Is Athletic Director Dave Benedict Out of Touch With UConn Football Fans

[ZooCougar]

Which is why he’s been on record many times saying how he dislikes the portal. Because he loses these kids.

Because they don’t want to play for him. They don’t believe in him. Imagine who we are attracting?

muh DJ Shoemate.

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

Yesterday towards the end of that Game, my 64 year old mother who knows little to nothing about UConn Football other than I follow it and love it, goes “what exactly is their problem? Like why are they always so bad?” And I just answered “you know, a lot, and I don’t know really”… sort of feel like Dave Benedict has to be in the same boat and doesn’t want to rock the ship in an already fragile program by firing Edsall.

 

[Jimdish255]

I believe major donors support RE. It would take them to want a change.

Randy's been a good Ambassador. Like former HC PP he's a good man who puts in the work. Corey brings an incredible amount to the program. But after yesterday, just wow to this. Except in recruiting we haven't moved forward and the offense is a dumpster fire. They have to be looking at a year end evaluation and be ready to make a change unless a miracle occurs.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Let's stop sugarcoating this dumpster fire since it's obvious it's not working. Randy is just not a good coach, and he needs to go.

The fact DB is keeping him around means DB can't see what most of us see seeing. Uconn needs to get rid of DB if this is the case.

It is time to end this failed Randy Edsall experiment.

 

[BugsyCT]

Wouldn't mind seeing a decent FCS head coach get a shot here. I'd even settle for an average one.

At some point they have to acknowledge that this is impossible for what's left of this fan base to keep enduring.

 

[Banta55]

I think it may be not wanting to work for Randy rather than UConn. A good OC can’t work for him. He stifles them and in turn makes them look bad.

1p0%

 

[buddy]

I don't believe the AD is at fault. I suspect he has been restrained by the outcry over the athletic budget at the time of the rehire of the football coach and remember who the president was at that time. I do blame the previous AD as well as the the person who was president at the time right after the Fiesta Bowl debacle who handled the initial hire after the football coach left us all hanging, as well as the failure to secure a P5 place for UConn at that time. It has been a downward spiral for the program since that fateful night. I neither like nor dislike him as coach, but in my employment, once someone exited, they were not allowed to re-enter, and I think that is a good policy.
As an aside, I was very disheartened seeing the dejected looks and heads hanging low by the lineman as they were walking off the field after the handshakes. Really felt bad. They didn't quit, but were way overmatched.

 

[JMick]

Who are these mysterious donors tho? Like Burton?? Where’s that dude been. Why don’t these people speak up?

Aren't Randy and Burton BFF's? The rumor I heard was that Burton ponied up for the Diaco buyout on the condition that we would hire Edsall.

 

[CL82]

I don’t think we have to imagine “mystery donors“ to understand what is happening. Randy hasn’t been let go yet because it hasn’t made sense to do so. He’s raising the level of talent in the program and he’s relatively inexpensive. Yeah, everybody wants to see wins but Randy is doing what he was brought in to do, at least up to the Covid year. Now, he either hast to produce wins or he’s gone.

I think Kevin Ollie’s last year is instructive. Everybody knew Kevin wasn’t getting the job done and had to go. Benedict quietly reached out to Hurley to gauge interest. Don’t get me wrong there wasn’t a secret offer, but there were a few conversations in the margin. I feel confident that that will happen this season. If Edsal doesn’t produce, Benedict will have a few guys lined up.

For what it’s worth, when the time comes to dump Randy, I hope that it is done well and without mutual recrimination. He isn’t Diaco, he is just a guy that the game has passed by. I truly believe he came back to Connecticut in good faith to attempt to rebuild the program. And he did so on the cheap. Let him leave with dignity. It’s good for him, and it’s good for UConn. Of course, I’d rather that happened after we had a vaguely competent team on the field, but I’m just not sure he’s going to get there anymore.

 

[JMick]

I don’t think we have to imagine “mystery donors“ to understand what is happening. Randy hasn’t been let go yet because it hasn’t made sense to do so. He’s raising the level of talent in the program and he’s relatively inexpensive. Yeah, everybody wants to see wins but Randy is doing what he was brought in to do, at least up to the Covid year. Now, he either hast to produce wins or he’s gone.

I think Kevin Ollie’s last year is instructive. Everybody knew Kevin wasn’t getting the job done and had to go. Benedict quietly reached out to Hurley to gauge interest. Don’t get me wrong there wasn’t a secret offer, but there were a few conversations in the margin. I feel confident that that will happen this season. If Edsal doesn’t produce, Benedict will have a few guys lined up.

For what it’s worth, when the time comes to dump Randy, I hope that it is done well and without mutual recrimination. He isn’t Diaco, he is just a guy that the game has passed by. I truly believe he came back to Connecticut in good faith to attempt to rebuild the program. And he did so on the cheap. Let him leave with dignity. It’s good for him, and it’s good for UConn. Of course, I’d rather that happened after we had a vaguely competent team on the field, but I’m just not sure he’s going to get there anymore.

If we can't win at least 3-4 games I hope he just realizes he's done and decides to retire

 

[DoctorWho85]

Yesterday was an absolute dumpster fire offensively. The defense played ok, but got gassed due to the heat, the speed at which Fresno played offensively and the offense having like 3 first downs the whole game. Had Jack Zergiotis had any touch or accuracy at all, that game would have looked completely different. Receivers were getting open all day and he just underthrew our flat out missed them. If Steven Krajewski is on a level playing field with Jack Zergiotis then HC and maybe UMass are the only wins well see this year. I'm willing to chock this up to the heat, rust and bad play calling right now. Next week again HC if we see the same the whole staff needs to be let go.

 

[Stinger92860]

Didn‘t AD Dave make it clear to RE that Lashlee would run the offense without interference? Can we get someone, anybody in now as OC and have Dave tell RE hands off. Someone has to feel bad for us.

 

[huskymedic]

I think Kevin Ollie’s last year is instructive. Everybody knew Kevin wasn’t getting the job done and had to go. Benedict quietly reached out to Hurley to gauge interest. Don’t get me wrong there wasn’t a secret offer, but there were a few conversations in the margin. I feel confident that that will happen this season. If Edsal doesn’t produce, Benedict will have a few guys lined up.

He did the same thing w/ Diaco…

 

[Hoophound]

Didn‘t AD Dave make it clear to RE that Lashlee would run the offense without interference? Can we get someone, anybody in now as OC and have Dave tell RE hands off. Someone has to feel bad for us.

It didn’t work. They clashed, Lashlee left.

 

[uconnfan68]

Major donors must be betting on games.

Never taking the points.

 

[HobokenHusky]

This is truly the last year for me after being a 22 year season ticket holder. They clearly don’t care but expect me tot. I’ll watch the year and hope for miracles, but I’m not getting abused anymore without a clear commitment to making a change and winning.

THIS. You are a true warrior of a fan for holding season tickets that long. I don’t even have any financial skin in the game. I WANT to support our football team, but at this point doing so not only wastes my time, but it reinforces terrible decisions. I was all set to go to the Army game, but this staff and AD doesn’t deserve the support. We need to show them that a change is required to get fans back in the seats.

I truly don’t get it. What is the downside at this point? It doesn’t get materially worse than a 40+ point, complete domination of the team by Fresno State, and we can get an alternative that is more exciting from FCS or G5 for cheaper, so I don’t buy the financial angle.

 

[HobokenHusky]

Randy's been a good Ambassador. Like former HC PP he's a good man who puts in the work. Corey brings an incredible amount to the program. But after yesterday, just wow to this. Except in recruiting we haven't moved forward and the offense is a dumpster fire. They have to be looking at a year end evaluation and be ready to make a change unless a miracle occurs.

He’s not a good man though. He may demand the “right things” from his players, but he doesn’t practice what he demands. We saw who he truly is when he left the first time, and he never holds himself accountable for failures.

 

[UCSouth]

If we can't win at least 3-4 games I hope he just realizes he's done and decides to retire

Maybe they can create a position similar to what they did for KFree, so that Randy stayed invested in the University yet having nothing to do with the day to day football operations.

 

[BlueDogs]

If we can't win at least 3-4 games I hope he just realizes he's done and decides to retire

Winning 3 or 4 games with 2 against FCS is no performance hurdle. That is a joke and continued willingness to just check boxes to get by. Fix the program now.

 

[JMick]

Winning 3 or 4 games with 2 against FCS is no performance hurdle. That is a joke and continued willingness to just check boxes to get by. Fix the program now.

It is a joke and its sad the bar is that low but if he wins 4 he's probably not getting let go

 

[BlueDogs]

It is a joke and its sad the bar is that low but if he wins 4 he's probably not getting let go

JMick - that’s probably what makes me even more upset. If we had 3 or 4 legit wins, you could argue there is something going on worth hanging on to. But, this whole program is just horse crap going through the motions. AD Benedict should be embarrassed like we are. They really just don’t care.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Winning 3 or 4 games with 2 against FCS is no performance hurdle. That is a joke and continued willingness to just check boxes to get by. Fix the program now.

Exactly. If it's utterly pathetic how far our expectations have fallen. Going into the Fresno game, most of us just wanted to see some kind of improvement with very few expecting a win. What we saw was almost the same repeat of last few years. The question we all need to ask is what happened during those 2 years off?

It is abundantly clear Edsall's approach is not working. I got nothing against the man, but he isn't the guy who can take Uconn to the next level. It is time to cut the losses and start over yet again.

 

[RSTuthill]

I can assure you, even if Randy fails and gets fired/resigns, he will have put together a solid roster that a good coach can win with. This is always Randy’s saving grace. He knows potential when he sees it and he knows athleticism when he sees it. He has an elite talent in that regard.

If he is fired, AD Dave needs to go into stealth damage control to keep the players and get them excited by hiring an exciting coach. I have no doubt a guy like Rhett Lashlee would have put at least 3 touchdowns up yesterday. I also have no doubt Steven Krajewski would be the QB.

Coaching changes are major disruptions. A new coach will want to play his way and that will require players who can play that way with different skillsets than the ones we have now. Randy's recruits were selected to build a team that plays with his strategic philosophy and approach in mind. A new guy comes in and that all changes. New philosophy and strategic approach, new play book, new staff, and new recruiting networks and contacts, the whole nine yards. It takes three or four years to turn the supertanker around. No coach will come here and agree to construct a team in Randy's image and use Randy's staff. Not gonna happen.

 

[gtcam]

The AD is sitting there satisfied with the mens and womens basketball and doesn't give a rats arse what the other teams do
Still waiting for the P5 AD position that I don't think will come his way
BTW - all you people who keep talking Lashlee - he was NEVER going to stay at UConn no matter the money or promises -NEVER

 

[Vuce]

If Steven Krajewski is on a level playing field with Jack Zergiotis then HC and maybe UMass are the only wins well see this year. I'm willing to chock this up to the heat, rust and bad play calling right now. Next week again HC if we see the same the whole staff needs to be let go.

HC and UMass are must win games if the staff has any chance at all. HC is FCS and as much of a dumpster fire as we have been, UMass has been worse. You lose either of those games, you don’t get any excuses about game speed being different than practice. The fact that we are almost thinking we can’t beat Yale at this point is pathetic enough