How do we build for the future?

[hank970]

Lower admission standards for at least a percentage of the team.

People keep pointing to teams like Boise and Kansas State. We aren’t elite them because they don’t have any admission standards to speak of. We change that and we can build a respectable team in short order through the portal.

Yeah, UConn needs to lower its admission standards for athletes. Like Yale, for instance?

That excuse is getting pretty baggy -- a red herring for sure. Another fallacy is that going independent and playing P5 schools in body-bag games will somehow attract talent to Storrs. In what universe do kids want to play for a perennial loser?

UConn's problem is that it's located in a part of the country with little homegrown talent -- a recruiting desert. Few people in New England care about college football, and more talented recruits from more fertile parts of the country are going to gravitate toward winning programs that will showcase their skills on a larger stage. UConn gets only leftovers.

 

[Slasher]

Yeah, UConn needs to lower its admission standards for athletes. Like Yale, for instance?

That excuse is getting pretty baggy -- a red herring for sure. Another fallacy is that going independent and playing P5 schools in body-bag games will somehow attract talent to Storrs. In what universe do kids want to play for a perennial loser?

UConn's problem is that it's located in a part of the country with little homegrown talent -- a recruiting desert. Few people in New England care about college football, and more talented recruits from more fertile parts of the country are going to gravitate toward winning programs that will showcase their skills on a larger stage. UConn gets only leftovers.

This is why an up and coming coach with Florida, Ohio or Pennsylvania roots would help. Plus scheduling regular games into those areas. Use the flexibility of independent scheduling to go schedule regular games there. Pennsylvania is a little bit hard, but Ohio and Florida have tons of FBS schools.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Yeah, UConn needs to lower its admission standards for athletes. Like Yale, for instance?

That excuse is getting pretty baggy -- a red herring for sure. Another fallacy is that going independent and playing P5 schools in body-bag games will somehow attract talent to Storrs. In what universe do kids want to play for a perennial loser?

UConn's problem is that it's located in a part of the country with little homegrown talent -- a recruiting desert. Few people in New England care about college football, and more talented recruits from more fertile parts of the country are going to gravitate toward winning programs that will showcase their skills on a larger stage. UConn gets only leftovers.

Agree 100% on the admissions standards, but disagree with calling the Northeast a recruiting desert. New England, New York and New Jersey have produced many FBS level players, granted though it’s not Texas or Florida, I wouldn’t call it a desert. We have two players who some say might play in the NFL someday. I would also bet if UConn was able to get the top 4 out of 5 players in CT and Mass every year we would definitely have more talent on the team than we have now. Local kids who were All State stars rarely bought what Edsall was selling because most HS coaches and parents couldn’t stand him, and of those that did opt for UConn sometimes they transferred. Would have been nice if we could’ve gotten Tyler’s big brother, Ragini from West Haven, Levis from West Haven, Matt Gulbin from Wilton, and there’s quite a few more if anyone wants to chime in.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Snyder is probably the patron saint for lost causes. Kansas State was a historically horrific program, 4 winning seasons in the previous 50 years before him.

Cutcliffe took up a woeful Duke program. His 2013 team won the same amount of games as Duke won the first 8 seasons this millennium (10 wins).

Those would be the gold standards for program turnarounds I can think of.

K-State was the worst program in D-1 when Snyder took over. He used a lot of JUCOs, and KS was fertile ground for that. But he was also a hell of a coach, as shown by the improvement when he came back the second time. Demystifying Kansas State: When, why, and how are the Wildcats good? - Football Study Hall

I think the transfer portal is the new way to build a competitive team.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Just sell them on the name. It’s not hard to do when you walk up and down the streets of Europe, Sidney and Melbourne, Moscow, Hong Kong and see people wearing UConn T shirts. If Geno and Calhoun or Hurley can sell the school to recruits, a good football coach can do the same.

This is why UConn should be able to out recruit most MAC schools and quite a few others. Yet we haven't. Even if you just targeted smart kids looking for a good school we could do better than we have. On top of name brand, we've got better facilities as well.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

This is why UConn should be able to out recruit most MAC schools and quite a few others. Yet we haven't. Even if you just targeted smart kids looking for a good school we could do better than we have. On top of name brand, we've got better facilities as well.

Good point on the facilities.

 

[Hoophound]

There is a gap between UConn and much of the FBS in talent....

I was fooled into thinking that UMass had progressed last week...but I just watched them play this week and they are really bad...and that is a measure of how wide the gap is.

A retool will take great recruiting (portal and HS) over a few years...building units like the O Line, D backs, a good S&C regime...and that might take an energetic coach who can put together a staff who can build from scratch.

It is a gut to the studs renovation.

We have a lot of injured talent and a ridiculously young roster. Mazzone made us presentable. With Mazzone and Tyler all season, we have 3-5 wins right now. Instead, we have no OC and we play offense like it is 1960.

If we can bring back our injured players, bring in a few transfers and hire a good football coach, we will pummel UMass next season. This situation just isn’t as bad as it looks. You have to look at the youth on the roster and the season long injuries to very good players. Combine that kick in the nuts with the fact that our coaching staff beyond Spanos is literally a D2 staff at best and Spanos is a mediocre FBS DC at best. The talent gap at full strength and one year older won’t be nearly as bad as it looks today. Enhance the roster with transfers and add competent coaches and we might have something pretty decent.

I’m not very accepting of the “it’s UConn football” bs. We have great facilities, a tv deal that allows parents all over the country to see their kid play at UConn, a known brand name and an appealing schedule with big names on it. This is not UMass or Liberty or any of those other small time schools we are talking about. Our football program is only crap due to mismanagement.

 

[CL82]

Yeah, UConn needs to lower its admission standards for athletes. Like Yale, for instance?

That excuse is getting pretty baggy -- a red herring for sure. Another fallacy is that going independent and playing P5 schools in body-bag games will somehow attract talent to Storrs. In what universe do kids want to play for a perennial loser?

UConn's problem is that it's located in a part of the country with little homegrown talent -- a recruiting desert.

UConn’s problem is that they made three consecutive abysmally bad coaching hires. They compounded that with a small staff budget. The fish rots from the head down.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

This is why UConn should be able to out recruit most MAC schools and quite a few others. Yet we haven't. Even if you just targeted smart kids looking for a good school we could do better than we have. On top of name brand, we've got better facilities as well.

I refuse to accept what some been saying that Uconn will never be good in football.

We have a national TV deal, which means every parent can see their kid playing on TV every game. The media pay sucks, but Uconn can get a better deal and attract more eye balls once we are more competitive.

In addition to the media deal, we also have top notch facilities and academics. With those tools at our disposal, we should be able to out recruit just about all the G5 schools and many not so good P5 schools. We should not limit ourselves to local talent only. We need to recruit states like FL, TX, GA etc. CA should not be off limit either. There are plenty of parents and players out there that care about school academics in addition to playing football, and we should be targeting those kids.

We should be shooting for BYU or Boise level of success. With the right coaching staff, we can get it done.

 

[AllThings34]

he and Houston are third down backs. UConn needs another back or two for sure with some size.

The one position I like is the wide receiver but that is it.

Houston has yet to receive a real back field carry…we don’t know his capabilities coming out of the back field just yet. I think he’s great at escaping hand and high tackles with his elusiveness. I think Brewton is a open space, wheel run kind of guy.

 

[Uconnalliance]

 

[AllThings34]

I think UConn has the talent to be competitive…it is just a matter of allowing guys the opportunity. Which comes down to coaching ….although I do think there are positions that are desperately in need of a revamp. Namely linebackers and OLine…our secondary can make stops but is slow at ball hawking and poor tackling. Our D line is capable of getting in the backfield but we can’t get consistency making tackles or pressuring the QB. A lot of the losses come down to defense not being able to make stops……..and bonehead penalties.

 

[John]

?

 

[CONN78SEJ]

We have a lot of injured talent and a ridiculously young roster. Mazzone made us presentable. With Mazzone and Tyler all season, we have 3-5 wins right now. Instead, we have no OC and we play offense like it is 1960.

If we can bring back our injured players, bring in a few transfers and hire a good football coach, we will pummel UMass next season. This situation just isn’t as bad as it looks. You have to look at the youth on the roster and the season long injuries to very good players. Combine that kick in the nuts with the fact that our coaching staff beyond Spanos is literally a D2 staff at best and Spanos is a mediocre FBS DC at best. The talent gap at full strength and one year older won’t be nearly as bad as it looks today. Enhance the roster with transfers and add competent coaches and we might have something pretty decent.

I’m not very accepting of the “it’s UConn football” bs. We have great facilities, a tv deal that allows parents all over the country to see their kid play at UConn, a known brand name and an appealing schedule with big names on it. This is not UMass or Liberty or any of those other small time schools we are talking about. Our football program is only crap due to mismanagement.

I wish BC had hired Edsall back in 2011, not Maryland. We never would’ve hired him back, even if BC had fired him too.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

This is why UConn should be able to out recruit most MAC schools and quite a few others. Yet we haven't. Even if you just targeted smart kids looking for a good school we could do better than we have. On top of name brand, we've got better facilities as well.

Speaking of recruiting in state is Victor Rosa still coming here? Or did he back out?

 

[huskymedic]

Speaking of recruiting in state is Victor Rosa still coming here? Or did he back out?

From a Courant article a few weeks back:

“Rosa committed to UConn over BC, Army and Air Force in June, but he kept it a secret until July to announce it on his mom’s birthday. The three-star recruit is actually the No. 1 CIAC ranked player. Only Loomis Chaffee prep lineman Alessandro Lorenzetti, a Michigan commit, is ahead of him.

With Randy Edsall out as UConn coach, Rosa is suddenly looking at a different landscape. Does it alter his plans? “As of right now, no,” he said. “I’m going to take it take by day and see what happens. There are a lot of unknowns right now and I do have a very close connection with (assistant coach) Corey Edsall. We’re in touch every day. Nothing has changed. “Football always been my first love. I always dreamed of playing D-1 football. I committed to UConn for a reason. Obviously, the coaching staff I loved, but the chance to be a ‘hometown hero,’ there is more thought put in beyond the coaches.”

The new NCAA rule for name, image and likeness is a factor. A successful local athlete can now make money from sponsorship deals. Rosa, who plans to major in business, understands the bigger picture. It would be pretty humorous to see the 7-1 and 6-0 buddies do endorsements together.<-

 

[huskysupporter]

Yeah, UConn needs to lower its admission standards for athletes. Like Yale, for instance?

That excuse is getting pretty baggy -- a red herring for sure. Another fallacy is that going independent and playing P5 schools in body-bag games will somehow attract talent to Storrs. In what universe do kids want to play for a perennial loser?

UConn's problem is that it's located in a part of the country with little homegrown talent -- a recruiting desert. Few people in New England care about college football, and more talented recruits from more fertile parts of the country are going to gravitate toward winning programs that will showcase their skills on a larger stage. UConn gets only leftovers.

Yes that is correct - it is one piece of many things that need to happen to make UCONN a consistent winner.

Believe me I don’t think that alone solves the issue. Jeff Hathaway, Susan Herbst and Warde Manuel tossed the football program into a dumpster and Dave Benedict tossed the match in.

I’ll point out again - look at any of the schools that have done a short rebuild or have maintained success in areas not known for football success. Compare their admissions to ours.

We have lost some fantastic players because they didn’t have the grades, yet managed to graduate at the schools they matriculated in.

Lower admission standards for a percentage, put them in a program that is easy to pass and that is a start.

 

[SubbaBub]

With the transfer portal, a decent coach can get UConn to be a reasonable competitive G5 program. There are a lot of 4* and high 3* players on P5 rosters that are approaching their junior year and have not seen the field yet, and are watching their coaches recruiting 4* and 5* players for their position with every new class.

Every one of these players is a candidate to play at UConn.

Literally.

 

[SubbaBub]

We have a lot of injured talent and a ridiculously young roster. Mazzone made us presentable. With Mazzone and Tyler all season, we have 3-5 wins right now. Instead, we have no OC and we play offense like it is 1960.

If we can bring back our injured players, bring in a few transfers and hire a good football coach, we will pummel UMass next season. This situation just isn’t as bad as it looks. You have to look at the youth on the roster and the season long injuries to very good players. Combine that kick in the nuts with the fact that our coaching staff beyond Spanos is literally a D2 staff at best and Spanos is a mediocre FBS DC at best. The talent gap at full strength and one year older won’t be nearly as bad as it looks today. Enhance the roster with transfers and add competent coaches and we might have something pretty decent.

I’m not very accepting of the “it’s UConn football” bs. We have great facilities, a tv deal that allows parents all over the country to see their kid play at UConn, a known brand name and an appealing schedule with big names on it. This is not UMass or Liberty or any of those other small time schools we are talking about. Our football program is only crap due to mismanagement.

Injuries and avoiding them are part of FB. Penn State is going from a CFP contenders to a 7-8 win season because their QB and a DL got hurt. That's what separates them from Ohio St and Alabama. What separates UConn from 120 other schools is our first team guys can barely play, the backups...well you see.

I still think there was enough talent on this team to win 4-5 games. The words of the Wyoming QB are haunting and reflect what a lot of us here have been thinking. We don't know how to play. That's on Randy and the coaches either by not knowing or not teaching.

 

[Bongo Fury]

If UConn has talented players then they don’t have nearly enough of them. Injuries are common in the game.

 

[Chin Diesel]

We have a lot of injured talent and a ridiculously young roster. Mazzone made us presentable. With Mazzone and Tyler all season, we have 3-5 wins right now. Instead, we have no OC and we play offense like it is 1960.

If we can bring back our injured players, bring in a few transfers and hire a good football coach, we will pummel UMass next season. This situation just isn’t as bad as it looks. You have to look at the youth on the roster and the season long injuries to very good players. Combine that kick in the nuts with the fact that our coaching staff beyond Spanos is literally a D2 staff at best and Spanos is a mediocre FBS DC at best. The talent gap at full strength and one year older won’t be nearly as bad as it looks today. Enhance the roster with transfers and add competent coaches and we might have something pretty decent.

I’m not very accepting of the “it’s UConn football” bs. We have great facilities, a tv deal that allows parents all over the country to see their kid play at UConn, a known brand name and an appealing schedule with big names on it. This is not UMass or Liberty or any of those other small time schools we are talking about. Our football program is only crap due to mismanagement.

Injuries is a garbage excuse. Few teams make it through the entire season with all their top players in tact. You're right that the injuries expose UConn's lack of next man up talent. Most schools have somewhat of a decent second set on the two deep. UConn has nothing. Half it's starters wouldn't make a two deep on FBS rosters, so you know the back ups are going to be roughed up and abused in game situations.

 

[Urcea]

This thread is a hoot. It's folks saying we (the football fans) need to lower our expectations, etc., but when figuring out what that looks like it's 7-5. What do they think we expect?

 

[Hornet22]

I've said it before, the entire roster can turn over.

McFadden is the only player who is above average at his position compared to the other 120+ FBS schools. I like Carter so he can stay but I realize there will be 25-30 RB's in the portal and JUCO as good if not better.

Fandom is great but also sad at times. At the end of the day I want all these kids to succeed on and off the field- would be different if we’re talking pros and these guys are getting paid millions and not performing- have at it

But to make a statement to get rid of kids who, yes, are struggling on the field but aren’t chattel, just so you can have the benefit of saying you root for a team that can get some wins is pretty sad in my opinion. The funny thing is you can go to the boards of power 5 teams and hear their fans say the players suck and aren’t FBS caliber players- like Vandy and South Carolina for example.

You’re stuck with this UConn football situation bud- deal with it, but just root for the kids whether or not they bring you a victory on Saturday. These kids owe you or I absolutely nothing. Believe me, they’re not worrying about what Chin Diesel has to say.

sheesh

 

[hank970]

Just sell them on the name. It’s not hard to do when you walk up and down the streets of Europe, Sidney and Melbourne, Moscow, Hong Kong and see people wearing UConn T shirts. If Geno and Calhoun or Hurley can sell the school to recruits, a good football coach can do the same.

The name? How many t-shirt fans from Europe, Australia, and Asia show up at games, contribute to the university, or groom their kids to play football at UConn? What UConn needs is kids in the US who aspire to play in Storrs, and right now, potential recruits have better choices. UConn needs rivalries, better facilities, and bigger donors to attract a coaching staff with the panache to attract decent recruits.

 

[Uconnalliance]

?

Our time in FBS