Can We Expect a Turnaround Next Year?

[billybud]

NIL...for top QB's is high...

Shadeur Sanders, freshman QB at Colorado, just bought a new Rolls Royce Cullinan (starting price $350,000)...to go with his new Maybach ($200,000 +) and Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat and 2021 Corvette..His dad said.."it wasn't that way when I was in college".

Caleb Williams...$2.6 million
Arch Manning...$3.8

But Tennessee freshman QB Nico Lamaleava topped 'em when he signed an $8 million deal with the collective...

Something has to give with NIL...

 

[KembaKek]

Guess I missed the memo. I thought he was ranked much higher. But you are right. UConn already has guys like him.

He dropped off hard because of his lack of steam picked up in the winter/spring of 2023 because he committed to UConn. Previously he was ranked the #9 pocket passer as a 4-star on ESPN. Now a 3. He's the #28 QB among 2024s on QBHitList.

As far as I can see, he dropped off in the mainstream rankings, mostly related to his athleticism. He is an exceptional pocket passer, and if you give him just good enough speed, agility, and body strength, he is likely a top 300 recruit right now visiting SEC schools.

If you watch his film (Search "Cole Welliver Liberty Christian Hudl"), you will see the aforementioned exceptional pocket play, but you will also notice his lack of anything else. No scramble film in his mid-season highlights, not much showing of evading tacklers.

He's exactly the kind of guy that makes sense to be in the G5. He is a high G5 recruit with extremely high potential IF he gains strength and ability outside of the pocket. Those offers of his from Colorado, WSU, and Arizona St. came in the summer before his Freshman year of high school (2020), because they saw an exceptional pocket passer with lots of room to develop, especially with his grand frame. Since then he picked up a few solid G5 offers.

No surprise he has the WKU offer.. He fits that scheme perfectly like Bailey Zappe and Austin Reed. Curious to see how he affects our offensive scheme. I don't think that we will lose him, and there's definitely zero need to be promising him ridiculous amounts of money unless he picks up steam in the second half of the high school season.

 

[KembaKek]

of his lack of steam picked up in the winter/spring of 2023 because he committed to UConn.

And also because he committed to UConn*

 

[ZooCougar]

Propofol, the best sleep agent. Wake me up when this winless nightmare is over.

I find baseball or anything Marvel to be the best sleep agent.

 

[SubbaBub]

Depends.

Is Mora going to be allowed to continue and will he care enough to do what it takes?

Will players with enough talent and pride want to play here now that the program has bottomed for the fourth time in 10 years?

Will players who show even a little promise simply jump ship at the first opportunity to move elsewhere?

Things are pretty freaking bleak because there isn't an obvious problem here. They shouldn't be this bad.

 

[Skies2018]

Depends.

Is Mora going to be allowed to continue and will he care enough to do what it takes?

Will players with enough talent and pride want to play here now that the program has bottomed for the fourth time in 10 years?

Will players who show even a little promise simply jump ship at the first opportunity to move elsewhere?

Things are pretty freaking bleak because there isn't an obvious problem here. They shouldn't be this bad.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. I truly believe part of the problem is these kids are playing for nothing. The AAC killed us in its own way but independence does too.

Take the MAC. Not a great overall league but every team in there has the same goals. Win the regular season, win the conference championship, go to the tie-in bowl games, beat your conference rivals. We have absolutely none of that. So what are these kids playing for? 6 wins against random schools and a trip to a random backwater bowl? You can’t tell me that’s not a factor. There’s no consistency in scheduling and no “prizes” along the way. I think that is a significant drag on the effort and product we see on the field week over week.

Add that to decades of losing, poor hiring, and not enough investment gives you an 0-5 team.

 

[RSTuthill]

I guess I have just one thing to add. HCJM is the ideal HC to be talking to the major donors. He comes across as down to earth, highly analytical, a motivator of players, and a really good communicator. He relates to people really well. Which of course is why we like him so much here on the BY. I do not think UConn could get anybody better in that facet of the job.

I am hoping now that we are past the 4th game that some progress can be made like about this time last year. Rise up and beat Rice, for instance, USF too. And as frustrated as we are about last Saturday's game, there were hints that some of that improvement was already happening. Four or five wins are still within reach if the progress continues. And a goal like that is damned worth achieving.

 

[giddyup]

NIL...for top QB's is high...

Shadeur Sanders, freshman QB at Colorado, just bought a new Rolls Royce Cullinan (starting price $350,000)...to go with his new Maybach ($200,000 +) and Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat and 2021 Corvette..His dad said.."it wasn't that way when I was in college".

Caleb Williams...$2.6 million
Arch Manning...$3.8

But Tennessee freshman QB Nico Lamaleava topped 'em when he signed an $8 million deal with the collective...

Something has to give with NIL...

This is so wrong and you can blame adults who should know better.

 

[RioDog]

This is so wrong and you can blame adults who should know better.

Agreed. I would just replace "wrong" with "grotesque".

 

[gtcam]

The short answer is no.

Get a new AD who is pro football and knows how to navigate NIL and the portal and now we are talking.

But that isn’t going to happen.

Echo on the AD
He can go anytime
The darling of the basketball program but could give a rats arse about any other UConn sport. Getting Mora might not have been as difficult as first felt.

 

[ATLDYKA]

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. I truly believe part of the problem is these kids are playing for nothing. The AAC killed us in its own way but independence does too.

Take the MAC. Not a great overall league but every team in there has the same goals. Win the regular season, win the conference championship, go to the tie-in bowl games, beat your conference rivals. We have absolutely none of that. So what are these kids playing for? 6 wins against random schools and a trip to a random backwater bowl? You can’t tell me that’s not a factor. There’s no consistency in scheduling and no “prizes” along the way. I think that is a significant drag on the effort and product we see on the field week over week.

Add that to decades of losing, poor hiring, and not enough investment gives you an 0-5 team.

I see this as a weak argument. It's not like these kids didn't know the situation when they signed on to play for UConn.

 

[Milo65]

The #Reboot… the marketing department will think of some name to give it. Flashy videos, talk about how hard our kids are working, social media posts. I will drink the Kool Aid.

 

[Uconnalliance]

HFN!!!

 

[Dizzy21]

NIL...for top QB's is high...

Shadeur Sanders, freshman QB at Colorado, just bought a new Rolls Royce Cullinan (starting price $350,000)...to go with his new Maybach ($200,000 +) and Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat and 2021 Corvette..His dad said.."it wasn't that way when I was in college".

Caleb Williams...$2.6 million
Arch Manning...$3.8

But Tennessee freshman QB Nico Lamaleava topped 'em when he signed an $8 million deal with the collective...

Something has to give with NIL...

Sanders is actually an example of what the NIL was intended to be. He is not getting a bag from some booster to go to Colorado, he has deals with Beats Headphones, KFC etc. Unfortunately, the boosters have been able to form these collectives and just pay the players, rather than have companies make deals with them that are legitimate.

 

[buddy]

Just do the sigmoidoscopy. They don’t give you anything.

Sigmoidoscopy is not enough for colon cancer screening. Sorry.

 

[Nostical]

Just do the sigmoidoscopy. They don’t give you anything.

A sigmoidoscopy is a semi-colonoscopy.

 

[Waquoit]

A sigmoidoscopy is a semi-colonoscopy.

It's good for detecting semi-cancer.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

I guess I have just one thing to add. HCJM is the ideal HC to be talking to the major donors. He comes across as down to earth, highly analytical, a motivator of players, and a really good communicator. He relates to people really well. Which of course is why we like him so much here on the BY. I do not think UConn could get anybody better in that facet of the job.

I am hoping now that we are past the 4th game that some progress can be made like about this time last year. Rise up and beat Rice, for instance, USF too. And as frustrated as we are about last Saturday's game, there were hints that some of that improvement was already happening. Four or five wins are still within reach if the progress continues. And a goal like that is damned worth achieving.

How about even six wins this season! It's possible.

 

[uconnyankee]

The short answer is no.

Get a new AD who is pro football and knows how to navigate NIL and the portal and now we are talking.

But that isn’t going to happen.

Do we think our AD doesn’t know football or isn’t pro football?
I think the culture at UConn is pro basketball as that is where success has been. Benedict isn’t turning that around on his own. That is a systemic issue that UConn just can’t seem to fix, or isn’t willing to fix.
Until UConn and the folks in charge make football a priority instead of doing what they can to get by, this is what it is. Benedict can only do so much with the resources provided and the expectations of where success needs to be.

For all the debate about why we’re always left behind, this is a glaring issue. There really isn’t the same level of commitment to FB as there is with BB. I don’t even think it has to be the same. Just show something. Some sign of life.

 

[Jetskies]

For all the debate about why we’re always left behind, this is a glaring issue. There really isn’t the same level of commitment to FB as there is with BB. I don’t even think it has to be the same. Just show something. Some sign of life.

what constitutes a "sign of life"? we have the facilities/stadium/payroll necessary to be a solid G5 program. forget P4 or any conference affiliation right now. We literally have what we need structurally, to be a 6-6 team, consistently. That's not even an impressive record, though it feels like it to us. I honestly believe that we just need to get our football team playing respectably (not even GREAT) to get a chance at the big stage.

I don't think anything else is needed to do the following:

2023: 3-9
2024: 6-6
2025: 7-5
2026: 5-7
2027: 8-4 (flagship season to earn the conversation with the big 12 or ACC - maybe an invite)
2028: 7-5 (last season as indep.)
2029: beginning of the future - JM completes his wish of saving UConn; retires and hands off the reins to ________.

note, these aren't good numbers. I did that on purpose. these teams just gotta play good enough to earn a phone call/legitimate conversation and then the invite. Basketball will probably lead the way, but football has to earn the money that it will be given under the tv contracts. Thinking of a "kansas" or "duke" model. Again, i don't think anything else is needed to achieve this ^. Other than players playing and coaches coaching.

 

[huskysupporter]

Do we think our AD doesn’t know football or isn’t pro football?
I think the culture at UConn is pro basketball as that is where success has been. Benedict isn’t turning that around on his own. That is a systemic issue that UConn just can’t seem to fix, or isn’t willing to fix.
Until UConn and the folks in charge make football a priority instead of doing what they can to get by, this is what it is. Benedict can only do so much with the resources provided and the expectations of where success needs to be.

For all the debate about why we’re always left behind, this is a glaring issue. There really isn’t the same level of commitment to FB as there is with BB. I don’t even think it has to be the same. Just show something. Some sign of life.

That’s the thing - they aren’t doing what they can to get by. They aren’t getting by. The program is a disaster.

AD Dave is overseeing this and he has not done a thing to better the program. Not one. It’s bizarre that he continues to get a pass.

 

[gsmooth]

There is talent enough on this team to have 2-3 wins right now, IMO.

I think we're going to lose a lot of guys to mid and low-tier FBS teams.

Our only real shot is that this Texas QB is the real deal and we can keep him around with a decent NIL deal. If he's any good we'll only have him for 1-2 years, but it could be enough for a bowl season.

Also, maybe just as important or more important, if he's good and UConn goes to a bowl and the offense looks good, it could help Mora and Co. land a good QB in the portal. I am not talking a former 5 star out of high school or highly touted QB in the portal where the top P4 teams are clamoring for him or anything like that.

Garrett Schrader, the Syracuse, always stood out in my head after Syracuse crushed UConn last year. Why? Because he looked a solid QB who has demonstrated good passing skills but is not elite, in other words someone that could be realistically obtainable by UConn.

 

[Patman]

AD Dave is overseeing this and he has not done a thing to better the program. Not one. It’s bizarre that he continues to get a pass.

What is he supposed to do? Only thing I can think of is go down to the state house in Hartford and meet with legislators one by one.

I hear a lot of "hasn't done nothing" but then I hear nothing about what he was supposed to do.

Would it satiate that itch if he went down to the library and got a loud speaker and announced charlton's firing?

What is he supposed to do?

 

[Woof 101]

If we win games we will get better.

Um, it might just be me but we have to get better to win games.

I enjoy the season more than the offseason, like most normal people.

Just what have you enjoyed this season? The victories or the full house crowds? No attack but our party has found the tailgates the most enjoyable part of the games this season. We actually enjoy and missed the band for a game.
Normal has a wide definitional meaning depending on who considers themselves normal. On a real note I am glad you are enjoying the season so far.

 

[Scoe]

Would like to have some positive momentum going into the off-season would like to get some wins.