Austin Longi (ATH, Greenwich HS)

[sportsart]

There is always room on any roster for speed. Kick returner as a FR/SO then work his way into the offense somehow. Coach Balis could definitely add some muscle to his body in the right places to not take away from his explosiveness.

My thought is he isn't going to be able to gain the weight he needs, to play at a D1 level. One would think he would have at least gotten to 160 or above knowing size would be an issue when being recruited.

If he can't add the weight before he leaves high school, I don't see how he will after he leaves.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

He will probably be offered as a preferred walk-on if he camps at UConn. Knowing Diaco's obsession with size, it is highly unlikely that we will offer him a scholly. Under RE and possibly under PP he would have been offered but I don't see an offer coming from Diaco's staff. If Diaco had been coach in 2013 we may not have even offered Newsome - that would have been a mistake...but judging from this year's class and what ND fans have said about Diaco I just don't see it. FWIW, we were Newsome's and Larry Taylor's only 1A offers. These smaller guys can play at the 1A level, we've had plenty of examples over the years that prove that but most coaches still don't believe it.

I have no idea if this kid can play 1A, 1AA or D3. As an example, I've seen Vinny Van Dyke, Steve Young, Chris Symington, Kenny Bell, Tony DeLuca, Scott Kiernan and John Sullivan go through the program. The only one I wasn't surprised to hear had made to 1A and/or the NFL (all of them) was Sullivan. That's how good I am at judging HS talent as it relates to the "next" levels.

 

[Bezzz]

There is kind of a big difference between 4.4 forty and a 4.6 forty, no?

I like math. I could be wrong but here goes. A 4.4 second 40 yard dash equates to an average of 27 feet per second. A 4.6 forty equates to 26 feet per second. So that extra .2 of a second equates to about 5 feet slower.

 

[noeynox]

That is huge. Think about a db being 5 feet slower trying to cover a wr or a wr gaining 5 feet of separation on a db. Most hs and even college forty times are exaggerated fwiw. Thanks for the math lesson though.

 

[businesslawyer]

Not sure how this is a creepy post, McCombs was always tackled before the defense even got there because he was 175 lbs soaking wet.

Also not sure how it's going out of my way, someone posted this link and I commented....isn't that the purpose of this board? My comment was no more malicious than "What is his real 40 time?"

No, your comment was in fact much more malicious than that.

If you really think that the program is never going to recruit a scatback again because you don't like the fact that Lyle McCombs started at TB, you're an idiot.

 

[uconnflyer88]

No, your comment was in fact much more malicious than that.

If you really think that the program is never going to recruit a scatback again because you don't like the fact that Lyle McCombs started at TB, you're an idiot.

 

[uconnflyer88]

No, your comment was in fact much more malicious than that.

If you really think that the program is never going to recruit a scatback again because you don't like the fact that Lyle McCombs started at TB, you're an idiot.

And no I'm not an idiot, any scatback who weighs 150 lbs at 5'9" and doesn't have the speed of Tavon Austin has no business playing Division 1 football.

And yes of course I know that if he does come to UConn he will probably add 20 - 25 pounds, but will that really matter if he can't develop the speed?

The comment isn't malicious....its a fact

And notice I avoided calling you an idiot if you didn't realize that, knowing that this is an internet board and shutting down factual opinions isn't a good practice.

 

[UConnDan97]

Uggh.

Lyle McCombs is the 4th leading rusher in UConn history, with only 3 years under his belt and a GDL-led offense. That's a fact. He might have done some dumb stuff to lead to him not being here this year, but I can't stand when people act as if the kid didn't have some talent or didn't give us something back. He did. And if Longi has the ability to give us production like that, then I don't care what his height and weight are...

 

[mauconnfan]

Everyone is right here a little……..Lyle had some decent talent a was a decent back………he also never broke a tackle of any impact. He was decent with holes and had a pretty good line for his years here with a coach who had little O and liked to run. He was good but because he's 4th all time leading rusher does not put him in the Top 10 of all time UConn backs.

 

[UConnDan97]

Everyone is right here a little……..Lyle had some decent talent a was a decent back………he also never broke a tackle of any impact. He was decent with holes and had a pretty good line for his years here with a coach who had little O and liked to run. He was good but because he's 4th all time leading rusher does not put him in the Top 10 of all time UConn backs.

First of all, name the 10 backs that are in front of him. I just want to hold you to your word.

Second of all, does a recruit have to be guaranteed to be a top10 all-time rusher to be a good recruit? Back to Longi...

 

[Husky68]

First of all, name the 10 backs that are in front of him. I just want to hold you to your word.

Second of all, does a recruit have to be guaranteed to be a top10 all-time rusher to be a good recruit? Back to Longi...

Brown, Dixon, Todman, Frey, Caulley, Allen, Brockington, Bellamy and Lawrence would all start over LM. That gets you to early 2000's. To get to 10 I'll skip 30 years and put in a kid that played about my time at UConn - Vinnie Clements. That leaves 30 years of players to add a few more or replace some you object to.
There isn't a BCS team that LM would have started for in 2013 other than UConn and many he would not have been 2nd or 3rd sting. Since I went through the effort of getting a list of 10 better than LM how about you name the BCS team other than UConn that LM would have started for.
I don't know about wind knocking him down but he did pull a Sanchez by running into the butt of one of our offensive linemen and getting knocked over.

In 2014 UConn will have an excellent running attack. Everyone will say how good Foley is, or look how good the TE's block, or having a passing attack helps. Biggest factor will be any of JM/MD/AN being P5 caliber starter talent vs. LM not being.

 

[kcc1442]

I like this kids quickness, footwork, and straight line speed. If there's one thing Uconn has been missing for quite some time it's the home run hitter/big play playmaker. It would be very abnormal but I wouldn't mind lining up a senior (scatback) in Arkeel on one side of the field or in the backfield and a junior Longi (scatback) on the other side and dare other teams to have enough speed on both sides of their defense....

 

[UConnDan97]

Brown, Dixon, Todman, Frey, Caulley, Allen, Brockington, Bellamy and Lawrence would all start over LM. That gets you to early 2000's. To get to 10 I'll skip 30 years and put in a kid that played about my time at UConn - Vinnie Clements. That leaves 30 years of players to add a few more or replace some you object to.
There isn't a BCS team that LM would have started for in 2013 other than UConn and many he would not have been 2nd or 3rd sting. Since I went through the effort of getting a list of 10 better than LM how about you name the BCS team other than UConn that LM would have started for.
I don't know about wind knocking him down but he did pull a Sanchez by running into the butt of one of our offensive linemen and getting knocked over.

In 2014 UConn will have an excellent running attack. Everyone will say how good Foley is, or look how good the TE's block, or having a passing attack helps. Biggest factor will be any of JM/MD/AN being P5 caliber starter talent vs. LM not being.

I love Allen, the CT product, but Allen doesn't start over McCombs. And I'm not sure Lawrence does either. But I'll let you even throw in Taylor and Gilliard, if you want to replace those guys. But guess what? Even with the replacements, that's still only 9 names...

...the idea that McCombs isn't a top10 UConn running back is pretty much off base. It's mostly fueled by the fact that people didn't like the way he behaved here, and the fact that he didn't measure up to Todman and Brown. Well, there aren't many that do...

 

[Husky68]

I love Allen, the CT product, but Allen doesn't start over McCombs. And I'm not sure Lawrence does either. But I'll let you even throw in Taylor and Gilliard, if you want to replace those guys. But guess what? Even with the replacements, that's still only 9 names...

...the idea that McCombs isn't a top10 UConn running back is pretty much off base. It's mostly fueled by the fact that people didn't like the way he behaved here, and the fact that he didn't measure up to Todman and Brown. Well, there aren't many that do...

You don't think Clements counts - you took out 2 and replaced with 2 = still has 10.
So, does a top 10 running back of all time at UConn start on any BCS team in 2013 - just name one and I'll buy into he was a top 10 of all time running back at UConn (although lower part of top 10).

 

[FDNY99]

I love Allen, the CT product, but Allen doesn't start over McCombs. And I'm not sure Lawrence does either. But I'll let you even throw in Taylor and Gilliard, if you want to replace those guys. But guess what? Even with the replacements, that's still only 9 names...

...the idea that McCombs isn't a top10 UConn running back is pretty much off base. It's mostly fueled by the fact that people didn't like the way he behaved here, and the fact that he didn't measure up to Todman and Brown. Well, there aren't many that do...

Dan I'm going to have to disagree with you about mcCoombs. he had a VERY good Freshman yr...but after that he didn't dominate game in and game out. As a matter of fact except for few plays a game, he was woeful ...then came his horrendous pass blocking skills. No way is he a top 10 all time rb at UCONN. He may be in the top 20...but even then he would be between 15 and 20 on that list

 

[kcc1442]

Dan I'm going to have to disagree with you about mcCoombs. he had a VERY good Freshman yr...but after that he didn't dominate game in and game out. As a matter of fact except for few plays a game, he was woeful ...then came his horrendous pass blocking skills. No way is he a top 10 all time rb at UCONN. He may be in the top 20...but even then he would be between 15 and 20 on that list

I agree with all of this......Redshirt freshman year he showed great promise. He was quick, he made good decisions and ran behind a very good line. His next two years he practically digressed. Turned into a jump cutter. One who went more east-west then north south. Now his line was just as awful and that is to be blamed on the big idiot GDL, but he lost his confidence he jump cutted when he should've fallen forward, he was patient when he should've been explosive, he outran his blockers when he should've been patient. He also suffered from the fact that he had to be the bell cow when that's not the type of RB he is. He is made to be a change of pace back, use the fresh legs to showcase the speed, not take a beating running up the middle 3 times in a row. So he was very good 1 year, and had the deck stacked against him as he digressed the next two. That said, after only playing 3 years with those numbers I would put him somewhere between 10-15 all-time but no higher.

 

[UConnDan97]

You don't think Clements counts - you took out 2 and replaced with 2 = still has 10.
So, does a top 10 running back of all time at UConn start on any BCS team in 2013 - just name one and I'll buy into he was a top 10 of all time running back at UConn (although lower part of top 10).

I forgot you added Clements. But let me add that there is no way that the 10 names you provided would start in front of McCombs. And that's the thing. I mean, you added Lou Allen, for crying out loud. I liked him as a big bruising player for short yardage, but for crying out loud, the guy didn't even have 1,000 yards for his entire career!!! (he had 729)

If you're going to put people ahead of him like that, then that means that there's no sense in having the conversation...

 

[UConnDan97]

Dan I'm going to have to disagree with you about mcCoombs. he had a VERY good Freshman yr...but after that he didn't dominate game in and game out. As a matter of fact except for few plays a game, he was woeful ...then came his horrendous pass blocking skills. No way is he a top 10 all time rb at UCONN. He may be in the top 20...but even then he would be between 15 and 20 on that list

So, your reasoning is that he only had ONE dominant year? Good grief. Look, people might not like him. They might not think much of his abilities. But the bottom line is that there is no doubt he was a top 10 UConn back of all time. Maybe that's more of an indictment of UConn football history; I don't know. But there are not 10 guys better than him.

Let me also state that I'm NOT saying he's top 5, okay? Here's my list:

1) Brown - I don't need to provide a reason for this spot, do I?
1a) Todman - So close to the top spot for me, but if I'm going to give the nod, it has to go to The Donald
3) Dixon - A complete package. Probably would have had much greater numbers if he didn't have to share with both Brown and Todman.
4) Brockington - Cornell was awesome, and he put together one hell of a 2004 season.
5) Caulley - Man o' man, what would his UConn career have been if it wasn't for the injury?
6) Gilliard - Wilbur is probably the most overlooked 1-AA player we had. He gained 1,100 yards one season and had a career total of over 2,600. He battled injuries too.
7) Frey - See the note about Dixon having to share with the great ones, and place that note here too.
8) McCombs - Fourth in yards over a 3-year career, and did it while everyone knew it was coming (for more on that, see "Johnny Mac").
9) Tory Taylor - Had some real talent. Over 1,200 yards in a season. Didn't play all 4 years either (don't remember where he transferred, though).
10) Clements - So that Husky68 won't yell at me. Tough to compare the backs of that era with the backs of today, though. So much has changed since 1970.

So there you have it. We can argue about the relative positions, but there really is no reasonable argument against McCombs in the top 10. Now, if Longi comes to UConn and helps nudge him out, I won't be upset...

 

[huskymedic]

Poor Austin Longhi...

 

[KennyD]

So, your reasoning is that he only had ONE dominant year? Good grief. Look, people might not like him. They might not think much of his abilities. But the bottom line is that there is no doubt he was a top 10 UConn back of all time. Maybe that's more of an indictment of UConn football history; I don't know. But there are not 10 guys better than him.

Let me also state that I'm NOT saying he's top 5, okay? Here's my list:

1) Brown - I don't need to provide a reason for this spot, do I?
1a) Todman - So close to the top spot for me, but if I'm going to give the nod, it has to go to The Donald
3) Dixon - A complete package. Probably would have had much greater numbers if he didn't have to share with both Brown and Todman.
4) Brockington - Cornell was awesome, and he put together one hell of a 2004 season.
5) Caulley - Man o' man, what would his UConn career have been if it wasn't for the injury?
6) Gilliard - Wilbur is probably the most overlooked 1-AA player we had. He gained 1,100 yards one season and had a career total of over 2,600. He battled injuries too.
7) Frey - See the note about Dixon having to share with the great ones, and place that note here too.
8) McCombs - Fourth in yards over a 3-year career, and did it while everyone knew it was coming (for more on that, see "Johnny Mac").
9) Tory Taylor - Had some real talent. Over 1,200 yards in a season. Didn't play all 4 years either (don't remember where he transferred, though).
10) Clements - So that Husky68 won't yell at me. Tough to compare the backs of that era with the backs of today, though. So much has changed since 1970.

So there you have it. We can argue about the relative positions, but there really is no reasonable argument against McCombs in the top 10. Now, if Longi comes to UConn and helps nudge him out, I won't be upset...

Vin Clements has to be #4 in your list. Your 4 - 9 couldn't carry Vin's jock strap. For all you youngsters, you really missed a treat if you weren't able to see him live. He had speed, power, cutting ability, could catch passes and was an exceptional blocker. He was also a tremendous team mate. HCBD would jump for joy to have a back like Vinnie.

 

[UConnDan97]

Vin Clements has to be #4 in your list. Your 4 - 9 couldn't carry Vin's jock strap. For all you youngsters, you really missed a treat if you weren't able to see him live. He had speed, power, cutting ability, could catch passes and was an exceptional blocker. He was also a tremendous team mate. HCBD would jump for joy to have a back like Vinnie.

This is the age old problem with comparing athletes of different eras. I'm sure he had the entire package for his time, because the numbers tell us so. But the difficulty in the comparison is that I'm also guessing (I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing) that he was slower than every other back in that top 10 based on 40 times. Somebody like Robbie Frey at #7 would probably leave Vin in a cloud of smoke. But for his time, I'm sure Clements was leaving the others in a cloud of smoke. It's like comparing Shaquille O'Neal to George Mikan; do you evaluate someone based on their own time, or how they've transcended it?

Bottom line: HuskyMedic is right. Back to Austin Longi...

(By the way, is his last name Longi or Longhi? Longhi makes more sense to an Italian like me, but I've only seen Longi)

 

[KennyD]

This is the age old problem with comparing athletes of different eras. I'm sure he had the entire package for his time, because the numbers tell us so. But the difficulty in the comparison is that I'm also guessing (I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing) that he was slower than every other back in that top 10 based on 40 times. Somebody like Robbie Frey at #7 would probably leave Vin in a cloud of smoke. But for his time, I'm sure Clements was leaving the others in a cloud of smoke. It's like comparing Shaquille O'Neal to George Mikan; do you evaluate someone based on their own time, or how they've transcended it?

Bottom line: HuskyMedic is right. Back to Austin Longi...

(By the way, is his last name Longi or Longhi? Longhi makes more sense to an Italian like me, but I've only seen Longi)

This is the age old problem with comparing athletes of different eras. I'm sure he had the entire package for his time, because the numbers tell us so. But the difficulty in the comparison is that I'm also guessing (I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing) that he was slower than every other back in that top 10 based on 40 times. Somebody like Robbie Frey at #7 would probably leave Vin in a cloud of smoke. But for his time, I'm sure Clements was leaving the others in a cloud of smoke. It's like comparing Shaquille O'Neal to George Mikan; do you evaluate someone based on their own time, or how they've transcended it?

Bottom line: HuskyMedic is right. Back to Austin Longi...

(By the way, is his last name Longi or Longhi? Longhi makes more sense to an Italian like me, but I've only seen Longi)

Good points Dan. But bad comparison with Frey. How many years was Robbie in the NFL. Even though Vinnie's knee injury from the Temple game at the start of his senior season lingered, he still had a couple of decent years with the NY Giants.

 

[LIUCHusky]

So, your reasoning is that he only had ONE dominant year? Good grief. Look, people might not like him. They might not think much of his abilities. But the bottom line is that there is no doubt he was a top 10 UConn back of all time. Maybe that's more of an indictment of UConn football history; I don't know. But there are not 10 guys better than him.

Let me also state that I'm NOT saying he's top 5, okay? Here's my list:

1) Brown - I don't need to provide a reason for this spot, do I?
1a) Todman - So close to the top spot for me, but if I'm going to give the nod, it has to go to The Donald
3) Dixon - A complete package. Probably would have had much greater numbers if he didn't have to share with both Brown and Todman.
4) Brockington - Cornell was awesome, and he put together one hell of a 2004 season.
5) Caulley - Man o' man, what would his UConn career have been if it wasn't for the injury?
6) Gilliard - Wilbur is probably the most overlooked 1-AA player we had. He gained 1,100 yards one season and had a career total of over 2,600. He battled injuries too.
7) Frey - See the note about Dixon having to share with the great ones, and place that note here too.
8) McCombs - Fourth in yards over a 3-year career, and did it while everyone knew it was coming (for more on that, see "Johnny Mac").
9) Tory Taylor - Had some real talent. Over 1,200 yards in a season. Didn't play all 4 years either (don't remember where he transferred, though).
10) Clements - So that Husky68 won't yell at me. Tough to compare the backs of that era with the backs of today, though. So much has changed since 1970.

So there you have it. We can argue about the relative positions, but there really is no reasonable argument against McCombs in the top 10. Now, if Longi comes to UConn and helps nudge him out, I won't be upset...

I haven't seen Eric Torkelson's name mentioned. He only played 7 seasons for the Green Bay Packers. Torkelson and Clements both deserve to be in the upper part of your top 10. I have seen all of the above compete for UConn. There is no way Lyle McCombs should be rated higher than either Torkelson or Clements.

 

[huskymedic]

msg_varsity5:00pm via TweetDeck
Congrats to @GreenwichFB standout Austin Longi who has committed to @FordhamRamsmsgvarsity.com/connecticut/gr…

 

[formerlurker]

msg_varsity5:00pm via TweetDeck
Congrats to @GreenwichFB standout Austin Longi who has committed to @FordhamRamsmsgvarsity.com/connecticut/gr…

Win, Win.