Energy Bucket-Hat Nation – And a Few Other (More Coherent) Thoughts
Yes. Yes! YES!!!! Bob Diaco is absolutely murdering the bucket hat game. (Photo credit to @Thephotodawg). This man is here to destroy anything and everything in his path. I feel so bad for BYU. Also, if the UConn marketing department doesn’t have these bucket hats with the UConn logo on sale within the next week, they will have missed an incredible opportunity. I’ll buy 7 of them myself. Get on it Kyle Muncy.
Coach Pondexter knows he will only be the second best man at practice to wear a bucket hat, so he goes with the upsidedown backwards visor. (Photo credit to @Thephotodawg). Bold move, but clearly the man is oozing cool. Not my style, but I respect his approach.
Anyway, here are a few thoughts & reactions on the first week of practice.
1.) Offensive line progress – Diaco has stated that Knappe is looking like an offensive linemen and not like a guy trying to play the offensive line. This can be huge for us this year. Everyone who’s seen Levy has raved about him, so having these two monsters anchoring the ends of our line could really be an asset in the running game.
2.) McAllister to CB – I’m actually really happy to hear this. I figured of the 3 true freshman running backs, Brice was 3rd in that group as far as ability. That’s not a knock on the kid, more of an attribute to Johnson being much bigger and faster than even the coaches thought, and Newsome coming in with the hype that he has. He has the measureables to be a CB, and my guess is he’d get a redshirt year this year on the scout team, and could possibly see the field as early as next year. It’s a better opportunity for him to get the field earlier and play for his home state.
3.) Gus Cruz healthy – I am really praying that above all else this year, I want this kid to stay healthy and play the entire season. By all accounts, seems like a really bright guy who is beloved by the coaches and his teammates. He’s a leader, and he deserves the chance to knock some people around this year.
4.) Ashiru’s Development – This guy showed signs of being a playmaker during last season, but he’s my prediction of being the next great UConn LB. I think we’ll be hearing his name a ton this year. He’s fast, has quick instincts, and seems to always be around the ball. Breakout season for #32. You heard it here first.
5.) Multiple QB’s – I was waiting for something to come out that I would disagree with. This is it. I”m not saying it can’t work in college, but I don’t really see the point. Cochran, Whitmer, and Boyle don’t exactly bring burning speed to the table, so I guess I don’t understand the point of switching them out. Maybe it’s just coachspeak, because the competition is wide open according to Diaco, but I guess I just don’t see how this will make the offense better. Play 1, and ride it out until a change needs to be made. Most of us would hope to see Whitmer or Cochran get the nod, while Boyle takes his redshirt year. However, I’m all about playing the guy who gives us the best chance to win. I’m hoping we stick with just one QB.
6.) Preseason ranking – Let me start by saying that I am not one of those fans who puts all this stock into bulletin board material. With that said, 9th? NINTH? Did we join the SEC and I didn’t realize it? This is the AAC and out of these 11 teams, we are picked to only finish ahead of two of them? This is a league with Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, and Memphis. Two of them were picked higher than us? WTF? That’s got to light a fire under the boys. Seniors who haven’t seen a bowl game in 3 years + new head coach = better than 9th in conference. I’m not predicting we’ll run the table and win the AAC, but I do think this year we will be in every game. We’re not playing Alabama & Florida St. We’re playing BYU, Boise, & UCF. Come on people, we will be better than 9th. I know it, Diaco knows it, the team knows it, and soon the rest of the AAC will know it. UConn WILL be back this season.
23 days! #Huskyup
@UConn813
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