjoy the amount of depth put in. It gives me a LOT to read, which is never something I'd complain about. Plus, I'm contemplating returning to these forums (there's a lot of personal issues I have with EA, the NFL, and the NCAA as a whole that's giving me pause), so seeing that guys like you, Geezy, and Cheese are still going strong helps.

[thesportsguru11]

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

Holy crap your guys have been bad in the league so far, damn. Hopefully Byers can be a better pro than college player. Jury's still out on I-Jax, Williamson and Shav, let's hope y'all get a star in the league.

LOL yes they have been! Think of it as the Colt McCoy complex (as I watch the Redskins-Pats game...). Sometimes these guys are awesome in college, but simply don't pan out in the NFL for whatever reason. I think our problem with the Diaco era guys is that they were great collegians, but never had the makeup of NFL players. Even some of the early Belichick-era guys... Williamson has a lot of miles on his knees already, Ice-Jax never struck me as a star pro QB despite his clutch genes (sort of like an RGIII). Nevertheless, our guys being this bad shouldn't be happening.

Another possible determining factor is that Madden 25's franchise mode is completely broken in my opinion, from franchise mechanics to draft logic. I watched some of MrHurriicane's old Rams franchise to troubleshoot a bit and it seems he had similar roster problems that I'm having. Certain positions simply don't develop, for example.

I'd be willing to bet all the money in the world that if last year's draft class gets put into Madden 09 or 12 for example, Shav would have been a top ten pick, while Ice-Jax and Williamson have a better shot of playing immediately. What I liked about 09 especially is how imported draft guys would come in with decent ratings and could make an impact immediately.. not so much the case here.

For some reason, Byers looks like he'll be a high-mid round draft choice, which might mean we have one player to cheer for moving forward. I have a possible solution to these problems through global awareness ratings editing in NCAA, which I'll discuss later. Hopefully this means we'll start to see more draft picks pan out in coming seasons from us and other schools, especially as kids like Jordan Brown, Speier, Chamarkelle and others begin to matriculate to the league (they're all draft-eligible next year, AHHHHHH!)

Man, decimated by early departures. It seems safeties love to bounce early, I'm surprised by Byer's choice. I'm certainly more shocked he has such high draft stock, although he isn't a first rounder it has huge bust potential.

I love the NFL look in and everything, it's a cool touch. On that note though, Rodgers as a 49er and Newton as a Cowboy is wild. Those UConn guys have had a rough go. It seems Stapleton is well adjusted, the rest don't have much to brag about.

I'm excited for next year. It should be interesting watching basically an entirely new defense on the field. It could lead to some serious shootouts, at least assuming the offense is on point! Looking forward to the offseason.

Just curious, is Rush leaving in game or is that a author's decision? I ask because I've never seen a guy declare when rated that low

Rush was an author's decision.. he was likely to be a grad transfer having lost his starting spot and being an out-of-state guy (from Illinois). However, there's a reason why he went pro instead that I feel compelled to share. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had to play the game twice due to a technical problem. Rush was the star of that unaired attempt - two forced fumbles, a recovery, an interception and eight tackles. My plan was to force him to go pro after he got a big head from his sudden success, but in the second attempt (what you all saw) he was invisible yet again so I just gave him the boot LOL.

I think of Byers' choice like a Marcus Lattimore from a few years ago. Talent is there but also with multiple serious injuries. In Byers' case there was no guarantee he'd start with Ashanti Swift in the fold and with experience, so it makes sense in my eyes at least to take the money and run. You just never know what other injuries or misfortunes could pop up if he stays. The offense looked better last year as Swift got acclimated anyhow, so it's probably best that he has the clear path to the starting job instead. I'll mention this later in the post, but I also feel it's worth noting that I didn't interfere with this decision, the game made all three of the legit guys declare (Byers, Sapp, Vic C). The transfers on the other hand....

It was very neat to see A-A-ron return home and do good, he's really made a case for himself as the best all-time in this alternate universe. This is especially so as Brady never won rings four and five, while Peyton I think still only has one as well (it might be two, but I can't seem to find the early season notes right now...). As I mentioned in response to young, I think I'll finally have a fix for some of the draft class problems I'm having, and the players coming out in the next few seasons might help as well. Jordan Brown may very well be the #1 pick next year if all goes to plan, while I think Lonte' and Chamarkelle could be first round picks as well. Swift is a few years away but I have high hopes for him as well.

And on the topic of those four, I'm thankful we get them back as they will likely be responsible for keeping us in these games next year, as you're probably right in assuming many shootouts. I'm not too concerned about safety as Aaron Brook returns and JUCO transfer Ahmir Rider might slot in at free, but we'll have a mess at linebacker and corner. Tory Greening is back, but who else goes at corner with him? Kelvin Cooke or Linzell Tyson even? I just don't know. Hopefully a late signing or two might help us out.

Man, finally got caught up (mostly while on the john at work ). Wasn't exactly what you were hoping for in the season but you guys were always right there!

That Ole Miss team is like nothing I've ever seen before. No surprise they didn't lose.

I know you said it may be a good thing some guys departed to make room for the upcoming recruits but man, 8 is a lot of guys to lose. Will be good for me to be able to follow from this offseason fresh and continue on!

Oh my god.... well at least you're putting your breaks to good use I guess! Thanks much bigsheen, great to see you around again. The offseason is an awesome time to catch back up, I'm slowing down a bit as well with the new school year approaching so if you missed anything in your walkthrough now's the time to do it (or you can just relive either of our title winning seasons. ). Any hope for a national title we might have next year could be erased by all the new faces on defense, but I think we're building a nice foundation for the future.

You've been around the thread long enough, however, to know that "I think" means "uhhhh maybe" as so many of these guys bust out of the program, like Rush just did. So we shall see.

The level of detail here is just staggering. I presume you sim rather than play the Madden 25 games?

I thought the backward ratios might be the case. At least my talented QBs prospered. Hopefully my team will adapt well to Coach Brihay's sudden change in philosophy.

As long as we finish better than 5-7 I'll be content.

I've mentioned in some of these comments in the past that I view this project more as a blog or a story than "we won 41-13". There's nothing wrong with the latter, but I feel that details drive the car in writing, so I try to add in as much as I can. You see this in other successful reports like Geezy's, Cheese's, as well as a handful of others too, and these stories are what make dynasty threads stick for months or years like this one has. At some point, you're going to get tired of writing "we won 41-13", whereas a complex storyline(s) will keep the author and other readers like yourself interested in the material longer.

I also have a perhaps abnormally good memory, so it's easy to access and add in some of this information when needed. The other advantage I have is that if I don't know a certain fact, I know where I can find it in the thread. Everything builds off itself, in effect.

Back on topic, yes I sim all of the Madden stuff and take down key information when necessary, and I did finally adjust some coach sliders this afternoon, so that should be all set moving forward. I think 5-7 should be fine, but the change in philosophy may not effect SDSU all that much. Hint hint, wink wink and all that fun stuff.

Are you using one of the dynasty editing tools to get underclassmen to declare early or is the game simply complying with your wishes? Either way, I always enjoy the amount of depth put in. It gives me a LOT to read, which is never something I'd complain about. Plus, I'm contemplating returning to these forums (there's a lot of personal issues I have with EA, the NFL, and the NCAA as a whole that's giving me pause), so seeing that guys like you, Geezy, and Cheese are still going strong helps.

Actually the three actual NFL prospects declaring was the one time where I had my hands off. Rush and the transfers were my doing, however. I tried to think how a college athlete would think in the situation of the lower ranked guys on our roster. Some of them may have been cut, anyway, so it's best I be proactive. Appleby was never going to play quarterback here, Hiatt and Ontrell Jackson were about to be blitzkrieged on the depth chart, while Shakespeare.. truthfully I just didn't want him anymore.

I remember your gripes about the various businesses, so color me pleased to see you're considering coming back to 'chising, be it with Coach Coley or something else entirely. Obviously it's not quite that easy, but to me I've long viewed college sports as simply a large number of amateur athletes playing games.

I too despise what the NCAA and sometimes college in general stand for (got some gripes against my own school and the general flow of money within the collegiate institution... story for another day). Nevertheless, 90% of kids who play college ball never turn pro, and I guess that my enjoyment stems from keeping that in sight each week. Perhaps that shows my priorities are out of line, but it's easier to see when you attend a D-II college as I do, with no TV cameras and no free rides for the athletes.

Anyways, good luck digesting this football season bud!

Thanks to all of you as always for your awesome comments! Love the activity on the boards with football season coming back!

[young22]

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

Wait Chamarkelle and Jordan are already about to be draft eligible? Feels like they just committed

Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[itsbigmike]

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

The Madden tie-in's are so key and, honestly, is one of my absolute favorite things about this dynasty (and Cheese's, too). I think everyone should sim a Madden franchise along side their NCAA franchise if they're doing a dynasty report on here, just because it adds a ton more depth. Love it. I had set up a dynasty I was going to run (not on the boards though) with Kansas and I just never got beyond the half way point of the season. But the last three weeks I got through the second half of the season and now get to go on to all of my fun stuff like my random progression that was stolen from the legend himself, Hellisan, and whatnot. Maybe someday I'll find a good set up to start up a dynasty on the forums, too.

[young22]

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

I have a setup I think you'd like, holla at me

Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[Cheese2121]

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

You know I am absolutely loving the offseason updates and the Madden tie-ins. It adds such depth to your report. Just fantastic stuff. It is interesting to see that not many of your players have gone on to have great NFL careers. Hopefully we will see that trend start to shift in the future.

[bdiddy]

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

I've been following & reading your dynasty for awhile now. Going over your former players that have gone pro in recent years, didn't Summers or Rourke say something about exposing dirt on UConn when Diaco was still there?

[thesportsguru11]

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

Wait Chamarkelle and Jordan are already about to be draft eligible? Feels like they just committed

Ha I know, it's crazy! Just goes to show how quickly I've been moving along since restarting the project - they'll both be juniors along with Speier, Korey Davis-Love on the O-Line, our kicker Anthony Ricciardi and a few others. They were all part of the 2021 class that I brought into the school last September. About a full year all of these guys will have been here, plus an additional four/five months for next season. This next season is going to be sentimental as it will be the final year for the last class I brought in before the long hiatus - truly wrapping up part one of the dynasty.

I highly doubt Jordan/Lonte'/Chamarkelle will stick around past this year, as Jordan could be the #1 pick next year, while the wideouts could be 1st round choices as well. But that remains to be seen!

The Madden tie-in's are so key and, honestly, is one of my absolute favorite things about this dynasty (and Cheese's, too). I think everyone should sim a Madden franchise along side their NCAA franchise if they're doing a dynasty report on here, just because it adds a ton more depth. Love it. I had set up a dynasty I was going to run (not on the boards though) with Kansas and I just never got beyond the half way point of the season. But the last three weeks I got through the second half of the season and now get to go on to all of my fun stuff like my random progression that was stolen from the legend himself, Hellisan, and whatnot. Maybe someday I'll find a good set up to start up a dynasty on the forums, too.

Great point, and I agree completely. I used to do the same with Madden 09 way back in the day (and I still do run companion NCAA 09 dynasties when I fire up that game these days). I've even noticed that guys like MrHurriicane are adding on little Madden side stories to their dynasties because it does add to the universe. As I mentioned recently, when we treat these dynasties like a story with extra layer and meaning, we take on a greater interest in our work.

Of course it's totally your decision, but I have a good feeling you'll have a nice ring of support if you ever tried anything on the boards. Since BDawg left we're missing out on a nice Western Michigan dynasty... *thinks deeply*.

You know I am absolutely loving the offseason updates and the Madden tie-ins. It adds such depth to your report. Just fantastic stuff. It is interesting to see that not many of your players have gone on to have great NFL careers. Hopefully we will see that trend start to shift in the future.

I have you in part to thank for the idea of the Madden stuff, it's really been fun to follow along with. Unfortunately you have the game with the better franchise mode, but so it goes! The offseason is my favorite part of the dynasty mode, so I'm psyched to post everything... especially now that I've played the offseason for the fifth time due to some OCD stuff LOL.

Not everyone will be a hit in the pros, but I think with the group we'll have coming out in the next year or two with Jordan, Speier, Chamarkelle, Ashanti Swift and even Korey Davis-Love I'd bet on things looking up for UConn in the league very shortly.

I've been following & reading your dynasty for awhile now. Going over your former players that have gone pro in recent years, didn't Summers or Rourke say something about exposing dirt on UConn when Diaco was still there?

Welcome and thanks for dropping in, it's a pleasure to have you on board!

Summers pre-dates Rourke, it was Jake Crowder who also left the team because of some run-ins with Diaco. You have a great memory, as I did point that out awhile back. Every now and then I'll tease a storyline that doesn't come to fruition for whatever reason, but this one could come back around very soon with Diaco debating whether or not to stay in the NFL or return to the college ranks with the Michigan job. Keep in mind that Diaco and Rourke did get suspended for two games in 2019 for illegal under-the-table payment, so perhaps there was more juicy stuff that has been concealed to this point. Despite the fact his friend and former co-worker would be hiring him, one would have to assume that if something was up, people would find out eventually.

On the other hand, Rourke has clearly proven himself to be a meathead with all of his off-field junk, while Crowder never materialized in the NFL either, so perhaps they were trying to save face after both got demoted as seniors.

What's interesting though is that the benching of those two players really paved the way for the future of our program - Rourke was benched for James Mandrell, a three-year starter and co-captain last year, while Crowder was benched for Sam Barnett, another three-year starter who played a big role in the 2020 Playoff.

[thesportsguru11]

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

2022 Season Stats

UConn Huskies Stats - 2022
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
Jordan Brown	244-349	3466	14.2	266.6	67	31	16	173.5
Linzell Tyson	5-18	82	16.4	6.3	36	0	1	54.9
Kelly Carlson	3-4	77	25.6	7.0	40	1	0	319.2
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
Ashanti Swift	219	982	4.4	59	4	16	75.5	1
J.P. Byers	110	456	4.1	36	1	2	65.1	0
Linzell Tyson	66	452	6.8	66	7	2	34.7	7
Mike Molden	75	398	5.3	30	2	4	33.1	1
Jonathan Shaffer	15	61	4.0	13	0	0	10.1	0
Kelly Carlson	3	14	4.6	12	0	0	1.2	0
Dallas Freeman	2	2	1.0	1	0	1	0.1	0
Jordan Brown	80	-202	-2.5	13	0	4	-15.5	9
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	DROPS	YDS/G	YAC
Lonte' Speier	54	720	13.3	8	50	4	55.3	158
Devin Brown	52	990	19.0	5	67	4	76.1	315
Chamarkelle Byrom	46	864	18.7	5	48	8	66.4	327
Alex Paige	43	390	9/0	4	25	4	29.9	162
Marcus Rodgers	22	378	17.1	8	40	1	29.0	108
Dallas Freeman	12	119	9.9	0	17	2	9.1	49
Ashanti Swift	7	37	5.2	0	9	0	2.8	31
Jayson Moss	5	37	7.4	1	14	0	4.1	16
J.P. Byers	4	32	8.0	0	13	0	4.5	33
Drew Talley	3	33	11.0	0	23	2	3.0	15
Collin Miranda	1	19	19.0	0	19	0	1.5	5
Blocking					PCAKE		SACK
Alex Paige					12		0
Kevin Jones					11		2
Korey Davis-Love					6		11
Lawron Leak					5		6
Jylan Sowell					5		2
Michael Clark					4		17
Nate Dotson					2		1
	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
Defense	SOLO	AST	TOT	SACK	TLOSS	PD	INT	TD
Mike Hill	113	2	115	1	23	2	1	0
Tory Greening	55	3	58	0	2	4	2	0
Vic Castalanetta	53	3	56	1	8	2	1	0
A.J. Paxston	52	1	53	1	23	0	0	0
Alex Brown	52	0	52	1	23	0	0	0
Jevon Sapp	50	0	50	3	15	0	1	1
Tony Rush	47	0	47	0	2	3	1	0
James Mandrell	40	1	41	11	12	0	0	0
Aaron Brook	40	0	40	0	2	3	3	0
Sam Barnett	33	1	34	0	2	9	0	0
Kent Newton	30	0	30	0	2	4	8	3
Kiel Hughes	25	2	27	6	16	0	0	0
Kelvin Cooke	15	0	15	1	1	0	1	0
Jeremy Broadricke	12	1	13	0	4	1	0	0
Avan Goulding	12	0	12	1	1	0	0	0
Blake Kimbrough	8	0	8	0	1	0	0	0
Tarik Madison	6	0	6	1	3	0	0	0
Kion East	6	0	6	0	0	0	1	0
Linzell Tyson	6	0	6	0	0	0	1	0
Ethan Buckingham	3	0	3	1	3	0	0	0
Marshawn Dortch	2	0	2	0	0	1	0	0
Scott Sarria	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
DeAaron Kensing	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0
Matt Tellers	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0
	Kickoffs					Punts
Returning	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	RET	AVG	TD
Marcus Rodgers	28	752	26.8	101	1	43	13.1	1
Collin Miranda	3	93	31.0	46	0	0	0	0
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
Anthony Ricciardi	10	19	52	44	66	66	100	96
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
Kyle January	45	1934	63	42.9	31.4	0	5	13

Players Departing

#	Position	Name	Class	Hometown	Reason	Overall	Career Stats
20	RB	J.P. Byers	rsJR	Claremore, OK	Going Pro	91	331 rush, 1785 yards, 13 TD, 14 rec, 72 yds, 2 TD
32	SS	Vic Castalanetta	rsJR	St. Joseph, MO	Going Pro	89	159 tackles (13 TFL), sack, 7 INT, FR, TD
13	LB	Jevon Sapp	rsSO	Gastonia, NC	Going Pro	88	112 tackles, 8 sacks, INT, FF, 2 FR, TD
6	FS	Tony Rush	rsJR	Glenview, IL	Going Pro	85	121 tackles (7 TFL), 2 INT, TD
4	ILB	Mike Hill	rsSR	Edmonton, CN	Graduation	88	219 tackles (42 TFL), 2 sacks, 4 INT, 2 FF, 2 FR
21	CB	Kent Newton	rsSR	New Berllin, WI	Graduation	87	65 tackles (3 TFL), sack, 11 INT, FR, 4 TD
72	LT	Kevin Jones	SR	Salisbury, MD	Graduation	87	36 pancakes, 9 sacks allowed
93	DE	James Mandrell	rsSR	Clinton, MI	Graduation	87	108 tackles (41 TFL), 27 sacks, 6 FF, FR
21	CB	Sam Barnett	rsSR	Portland, ME	Graduation	87	114 tackles (12 TFL), 7 INT, TD
56	OLB	A.J. Paxston	rsSR	B. Green, OH	Graduation	82	74 tackles (27 TFL), 7 sacks, 2 FF, FR
57	ILB	Alex Brown	rsSR	Emmaus, PA	Graduation	82	79 tackles (6 TFL), sack, 2 INT
75	C	Lawron Leak	SR	Irondequoit, NY	Graduation	81	8 pancakes, 7 sacks allowed
89	DE	Daulton Hiatt	rsFR	Cloverleaf, TX	Transfer (UTSA)	67
17	QB	T.J. Appleby	rsSO	Corp. Christi, TX	Transfer (UTSA)	70
55	DE	Ontrell Jackson	FR	Bellmore, NY	Transfer (Fordham)	57
62	OT	Quendon Shakespeare	FR	Cranston, NJ	Transfer (Fordham)	58

UConn Info:

Program Prestige: 5-stars (down from 6 last year)
Season Record: 10-3 (7-2)
Coach Prestige: A+
Champ. Contender: A+
Pro Potential: A
Conference Prestige: A-
Stadium Atmosphere: A
Academic Prestige: A-
Athletic Facilities: A-
TV Exposure: A-
Program Tradition: B-
Coach Stability: C-
Campus Lifestyle: D+

Wrap-Up: Season nine was a flurry of ups and downs, but it's finally over after a still solid 10-3 showing, a bowl win and a finish just outside the AP Top 10. Many new names will need to make their mark next year, but the offense should be explosive as almost every starter returns. Is another national title run in the cards entering Coach Belichick's third season? Who exactly will play on defense? Is Coach Diaco returning to the college game to give UConn nightmares, or perhaps the other way around? Stay tuned to find out.

End of Season Nine (2022)

[SilverBullet19]

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

wow...10-3 and dropped in prestige. I didn't realize this game was so strict! lol

Lots of losses, but a lot still there offensively. Still got the QB, RB, all receivers...if I'm counting right you'll have 9 returning starters? That's a great base for a good season

[itsbigmike]

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

Ha I know, it's crazy! Just goes to show how quickly I've been moving along since restarting the project - they'll both be juniors along with Speier, Korey Davis-Love on the O-Line, our kicker Anthony Ricciardi and a few others. They were all part of the 2021 class that I brought into the school last September. About a full year all of these guys will have been here, plus an additional four/five months for next season. This next season is going to be sentimental as it will be the final year for the last class I brought in before the long hiatus - truly wrapping up part one of the dynasty.

I highly doubt Jordan/Lonte'/Chamarkelle will stick around past this year, as Jordan could be the #1 pick next year, while the wideouts could be 1st round choices as well. But that remains to be seen!




Great point, and I agree completely. I used to do the same with Madden 09 way back in the day (and I still do run companion NCAA 09 dynasties when I fire up that game these days). I've even noticed that guys like MrHurriicane are adding on little Madden side stories to their dynasties because it does add to the universe. As I mentioned recently, when we treat these dynasties like a story with extra layer and meaning, we take on a greater interest in our work.

Of course it's totally your decision, but I have a good feeling you'll have a nice ring of support if you ever tried anything on the boards. Since BDawg left we're missing out on a nice Western Michigan dynasty... *thinks deeply*.




I have you in part to thank for the idea of the Madden stuff, it's really been fun to follow along with. Unfortunately you have the game with the better franchise mode, but so it goes! The offseason is my favorite part of the dynasty mode, so I'm psyched to post everything... especially now that I've played the offseason for the fifth time due to some OCD stuff LOL.

Not everyone will be a hit in the pros, but I think with the group we'll have coming out in the next year or two with Jordan, Speier, Chamarkelle, Ashanti Swift and even Korey Davis-Love I'd bet on things looking up for UConn in the league very shortly.




Welcome and thanks for dropping in, it's a pleasure to have you on board!

Summers pre-dates Rourke, it was Jake Crowder who also left the team because of some run-ins with Diaco. You have a great memory, as I did point that out awhile back. Every now and then I'll tease a storyline that doesn't come to fruition for whatever reason, but this one could come back around very soon with Diaco debating whether or not to stay in the NFL or return to the college ranks with the Michigan job. Keep in mind that Diaco and Rourke did get suspended for two games in 2019 for illegal under-the-table payment, so perhaps there was more juicy stuff that has been concealed to this point. Despite the fact his friend and former co-worker would be hiring him, one would have to assume that if something was up, people would find out eventually.

On the other hand, Rourke has clearly proven himself to be a meathead with all of his off-field junk, while Crowder never materialized in the NFL either, so perhaps they were trying to save face after both got demoted as seniors.

What's interesting though is that the benching of those two players really paved the way for the future of our program - Rourke was benched for James Mandrell, a three-year starter and co-captain last year, while Crowder was benched for Sam Barnett, another three-year starter who played a big role in the 2020 Playoff.

I'd really love to run a WMU dynasty on the boards but the roster updates usually have them as a better team than I like to start off with, typically. It's the team i know the most about (with Michigan State a close second) and I'd be super attached to the dynasty just for the immersion of growing up/living there for so long. I just got have a place with enough space for an office before I do anything like that haha.

For now I'll live vicariously through you and Cheese and Geezy and SilverBullet and Hellisan and others.

[whughes]

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

Man, Mike Hill was a man possessed on defense this year. He has literally double the amount of stops as the next guy

[thesportsguru11]

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

2018 Recruiting Class in Review

What has become one of the most popular posts of the season, today we take a look back at the 2018 recruiting class now that the last remaining players from that class have graduated.

For those of you who did not follow the dynasty at the time, I was very excited about this class on signing day. While unfortunately many of these guys did not pan out (#GuruRecruitingBusts), we did land a few program changing players such as Williamson, Hill and, briefly, TDL.

Take a stroll with me down memory lane!

UConn Huskies Recruiting - 2018
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Ja'Montres Jones	WR/TE	HS	West New York, NJ	6'5	244
Luke Williamson	RB	HS	Nautilus Park, CT	5'11	223
Mike Hill	LB	HS	Edmonton, CN	6'2	244
Scott Coffman	LB	HS	Piedmont, AL	6'2	180
Carlton Parker	WR	HS	Hope Mills, NC	6'2	195
Kent Newton	CB	HS	New Berlin, WI	6'1	181
Kyle Lee	LB	HS	Norwalk, CT	6'0	233
Tanner Dean-Lowry	QB	HS	Bridgeport, CT	6'0	204
Alex Brown	LB	HS	Emmaus, PA	6'2	239
James Mandrell	DE	HS	Clinton, MI	6'5	262
Altarri Gardner	DE	HS	Derby, CT	6'4	255
Kyler Parks	ATH	HS	Yazoo City, MS	5'11	185
A.J. Paxston	LB	HS	Bowling Green, OH	5'11	244
Brett Lowery	DE	HS	Ville Platte, LA	6'2	237
Sam Barnett	CB	HS	Portland, ME	5'11	166
Synphez Jeffries-Mayo	DT	JUCO Jr	Fairland, MD	6'0	266
Brian Link	G	HS	Naugatuck, CT	6'1	300

WR/TE Ja’Montres Jones
W. New York, NJ - 6’5, 244 - four-stars
Career: 28 rec, 352 yds, 3 TD, a few rushing touchdowns

Jones took a long time to matriculate into the starting lineup, and eventually only got there as a fullback in goalline packages. He was a good fullback/tight end by his senior year, but despite his place on the national title winning team in 2021, Jones never really panned out as a four-star player should.

Grade: C-


RB Luke Williamson
Nautilus Park, CT - 5’11, 223 - four-stars
Career: 1,036 rush, 4,800 yards, 62 TD

Best running back in school history. Heisman runner-up. Plus he's a homegrown kid. What else can we say?

Grade: A+


LB Mike Hill
Edmonton, Alberta, CN - 6’2 244 - four-stars//
Career: 219 tackles (42 TFL), 2 sacks, 4 INT, 2 FF, 2 FR

Despite a plea from a fellow Canadian not to go after him in the first place, Hill proved to be a great player for us. Set a single-season dynasty record in tackles this past year and was a tremendous signal caller on defense - we’ll miss him greatly next year. I wish GravyBoat were still around to prove that Edmonton can actually produce something positive.

As a Canadian and hāter of Edmonton, don't keep going after Mike Hill. Not a lot of good comes from Edmonton.

Grade: A-


LB Scott Coffman
Piedmont, AL - 6’2 180 - four-stars
Career: 24 tackles (7 TFL), sack

Failed to see the field much and when he did get a shot to start in 2021, he was practically invisible. When he got hurt and missed time, Jevon Sapp played well enough to win the job and rendered Coffman useless. Coffman grad transferred to UAB this year, where he spent most of his redshirt senior year injured.

Grade: D-


WR Carlton Parker
Hope Mills, NC - 6’2 195 - four-stars
Career: 243 rush yards, 10 TD, over 100 kick returns with no touchdowns

Got on the field a bunch in 2020 after Jeff McNeal’s injury and as a return man. Solid goalline back but was a miserable return man, muffing lots of punts before I got fed up and removed him from the role by midseason 2021. He grad transferred to East Carolina to work with former UConn OC Mike Cummings, and was solid. However, that does nothing for us.

Grade: D+


CB Kent Newton
New Berlin, WI - 6’1 181 - three-stars
Career: 65 tackles (3 TFL), sack, 11 INT, FR, 4 TD

Took a lot of time, but Newton emerged as the top corner for UConn last season and was a finalist for the Thorpe Award. Beyond that, however, he didn’t see the field much. The good will outweigh the quiet in this case, though.

Grade: B


LB Kyle Lee
Norwalk, CT - 6’0 233 - three-stars
Career: No Stats

Bailed to Old Dominion after redshirting in ‘18. I couldn’t find him on ODU’s roster, so I’m led to believe that he either left early for some reason or he simply quit football at some point. Good for him if that’s the case, but his recruiting grade remains the same.

Grade: F


QB Tanner Dean-Lowry
Bridgeport, CT - 6’0 204 - three-stars
Career (with UConn): 323-537, 5088 yards, 42 TD, 23 INT, 646 rush yards, 7 TD

Oy. Where do we start with our buddy TDL? The local kid looked the part of a QB of the future early on, playing solidly as a freshman and later a sophomore before injuries derailed his 2019. He came back and led UConn to a Cactus Bowl win over Michigan State before winning the starting job in 2020. TDL would guide UConn to a 4-0 start and enter the Heisman race early, but after a tremendously bad day and an injury vs. Oklahoma, was benched and the Ice-Jax legacy show began. With IJ leading UConn to the Playoff, TDL saw the smoke and bailed on his hometown school for USC, where he became an All-American and nearly led the Trojans to a national title. The headaches outweigh the performance in this case, but TDL was solid for a while and we shouldn’t forget that. He was simply Drew Bledsoe and Ice-Jax his Tom Brady.

Grade: B-

LB Alex Brown
Emmaus, PA - 6’2, 239 - three-stars
Career: 79 tackles (6 TFL), sack, 2 INT

Brown was a decent contributor who started almost every game as a grad student. He was never a consistent or spectacular contributor, but stuck around for all five years, an admirable feat in my eyes.

Grade: B-


DE James Mandrell
Clinton, MI - 6’5 262 - three-stars
Career: 108 tackles (41 TFL), 27 sacks, 6 FF, FR

A forgotten man at times, Mandrell unseated the infamous Sam Rourke after a legendary four-sack outburst in the fourth quarter of the 2020 Kansas game and never looked back. A finalist for some awardage this year, Mandrell held together our unsteady defensive line this past season and he was much more important than we gave him credit for.

Grade: A-


DE Altarri Gardner
Derby, CT - 6’4 255 - three-stars
Career: 78 tackles (46 TFL), 32 sacks

You said we can’t build this team around local kids anymore? Gardner was another criminally underrated player in his four years with us. Gardner was a great sub guy from day one, and eventually became the national leader in sacks by his senior year. Though injuries cost him the 2021 playoff, Gardner was a great battery mate with Mandrell in the national title year.

Grade: A


ATH Kyler Parks
Yazoo City, MS - 5’11 185 - three-stars
Career: 50 tackles (6 TFL), 2 sacks, 3 INT

As a freshman, we needed Parks in the secondary and that’s where we put him. He was a colossal flop. Parks started opening day as a sophomore, but got beat often enough that we had to bench him for a true freshman - who turned out to be Shav Wade. Wade tallied four interceptions in just nine starts that year, followed by nineteen in the two years after. Parks only recorded three in four years. Little known fact that we also tried Parks at fullback and wideout in wildcat/goalline situations, but that simply didn’t work either. Disappointing career for someone I had very high expectations for.

Grade: D


LB A.J. Paxston
Bowling Green, OH - 5’11 244 - three-stars
Career: 74 tackles (27 TFL), 7 sacks, 2 FF, FR

A favorite of RoundingThird, Paxston took some time developing before eventually finding the field in his final three seasons. Paxston was never a superstar, but a consistent guy on the inside and outside, recording 55 tackles in his fifth year.

Grade: B-


DE Brett Lowery
Ville Platte, LA - 6’2 237 - three-stars
Career: 39 tackles (22 TFL), 11 sacks, 4 FF

Like Gardner, Lowery was a tremendous sub guy for years. His finest hour came in the 2021 postseason, when he recorded four sacks in three games replacing an injured Altarri Gardner. While a career backup won’t get the highest grade, Lowery was a good one for a very long time.

Grade: B-


CB Sam Barnett
Portland, ME - 5’11 166 - three-stars
Career: 114 tackles (12 TFL), 7 INT, TD

Three-year starter whose production was hampered by multiple injuries. Solid corner who wasn’t spectacular looking at the stats, but did something that Kyler Parks couldn’t do; play cornerback effectively. His best moment was sealing away the 2020 Sugar Bowl with a crucial pick-six in the second half!

Grade: B-

DT Synphez Jeffries-Mayo (JUCO)
Fairland, MD - 6’0 266 - three-stars
Career: No Stats

Never played a meaningful snap. We even spotted him a redshirt year.

Grade: F


G Brian Link
Naugatuck, CT - 6’1 300 - two-stars
Career: 1 pancake

Career backup who never really played (what else can we expect of a two star guy), but at least he stuck it out for four years and was a valuable piece of a thin depth chart. He was also part of the national title winning team of ‘21, so that’s something right?

Grade: D+

OVERALL GRADE: B-

For how excited I was at the time about landing this class, it was actually a bit disappointing in retrospect. Of the five headliners at the four-star rating, only two of them ever consistently contributed, and only three finished their careers at UConn. We had one legend and a handful of solid contributors, but ultimately more busts than gems.

wow...10-3 and dropped in prestige. I didn't realize this game was so strict! lol

Lots of losses, but a lot still there offensively. Still got the QB, RB, all receivers...if I'm counting right you'll have 9 returning starters? That's a great base for a good season

I'd be willing to bet that the drop in prestige is in part because UConn is not quite a traditional power like a Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, etc.

You're right, nine returning starters on offense next year - QB (Jordan Brown), RB (Swift), WR (Speier, Byrom, Devin Brown), TE (Paige), LG (Sowell), RG (Davis-Love) and RT (Michael Clark). We still have some work to do on the O-Line, but we might have the best group of skill position players in the nation. As we've talked about in recent weeks, we'll need them to play well each week to keep up with our defense, which will be much weaker this year.

I'd really love to run a WMU dynasty on the boards but the roster updates usually have them as a better team than I like to start off with, typically. It's the team i know the most about (with Michigan State a close second) and I'd be super attached to the dynasty just for the immersion of growing up/living there for so long. I just got have a place with enough space for an office before I do anything like that haha.

For now I'll live vicariously through you and Cheese and Geezy and SilverBullet and Hellisan and others.

That's a fair point - when I worked on the roster team a few years back, WMU was perennially the top team in the MAC, but that was P.J. Fleck's fault.

Playing in a nice space definitely makes the experience more fun. Ever since I restarted this I've been playing our nice finished basement with nice reclining chairs. Lots of fun!

Man, Mike Hill was a man possessed on defense this year. He has literally double the amount of stops as the next guy

When Hill opened the year against Iowa with 15 tackles, I knew he'd be in for a big year.. sure enough he put on one of the best individual seasons I've ever seen. 115 tackles is by far the most I've had in this dynasty and perhaps in any NCAA game I've ever had. While it will be unfortunate to lose that production, hopefully we have some adequate replacements lined up.

[young22]

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

I love the look back at the recruiting class. I'm gonna have to steal that when I start having my recruits graduate.

Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[SilverBullet19]

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

The stroll down memory lane is great, it's interesting to see what became of everyone, which is fun. Quite a few busts in that group, but some serious talent as well. It makes me wish I kept career stats (although I could always go back and compile them from each season's stats)