GRAHAM STEWART TO UCONN...

[PolisHusky]

Welcome back, Graham! I wish we were celebrating this day two years ago, but I am ecstatic to see this guy in American Flag Blue and White. I hope that everything is indeed fine with his family and they can be an inspirational force as he continues his education. I agree with a lot of you that Muschamp was very classy for treating Graham's release with dignity, privacy, and respect.

This state loves it's homegrown players and you will hear a rousing cheer from many boneyarders when you take the field. Welcome to the UConn family, Graham.

 

[UconnFamily]

Say what you want. This lineup will be hard to break into. Glad he is here and the competition will only make us better.


2 Jefferson Ashiru 6-1/227 Linebacker RS FR Powder Springs, Ga. (McEachern)
52 Ryan Donohue 6-0/242 Linebacker SR Montvale, N.J. (Maryland)
3 Sio Moore 6-2/229 Linebacker RS SR Apex, N.C. (Apex)
33 Yawin Smallwood 6-3/235 Linebacker RS SO Worcester, Mass. (Doherty)
41 Brandon Steg 6-2/226 Linebacker RS SO Coral Springs, Fla. (J.P. Taravella)
46 Marquise Vann 6-0/224 Linebacker RS FR Cincinnati, Ohio (Fairfield Senior)

Exactly my point! That's why I think he should redshirt for a year. This way he can get more familiar with the defense, settle in his redshirt year with family, and it will give him 2yrs to start with Ashiru and Vann as soon as Yawin Smallwood leave. There's no rush to put him in where good at linebacker as of right now. Just because he practiced with good players doesn't mean anything..

 

[whaler11]

Why not wait until you see if he has to sit out before we worry about it too much. The NCAA may 'solve' the problem without needing to make a decision.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Say what you want. This lineup will be hard to break into. Glad he is here and the competition will only make us better.


2 Jefferson Ashiru 6-1/227 Linebacker RS FR Powder Springs, Ga. (McEachern)
52 Ryan Donohue 6-0/242 Linebacker SR Montvale, N.J. (Maryland)
3 Sio Moore 6-2/229 Linebacker RS SR Apex, N.C. (Apex)
33 Yawin Smallwood 6-3/235 Linebacker RS SO Worcester, Mass. (Doherty)
41 Brandon Steg 6-2/226 Linebacker RS SO Coral Springs, Fla. (J.P. Taravella)
46 Marquise Vann 6-0/224 Linebacker RS FR Cincinnati, Ohio (Fairfield Senior)

Thanks for illustrating my point.

Sio Moore and Donahue have more film than Stewart, and Smallwood has as much.

Steg, Vann and Ahsiru haven't played a down of football at the BCS level, whereas Stewart has played an entire season at that level.

I'm not saying he is better or worse than any of those players. I am saying he has more game and practice experience though. That isn't debatable.

 

[rich1122]

If we decide to play 3-4 most of the time, we have enough coverage to rotate kids in and out. Great news.

 

[businesslawyer]

Thanks for illustrating my point.

Sio Moore and Donahue have more film than Stewart, and Smallwood has as much.

Steg, Vann and Ahsiru haven't played a down of football at the BCS level, whereas Stewart has played an entire season at that level.

I'm not saying he is better or worse than any of those players. I am saying he has more game and practice experience though. That isn't debatable.

Steg played special teams last year.

 

[FDNY99]

Stewart's transfer is like finding money in the pocket of a coat you haven't worn in a while. A very talented kid added to a position that already has some good depth. More importantly it tells a lot about how stable we are with Coach P and his staff compared to his original choice of BC.

 

[uconndogs]

Doesn't look like BC was ever consulted or considered. Speaks volumes about the train wreck that think is becoming....

 

[TouchdownHusky]

This is totally contrary to Boneyard thinking on recruits. First, he was Four-stars and "stars" don't count - only FHCRE's appaisal (definitely not the fact, he just couldn't recruit said player). Second, how's this kid gonna make the jump from Florida to a program like UConn (remember who else recruited the kid never matters. Miami of Ohio or University of Miami, it just doesn't matter, or so we've heard).

Just being a wiseguy. This is really good news and I hope he makes a real mark on the program. Although he goes from scoring a TD on New Years Day at a bowl game against Ohio State to possibly opening up against UMass in '12 in front of 40K fans maybe. Ahhh. . . maybe he become an All-American. How cool would that be?

As for Stewart playing right away. . . I'm guessing that if the NCAA rules favorably they will, in turn, take away another scholarship in men's basketball and declare the Huskies ineligible for the NCAA Tournament through 2020 for failure to meet academic levels in the school year 1996-1997 and for having players on sholarship at one point who actually were "complicit" in having a conversation with Nate Miles at one time or another.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Steg played special teams last year.

Busted me on that one.

Point I've been trying to make is that he has a game film resume as strong as many of our linebacker.

By playing special teams as a true freshman he had his red shirt burned meaning the coaches were using him throughout the week for practices and game film and he had to prepare himself as if he was going to be playing defense. And he played it against the highest level of college football.

I'm not knocking any of our current players and I'm not annoiting Stewart as the second coming of anyone.

What I am saying is that he is a big time catch and has shown he can play at the highest level of college football which is a good thing.

 

[B1GEast]

Stewart's transfer is like finding money in the pocket of a coat you haven't worn in a while. A very talented kid added to a position that already has some good depth. More importantly it tells a lot about how stable we are with Coach P and his staff compared to his original choice of BC.

This is more like finding money in the pocket of a coat that was given to you.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Fickle, all of you.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Good players want to go where they see other good players going, doesn't matter if its a high school kid being recruited to college, or if it's NFL free agency. THe snowball needs to get started somewhere, and is just barely getting started with Coach P.


Also - there's nothing like mom's home cooking......

Welcome home to Connecticut Graham.

 

[FDNY99]

One thing about Graham transferring in...it helps ease the loss of Jason Sylva who didn't qualify.

 

[IMind]

Fickle, all of you.

Just go start another Aaron Hernandez thread... you know you want too.. (J/K!)

 

[Dann]

One thing about Graham transferring in...it helps ease the loss of Jason Sylva who didn't qualify.

i thought this also. but i think he would have rs this fall so this just helps more than sylva. i think hicks has a shot to play right away and not rs, this move though could make hicks rs if graham can play right away. DEPTH!!!

 

[cu73etr]

Aren't they two different positions? I thought P was going for size inside?

Also I think this may be the transfer Coach P was eluding too. High profile program down south. This may have been a semester long process. Who knows.

The more talent on the team the better everyone will become. Even if the back ups are really good it will make the first team guys that much better on both sides of the ball. Compete, compete, compete!

That is why some of the "elite" programs are good. They have exceptional athletes all over the roster. This year has been quite exciting with great athletes transferring in and picked up in the class of 2012.

 

[AJC88]

Also I think this may be the transfer Coach P was eluding too. High profile program down south. This may have been a semester long process. Who knows.

Good point. I always assumed he was referring to McNeal, but this definitely would make sense.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Aren't they two different positions? I thought P was going for size inside?


That is why some of the "elite" programs are good. They have exceptional athletes all over the roster.

Always thought that it would be better to go to an up and coming program like UConn and "be the man". Why wait your turn? Why find yourself down on the depth chart at a program like Florida when you could be on the field at a program like UConn (unless folks think the difference in talent at all positions is negligible)?

None of this is directed at Steward. Sounds like he will be a great addition to the Huskies and more than likely a loss for the Gators. He's a real "get" for HCPP.

Just too bad that kids coming out of high school aren't better in math. Huh? Well, only 11 men on the field at a time. Only 22 if you factor in offense and defense and yet 85 scholarships. So why wouldn't players 45th or deeper on the roster, having already been deemed worthy by the top programs, simply head to more opportunity at other locales.

I, for one, would rather play at a school like UConn than to sit at a school like Florida. Once the recruiting honeymoon and thrill of being courted by a top flight program have ended, there's little glory sitting on the bench.

 

[MattMang23]

And a lot of glory going to class in 80 degrees in February, sitting at the beach in November and seeing Gainesville co-eds in miniskirts twelve months a year.

It's a tough choice for kids. I don't begrudge anyone for going south instead of playing here.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Always thought that it would be better to go to an up and coming program like UConn and "be the man". Why wait your turn? Why find yourself down on the depth chart at a program like Florida when you could be on the field at a program like UConn (unless folks think the difference in talent at all positions is negligible)?

None of this is directed at Steward. Sounds like he will be a great addition to the Huskies and more than likely a loss for the Gators. He's a real "get" for HCPP.

Just too bad that kids coming out of high school aren't better in math. Huh? Well, only 11 men on the field at a time. Only 22 if you factor in offense and defense and yet 85 scholarships. So why wouldn't players 45th or deeper on the roster, having already been deemed worthy by the top programs, simply head to more opportunity at other locales.

I, for one, would rather play at a school like UConn than to sit at a school like Florida. Once the recruiting honeymoon and thrill of being courted by a top flight program have ended, there's little glory sitting on the bench.

Stewart was getting PT as a true freshman at Florida. He had a touchdown against Ohio State. PT wasn't the issue; familial obligations were.

 

[Dann]

what PP has done in 1 year is bring in 30-40 kids. unreal.

we get these guys for 3 on field years
-whitmer
-phillips
-psu kid mateas?
-stewart

2 years for
-mcneal
-donahue(right or wrong?)

to be honest my expectations ar egetting higher with each add we make. if stewart can play and when mcneal gets to campus, i'm thinking we might have something special in the making. if we landed dill, grant or obrien i probaly would have burned a couch on 95 one night. the guys were bringing in are great adds. its to cool to see us landing kids and being in the running for others considering where we came from.

 

[UConnDan97]

if we landed dill, grant or obrien i probaly would have burned a couch on 95 one night.

Who are you kidding?!? You are probably STILL going to burn a couch on 95 one night. I'll keep watching Eyewitness News for ya...

 

[Dann]

Who are you kidding?!? You are probably STILL going to burn a couch on 95 one night. I'll keep watching Eyewitness News for ya...

you know me to well. maybe its the same first name or something.

 

[kcc1442]

what PP has done in 1 year is bring in 30-40 kids. unreal.

we get these guys for 3 on field years
-whitmer
-phillips
-psu kid mateas?
-stewart

2 years for
-mcneal
-donahue(right or wrong?)

to be honest my expectations ar egetting higher with each add we make. if stewart can play and when mcneal gets to campus, i'm thinking we might have something special in the making. if we landed dill, grant or obrien i probaly would have burned a couch on 95 one night. the guys were bringing in are great adds. its to cool to see us landing kids and being in the running for others considering where we came from.

We only have Donahue for a year. But I agree with it all. Very awesome! Now it's time to reel in some big fish from the HS ranks. Ogun I'm looking straight at you kid!