UConn sports

Just leaving Rentschler Field and the signing day press conference with the UConn football team.

Coach Randy Edsall talked about a myriad of things so let’s take a quick glance:

– We knew before Wednesday that Edsall didn’t have much use for the rankings of rivals or scout. He went a bit further with his thoughts Wednesday.

“We know who we’re looking for,” Edsall said. “We know what we want in a young man, not only as a player but also academically, work ethic and character. All these kids fit that bill.”

Rivals had UConn’s class ranked 83 late Wednesday (last in the Big East and with only three BCS schools behind…Wisconsin, Washington State and Indiana).

Scout had the class ranked 72 (last in the Big East and with only two BCS schools behind…Iowa State and Kansas State).

“This is all very stupid in my opinion,” Edsall said. “For anybody to go out and rank classes and try to evaluate thousands and thousands and thousands of kids that are 17 and 18 years old, to think that they’re going to watch all this film and rank them all and put a number on them, it’s propaganda. And it’s one of the things that’s really ruining the game, in my opinion.”

“We’re in this profession to help young people,” Edsall added. “And this process isn’t helping young people, it’s hurting them.”

The coach didn’t stop there.

“You don’t see people going back after four or five years and ranking those recruiting classes,” Edsall said. “It’s not where you are when you come in here, it’s where you end up. Do you end up with a degree? Do you end up as a better player…and a better person? Those are the things that are important.”

– He likes the class’ versatility and athleticism, obviously.

“This is probably the most athletic class that we’ve been able to put together,” Edsall said. “There are a lot of two- and some three-sport athletes in this class, which I really like.”

– The two new assistant coaches (tight ends and defensive backs) will be announced Thursday.

– Apparently the Cincinnati coaches came in late to try and “poach” DT Angelo Pruitt.

And BC made a late push to grab DE B.J. McBryde away.

– Edsall was excited that the new class gets the Huskies pretty close to their “prescribed” number of scholarships for each position. Edsall has numbers in mind for each position and shared them Wednesday.

The number the staff wants is before the position and the actual number they’ll have next year is in parenthesis.

Of the 85 scholarships Edsall wants 41 on offense, 41 on defense, 3 for specialists (punter, kicker, long-snapper).

Also:

15 defensive linemen (15)

8 inside linebackers (7)

4 Husky (Outside) linebackers (3)

7 cornerbacks (8)

7 safeties (7)

16 offensive linemen (15)

4 tight ends (3)

7 running backs (8)

10 wide receivers (10)

4 quarterbacks (5)

“We’re as close to those numbers now as we’ve ever been,” Edsall said.

– DE Mike Cox will graduate and attend grad school somewhere other than UConn. Edsall said is looking at Division I-AA (FCS) schools to play another year of football.

– Reuben Frank will be a fullback, not a defensive end when he arrives at UConn. That’s likely due to Anthony Davis’ departure.

– Edsall also had some strong words for his team’s recruiting efforts in-state.

Edsall didn’t mention anyone by name but it’s clear the Huskies recruited Stamford linebacker Khairi Fortt (Penn State), King Low Heywood Thomas’s running back Silas Redd (Penn State) and Wethersfield quarterback Tyler Murphy (Florida). (It seems the Huskies may have wanted Murphy if he was willing to play another position).

“Penn State doesn’t get every kid they want out of the state of Pennsylvania,” Edsall said. “Florida doesn’t get every kid they want out of the state of Florida. That’s the way it is.”

“The kids from the state of Connecticut who come to UConn have done pretty darn well for themselves,” Edsall said. “I would hope that the young people in this state would take a look at that. And then maybe take a look at the kids that have left the state and what they’ve done compared to those who stayed home.”

Some coaches in Connecticut still don’t treat UConn like a major player, it seems.

“We beat Notre Dame, we beat South Carolina, we have a Big East championship,” Edsall said. “Sometimes it’s tough to break the land of steady habits. It’s tough to break peoples’ habits in terms of what their perception is.”

Edsall took another step:

“We are better received, in my opinion, outside the state of Connecticut than what we are within the state of Connecticut _ in certain pockets,” Edsall said. “That’s tough to say but you have to say it, because it’s true.”

– A few words from the coach on Staten Island RB Lyle McCombs.

“He was a guy that played in a double-wing offense,” Edsall said. “When we watched the film, I just thought he could be a really good I-tailback.

“He’s got shiftiness. He’s got the ability to break the long one. He’s a return guy.”

– A few words from the coach on QB Scott McCummings:

“He’s as mature as anybody I’ve been around,” Edsall said. “He’s a guy that can run as well as throw the ball. He’s a dual guy.

McCummings played for Tom Lamb at Natick (Mass.) High, who was ex-UConn LB Alfred Fincher’s coach at Norwood (Mass.) High.

– UConn’s recruiting of quarterbacks hasn’t changed with the addition of OC Joe Moorhead or his offense, Edsall says.

“The most important ingredient for us with a quarterback is somebody who can throw the football,” Edsall said. “That’s the most important ingredient, somebody who can throw it and who is accurate.”

BY POSITION

Defensive backs _ 5

Offensive linemen _ 4

Linebackers _ 4

Defensive linemen _ 3

Wide receivers _ 2

Running backs _ 2

Quarterbacks _ 2

BY STATE

Florida _ 4

Connecticut _ 3

Massachusetts _ 3

New York _ 2

Georgia _ 2

Pennsylvania _ 2

Maryland _ 2

New Jersey _ 1

New Hampshire _ 1

Ohio _ 1

Illinois _ 1

- Neill