Feelings on Edsall?

[EdgewoodNHV]

We were going to bowls every year and sending kids to the NFL with Edsall players. One can only judge what he is doing with the players he has and predict the future with what he is doing now. And it does not look pretty at all.

We have seen no reason to believe that when his recruits mature that performance will suddenly improve. In fact as time as progressed everything is getting worse.

Some have theorized that Edsall had some great recruiting with players like Todman, Hurd, Dixon, Petrus, etc., but then the last couple of years, which gave us McCombs, Friend, Gifford, etc. is not quite as strong. I won't offer an opinion on that. But most of our current starts are undeniably Edsall recruits. Whether they're underperforming because they aren't good players or because Pasqualoni is a poor coach is an argument I have little interest in, but these are, without a doubt, players Randy Edsall recruited, minus Whitmer and some of the younger players.

 

[ZooCougar]

We beat out some big schools for Lemelle, but you're right, it hasn't been a huge upgrade. Not sure anybody could make a huge upgrade happen here given the... deficiencies.

If you can't upgrade then you hope to maintain what you have and build. We haven't seen any evidence of the latter.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

And that's the problem. Big time programs bring in kids each year that make an impact right away. This isn't the Ivy League, circa the 1960s, where freshman (not eligible back then) and sophomores were expected to sit and wait their turn. Recruit talent and they can have an impact almost immediately. So if PP has "upgraded" the recruiting then where the heck are these kids?

We aren't Alabama. We aren't getting top notch OL folks who can start on day one. We still need to develop the players. Whether they are an incremental upgrade over Edsall's recruits or not, I have no idea, but if you believe in the idea that Pasqualoni has improved recruiting incrementally, it can be solely based on "well they're not starting, therefore they suck."

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

We beat out some big schools for Lemelle, but you're right, it hasn't been a huge upgrade. Not sure anybody could make a huge upgrade happen here given the... deficiencies.

Honestly, I think people are grasping at anything to give them hope. Anyone who says recruiting has improved is doing so on blind faith. Kinda like Spackler when he would spout off on how we have, for the first time, Division 1 BCS players up and down the roster.

Take out the emotional component, and there's really nothing that shows an #uptick.

 

[ZooCougar]

Some have theorized that Edsall had some great recruiting with players like Todman, Hurd, Dixon, Petrus, etc., but then the last couple of years, which gave us McCombs, Friend, Gifford, etc. is not quite as strong. I won't offer an opinion on that. But most of our current starts are undeniably Edsall recruits. Whether they're underperforming because they aren't good players or because Pasqualoni is a poor coach is an argument I have little interest in, but these are, without a doubt, players Randy Edsall recruited, minus Whitmer and some of the younger players.

You have little interest in arguing that our players are underperforming under Pasqualoni. Seems to me that is the main point.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

If you can't upgrade then you hope to maintain what you have and build. We haven't seen any evidence of the latter.

Don't defend P on that one. Just saying that for those who claim Pasqualoni has improved recruiting incrementally, the results aren't really in yet in that specific instance. There are plenty of things to bang P on. I just don't happen to think this is one of them. Especially given the things working against him (poor national reputation, lack of fertile recruiting ground, bad conference realignment, etc.)

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

You have little interest in arguing that our players are underperforming under Pasqualoni. Seems to me that is the main point.

No, the argument I made was that you can't say definitively that Pasqualoni's recruits aren't an improvement because it's too soon to say. I'm not saying we should keep him around long enough to find out. I'm just saying exactly what I said: right now, there is not enough information to draw a conclusion in that very specific facet of Pasqualoni's competence.

 

[ZooCougar]

No, the argument I made was that you can't say definitively that Pasqualoni's recruits aren't an improvement because it's too soon to say. I'm not saying we should keep him around long enough to find out. I'm just saying exactly what I said: right now, there is not enough information to draw a conclusion in that very specific facet of Pasqualoni's competence.

I think that even if he gave us an uptick in recruiting that he wouldn't even be capable of fully capitalizing on it. We just haven't seen anything to indicate that his coaching team is capable of coaching winning football.

 

[CTMike]

I'm in Camp #Uptick too. And other than seemingly getting good kids with good measurables (see our frosh QBs), who seemingly have had more interest from more D1 schools- I got nothing to prove it. What's undeniable is that where Edsall got kids to achieve above their ceiling, P does the EXACT opposite. I choose to believe we have some solid depth on the team - and that a different coach is necessary to bring the best out of them.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

We don't really know for another 2 or so years, honestly. All of our current upperclassmen, minus any transfers (Whitmer, Philips) were Edsall recruits.

My problem with the guy's statement was he categorically stated that recruiting was better under P.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Don't defend P on that one. Just saying that for those who claim Pasqualoni has improved recruiting incrementally, the results aren't really in yet in that specific instance. There are plenty of things to bang P on. I just don't happen to think this is one of them. Especially given the things working against him (poor national reputation, lack of fertile recruiting ground, bad conference realignment, etc.)

Poor national reputation and lack of fertile recruiting ground are headwinds Edsall had to recruit against as well. Pasqualoni gets no dispensation for those. P wasn't recruiting against a bad conference situation at first either. Edsall didn't even have a conference to recruit into his first five years. I wonder how Paul will do recruiting into a conference situation closer to what Edsall faced in his early years. In addition, P at least had a Fiesta Bowl participation plaque to show recruits, something Randy never had. Edsall didn't have state-of-the-art facilities to impress recruits for the better part of his tenure in Storrs.

If somebody wants to claim Pasqualoni is a better recruiter than Edsall I think they should have more than just an extra star or two from some recruiting service to prove it. The two started from two entirely different positions. Pasqualoni had all of the results of Edsall's considerable infrastructure and program building to impress recruits with. Brian Kelly and Nick Saban didn't invent Notre Dame and Alabama but they're having a pretty swell run based in no small part on those that did.

 

[Excalibur]

We aren't Alabama. We aren't getting top notch OL folks who can start on day one. We still need to develop the players. Whether they are an incremental upgrade over Edsall's recruits or not, I have no idea, but if you believe in the idea that Pasqualoni has improved recruiting incrementally, it can be solely based on "well they're not starting, therefore they suck."

Under Edsall, every year there would be one or two freshmen or RS freshmen that would emerge and take starting spots. That hasn't happened under P, which is especially puzzling given that there are now 2.5 classes of "his" guys on campus.

 

[CTMike]

Under Edsall, every year there would be one or two freshmen or RS freshmen that would emerge and take starting spots. That hasn't happened under P, which is especially puzzling given that there are now 2.5 classes of "his" guys on campus.

I could be mistaken but Matt Walsh and Obi Melifonwu may disagree here, and Boyle may be knocking on the door.

 

[hthusky74]

I thought Edsall did a phenomenal job as head coach. Both on and off the field. I also don't begrudge him leaving (he was probably told by MD they were going to the B1G). However, the way he left was really classless. I'd like to think that perhaps he made an error in judgement and was under pressure to sign on the dotted line, now or never. I think he would have been wise to apologize to the players and fans for the way that went down, and to my knowledge he never really did. Sadly, for those of us who were fans during this period, that is always how he will be remembered.

 

[Excalibur]

I was actually going to point to Melifonwu as the lone exception. Walsh has a spot but that has a lot more to do with there being little else in front of him.

That brings me to another point -- and this is pure conjecture on my part, but I think that Edsall's approach to recruiting was very different than P. Edsall concentrated first on finding the best athletes, and figured that he could teach them technique, and put weight on them over the course of their first two years in the program. I think P looks at tape with a bigger eye towards football skill and technique. Even though Edsall wasn't winning a lot of head to head battles, we were getting guys every year that, when we saw them on the field, were remarkably athletic. Osunde, Branch, Cody Brown, D. Butler, Donald Thomas, Reyes and Martin, Blidi. All top notch athletes, but not polished football players when they arrived. I realize that not many have seen the field, but how many P recruits have caused us to think "wow, this guy is a great athlete"? I can think of only 1, and that's Melifonwu.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I was actually going to point to Melifonwu as the lone exception. Walsh has a spot but that has a lot more to do with there being little else in front of him.

That brings me to another point -- and this is pure conjecture on my part, but I think that Edsall's approach to recruiting was very different than P. Edsall concentrated first on finding the best athletes, and figured that he could teach them technique, and put weight on them over the course of their first two years in the program. I think P looks at tape with a bigger eye towards football skill and technique. Even though Edsall wasn't winning a lot of head to head battles, we were getting guys every year that, when we saw them on the field, were remarkably athletic. Osunde, Branch, Cody Brown, D. Butler, Donald Thomas, Reyes and Martin, Blidi. All top notch athletes, but not polished football players when they arrived. I realize that not many have seen the field, but how many P recruits have caused us to think "wow, this guy is a great athlete"? I can think of only 1, and that's Melifonwu.

Just to add......P has been quoted as looking for that "prototype" player with the measurables coming into college. Reyes was about 230 lbs when he was recruited. Give me those Kendall Reyes type guys 6 days a week and twice on Saturdays.

 

[nycscooby]

Hey everyone, this is Kevin Duffy from The CT Post. As we prep for Edsall's return to The Rent, I wanted to get the pulse of the fanbase. A year ago, I think you all, for the most part, were still really bitter. Now, I wonder if the bitterness has subsided due to the current state of things in Storrs.

If you're interested in being quoted for an upcoming column, shoot me an email @ kevin.r.duffy@gmail.com or kduffy@newstimes.com. Appreciate it...and thanks for reading.

I prefer to look forward than to the past. Instead of writing about Edsall, how about writing a column on something that will be a positive to the football program and UConn athletics generally? Both could sure use it.

 

[BlueDogs]

Best coach we ever had that I never appreciated until after the fact. Schmuck for the way he departed and inexcusable. If he came back tomorrow, I'd take him an instant over the bumbling clown we have. At least his teams were disciplined, motivated, hard hitting and executed, even if vanilla and one dimensional.

 

[noeynox]

I could be mistaken but Matt Walsh and Obi Melifonwu may disagree here, and Boyle may be knocking on the door.

Tyler Samra also played as have Campenni and mikal Myers. Pp problem is coaching. Plain and simple. We physically looked good on the field last Thursday, but there is,little doubt Ambrose and his staff outcoached P and his.

 

[IMind]

The ONLY thing I give Coach P over Edsall recruiting wise is that he seems to do SLIGHTLY better in the state of CT. Other than that.. meh. Of course I've never really cared about recruiting CT kids all that much.. I'm sorry but I don't. I'd rather win.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Maybe a better story to write would be "What has the program done in two years to make us forget RE?". Certainly more challenging in terms of research.

 

[Jimdish255]

Edsall handled things poorly. I was disappointed more than angry and would leave that emotion for the players if they chose it. College football is a tough business nowadays and the things RE did for this program can't be ignored or diminished. Unfortunately that foundation can be eroded, and to some extent may have been irrePairably.

The current situation though is a separate issue as far as I'm concerned, and is the number one concern at this point. It looks like we made a mistake and hired the wrong guy. And the longer this leadership procrastinates on fixing what they know is broken the harder it will be for this program, and it's fans to climb out of the hole that's being dug. It's a real disservice to the players, the fans and the entire UConn family imho. Does it change my opinion of Randy? No, but nostalgia is a strong temptation when you see your hopes and expectations slipping away.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Best coach we ever had (questionable) that I never appreciated until after the fact. Schmuck for the way he departed and inexcusable (Let it go, players are big boys. This isn't Pop Warner. Dictated by nature and timing of Maryland move, IMO). If he came back tomorrow, I'd take him an instant over the bumbling clown we have (Agree totally). At least his teams were disciplined, motivated, hard hitting and executed (yes they where), even if vanilla and one dimensional (and this would still plateau him and the UConn evolution into big time football. Got to have offense) .

Some agreement. Some disagreement.