I still believe Edsall is the wrong coach for UConn

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Back in December 30 2016, I made a post detailing why Edsall was a terrible hire (I copied and pasted my original post below since the thread is now locked). After the 2017 season I feel even more strongly that Edsall is not the right coach for UConn. All of the facts show this yet a large portion of the fan base continues to believe otherwise.

Last year, UConn had only 1 win against an FBS opponent with a winning record, and lost their last 5 games of the season. UConn's 2017 recruiting class was ranked 101st in the country (based on 247), the excuse was that Edsall didn't have the full time to put a good class together, unfortunately UConn's 2018 class is ranked even worse at 105th in the nation. The 2019 class is ranked 136th so far (sure this will rise but probably not above 100th).

Yea the batman signs on his twitter page are cute, but he is not getting it done in recruiting. Last season was a disaster, the only bright spot was the signifiant improvement of our offense, and the OC left after one season with Edsall, if that is not a red flag then I don't know what is.

The point of my post is not to say I told you so, the point is to reiterate how clear it was that Edsall was a terrible hire. I hope that I'll be proved wrong starting this season. My hope is to see a great and winning football product at UConn, the fans and the state deserve nothing less. I hope Edsall can get us to a bowl game this season and turn UConn into a powerhouse program, but it is so obvious that he is not a good football coach. It hurts to have to endure his below-average coaching after going through PP and Diaco.

The goal of this post is to have more fans recognize and acknowledge Edsall is not the right coach, and after another expected terrible season I hope most of the fanbase will put him squarely on the hot seat going into the 2019 season.

Once again I really hope that UConn has a fantastic season. I would love nothing more than for UConn to upset UCF and Boise to start the season (wow that would great!) or even if UConn were to get to a bowl game. However it seems UConn football will not become what it can be (based on great fanbase, best FBS program in northeast, good high school talent in northeast, level of school and state investment in the program) under Edsall.

Below is what I posted soon after Edsall was hired outlining why Edsall was a terrible choice, and all of the points continue to be true, and to an even larger degree, after the 2017 season:

I still strongly believe Edsall is a terrible hire, and much of it has nothing to do with the way he left. I don't care too much about how he left, I care more about how good of a coach he'll be and everything points to him being a below average coach thats on the decline.

Here are the facts:

1) Edsall is a career sub-.500 coach

2) Edsall in 16 years of coaching only has 1 win against a ranked team (1-26 overall record, one of the worst records amongst active coaches)

3) Edsall was a poor recruiter. Based on rivals class rankings here is where UConn ranked from 2007-2011:
- 2007: 68th
-2008: 73rd
-2009: 82nd
-2010: 93rd
-2011: Not even ranked in the top 100

He was a poor recruiter who was getting worse overtime while at UConn.

4) The whole "winningest coach ever at UConn" doesn't mean anything when he's also lost more games than any other coach at UConn

5) Based on his past, his ceiling is producing mediocre teams, and that was in a different era. The power run game will not be as successful in this day and age as it was 10 years ago.

6) Look at who the other AAC schools have hired as coaches. They routinely hire guys who are successful and play an exciting brand of football, so successful that the AAC overall has been coaching factory for top P5 schools. While we continually fire our coaches.

7) Edsall failed during his time at Maryland, and no other school wanted him, except of course UConn.

8) Being better than Diaco should never ever be the standard we should judge a hire on because any person who knows anything about football would be a better coach than Diaco.

So here we are, other schools in the AAC whose AD budgets are no where near as large as ours look to hire coaches that will get their football programs to not only play well but grab national attention while we are enthusiastic about a coach who can possibly get us back to .500 team.

The main reason why I am so disappointed with this hire is because this will cement our football team being behind the likes of UH, Cincy, UCF, USF and even Temple in the next conference realignment talks. We could go no worse than the Diaco era so Benedict had the perfect opportunity to go for an upcoming offensive guru, instead he went backwards.

Benedict needed to hit a homerun with this hire, and instead he bunted for a single.

I really hope that I am wrong but when we stop looking backwards and stop immersing ourselves in the nostalgia of previously having an 8-5 team, viewing the hire through an objective lens shows Edsall is a terrible hire.

He already has started off on the wrong foot by stating he will be splitting his time between Detroit and UConn, great sign for a guy who is really "invested" at UConn. A key recruiting time will begin in a few weeks and he won't even be here full time.

You are dumb . Overall losing record? He took a 1AA team into a GD power conference. That’ll set the ole W-L back. The UMD years were rough but they brought him in to clean up a dumpster fire and he did that. Don’t show me recruiting rankings. He took 2 stars guys and put them in the league. You suck.

 

[Kemba429]

You notice that even the top coaches in the country take a while to build a program up right? I mean this team hasnt been in a bowl game, except for the St. Pete Bowl in 8 years? Ill be expecting a .500 record next year. 4 stars and above, unless theyre from around here for the most part wont come until youre proven. Give him some time man, jeez.

 

[jdb50]

It is too early to make the case that your original opinion was correct. After 12 more games lets see where we stand.

 

[wethyhusky]

Go to the games. Support the team. Have fun tailgating with friends. I’m sure the OP is going to do all of the above...

 

[CTMike]

Get used to Edsall folks he ain’t going anywhere for a long time.

 

[AfgHusky15]

You are dumb . Overall losing record? He took a 1AA team into a GD power conference. That’ll set the ole W-L back. The UMD years were rough but they brought him in to clean up a dumpster fire and he did that. Don’t show me recruiting rankings. He took 2 stars guys and put them in the league. You suck.

1) you are clearly unstable; may be as a fan that’s a good thing?;

2) Edsall took a 9-4 2010 Maryland team to a 2-10 record the following year. He never had more than 7 wins, Had an overall losing record there too, and had lost the team;

3) I think based on the way you communicate I am supposed to respond to you by saying “no you suck!”

 

[ZooCougar]

1) you are clearly unstable; may be as a fan that’s a good thing?;

2) Edsall took a 9-4 2010 Maryland team to a 2-10 record the following year. He never had more than 7 wins, Had an overall losing record there too, and had lost the team;

3) I think based on the way you communicate I am supposed to respond to you by saying “no you suck!”

He was the wrong coach for Maryland, but was the right coach for UConn.

 

[Doggie Style]

Again I will ask you the same question I asked JMick, what fact/statement was inaccurate?... I have a feeling that you, just like JMick, will avoid answering the question.

I’m just having fun man.... I’m not busting balls, it’s all good

 

[CL82]

I know if I was going to write a rant I'd at least fact check it

If you fact check it, it is more a manifesto than rant.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

He was the wrong coach for Maryland, but was the right coach for UConn.

Your Apologista card is in the mail. Welcome aboard.

 

[Stainmaster]

I’d give this a weak 3 or strong 2 out of 10.

 

[AfgHusky15]

I’d give this a weak 3 or strong 2 out of 10.

Solid post Stainster.

 

[Husky68]

I also questioned HCRE2.0, mostly because his last gig was a failure. Coaches get paid to win, he didn't. I did not like the 2017 defensive scheme nor HCRE2.0's blame the players attitude (never seemed to question DC ability) and seemed to be approaching his 1st year back the same as his 1st year at Maryland (his job wasn't on the line year 1 but will be in year 3 and 4).
I take more exception with the "with this youth/talent/newness" the range of possible wins include the digits 1 and 2 posters than this poster straight out saying HCRE's credentials as a recruiter are poor, his lifetime record as a 60 year old guy is sub 500 and his top teams have been of the type of ground football that sure seems not to be the way to go.
But, I'm trying to make my preseason football fun so I'm buying the HCRE2.0 hype: players are committed, better shape, faster, learning more, coaches now have "their schemes" learned and UConn will get after it. Turns out like that the "1 win is within the potential range for 2018" will look stupid, I will be rewarded for my jumping on the band wagon and AfgHusky15 will be happy 'cause he hopes he is wrong.
As I said in other posts: team wins 1 game and he's the wrong guy; win 2 he's on hot seat; win 3 and coaching for job in 2019. Who wants a coach who takes a poorly run 3-9 team that gets coach fired and turns them into 3-9 and then 3-9 (or worse) teams again. UConn has one opponent in the preseason top 35 in 2018!

 

[BlueDogs]

RE isn’t bringing us to the FBS playoffs or 12-0 seasons. He will get us to solid 7 and 8 win seasons and a fundamentally competitive program. That’s where he tops out. I’ll reserve complaining until then. Step one is drag the carcass out of the gutter.

 

[Chief00]

I know if I was going to write a rant I'd at least fact check it

That’s all we need now, another person checking facts , who doesn’t understand what a fact is.

 

[superjohn]

KO won a national championship, had an overall winning record and brought in a top 10 recruiting class.

That being said, I think Hurley was a great hire, why because he has a great record and was one of the most sought after coaches in the country. Edsall has a poor record and no college wanted to hire him.

You're comparing UConn basketball to UConn football, one is a program that has been down a couple of years but has won 4 National Championships, pays big bucks, and is still one of the best brands in the sport. UConn football has been a laughingstock on the field and has no brand. Who exactly do you think was going to come and coach UConn football for $1 million per year?

 

[Chief00]

As for Edsall - Chief trusts his eyes - watching practice a few times - there’s a significant uptick in speed and athleticism. It will only gradually translate to wins against good competition - it’s the nature of being a Freshmen or Sophmore.

 

[minidarren]

That’s all we need now, another person checking facts , who doesn’t understand what a fact is.

Truths are not really truths. Ya know?

 

[Scoe]

Who else were we gonna hire you tell me who else? Who else was gonna come up to the North East and coach for 1 mill per year after the destruction PP and Diaco did to the program.

 

[Chief00]

Edsall is doing a very good job. The only major decision I question is the DC hire and he is supervising that much more closely this year.

 

[UConnNick]

I also questioned HCRE2.0, mostly because his last gig was a failure. Coaches get paid to win, he didn't. I did not like the 2017 defensive scheme nor HCRE2.0's blame the players attitude (never seemed to question DC ability) and seemed to be approaching his 1st year back the same as his 1st year at Maryland (his job wasn't on the line year 1 but will be in year 3 and 4).
I take more exception with the "with this youth/talent/newness" the range of possible wins include the digits 1 and 2 posters than this poster straight out saying HCRE's credentials as a recruiter are poor, his lifetime record as a 60 year old guy is sub 500 and his top teams have been of the type of ground football that sure seems not to be the way to go.
But, I'm trying to make my preseason football fun so I'm buying the HCRE2.0 hype: players are committed, better shape, faster, learning more, coaches now have "their schemes" learned and UConn will get after it. Turns out like that the "1 win is within the potential range for 2018" will look stupid, I will be rewarded for my jumping on the band wagon and AfgHusky15 will be happy 'cause he hopes he is wrong.
As I said in other posts: team wins 1 game and he's the wrong guy; win 2 he's on hot seat; win 3 and coaching for job in 2019. Who wants a coach who takes a poorly run 3-9 team that gets coach fired and turns them into 3-9 and then 3-9 (or worse) teams again. UConn has one opponent in the preseason top 35 in 2018!

I believe both UCF and Boise St. are ranked between 20-25 in at least one preseason poll.

 

[UConnFranklin]

As for Edsall - Chief trusts his eyes - watching practice a few times - there’s a significant uptick in speed and athleticism. It will only gradually translate to wins against good competition - it’s the nature of being a Freshmen or Sophmore.

I was at a scrimmage at The Rent last night and was impressed by the improved speed of the team both offensively and defensively. Corners are playing up on the receivers and not getting consistently beat. Offensive lie was opening holes and back were running thru them. Very few arm tackles and misses.

Were not ready for a National Championship yet but may surprise a team or two this year. Definitely an improvement over last year and the previous 7 years. Its going to take time. I'm optimistic!

 

[RSTuthill]

This whole thread is beside the point. I am not yet convinced about HCRE2.0 either but it is pointless to get wrapped around the axle about it. What is done is done. He has got four more years to turn it around, the team deserves our support during that time, and we can amuse ourselves by banging on about every little development until then.

All that said, what seems set in stone often is not. There will be a new president, AD Dave may decide that he cannot work with the new president and decide to bolt, and the new AD may decide that coaching change is needed. But all that would take time and I would guess that even if that happens, HCRE gets his full five years. Which is not to say that if UConn wins less than 3 this year that there won't be a hue and cry about it. Oh, yes, the Big Easters will be in full voice and baying loudly.

 

[BigEastCT]

I concur with the original post. My family always stated Edsall is a clean cut professional that parents would be comfortable sending their child to. He will oversee that your child gets great education and becomes a responsible adult. These are all great qualities of a head coach. Unfortunately we always believed he was just an average football coach.

He wins the games he is supposed to win, but can never win the big game or upset any good teams.

I always said Edsall's best win was not Notre Dame but South Carolina. (South Florida I believe did not even finish as a rank team)

I believe Uconn will improve under Edsall. I also believe Edsall team will not win a AAC championship nor be ranked in the top 25. I hope I am wrong

 

[Adios]

Boise State obviously is not in a recruiting hotbed. We're in more fertile ground than they are.