Just for fun…what if?

[Hoophound]

I was flying today and got into a discussion with my two seatmates about football. They were UConn fans from Manchester and now live in Tampa. Both are big Bucs fans. I enjoy the Bucs and pull for them. I love Baker Mayfield. For whatever reason, he’s my favorite NFL player. I just love the way he throws the ball. We got into a discussion about what UConn would look like with Mayfield at QB. We unanimously agreed that we’d be 5-0 now. That’s a no brainer. I was emphatic that there would be no chance of us losing unless we made the playoff where we’d lose in the semis or the title game. They thought we’d lose to Duke and maybe one other game in the regular season. I just can’t see it. I think we blow through our schedule with Mayfield at QB and challenge for a national title. It was a fun discussion and it was particularly cool to talk UConn football with strangers for 3 hours. I wish I could do that more often.

Anyway, what do you think? What does this season look like with Baker Mayfield as our quarterback?

 

[ScottVib]

Unless Mayfield can play linebacker, there are probably a ton of shootouts. He tends to make big plays in big spots, which may have helped ice things in regulation and avoided the OTs with Syracuse or Delaware; but that said, QB play was not the reason UConn lost those games.

 

[jdb50]

The day will come when UConn has a player like Mayfield as our QB. I hope I am still on the planet. At least this week our present QB Joe F added running to his game. It is a start.

 

[Hoophound]

Unless Mayfield can play linebacker, there are probably a ton of shootouts. He tends to make big plays in big spots, which may have helped ice things in regulation and avoided the OTs with Syracuse or Delaware; but that said, QB play was not the reason UConn lost those games.

I debated that he hits basically every missed opportunity Fagnano didn’t hit, and we roll. To this point, I have no doubt we’d have destroyed our opponents. I actually think this is more of a debate about just how far we go.

I think we need to face a very high level team before Baker can’t save us.

 

[KembaKek]

If Baker Mayfield were the QB here we are undefeated and the favorite to win the national title. Not much else to say. The deep reason here is because Baker Mayfield is an experienced NFL quarterback

 

[Chin Diesel]

I get drunk at airports and on airplanes just on the off chance someone sitting nearby wants to strike up hypotheticals like this.

Almost as crazy as cloud talking about knocking Jebediah Springfield's head off the statue.

 

[REB1094]

If we have the #1 NFL draft pick Heisman winner at QB, yes I do believe we would have beaten Syracuse and Delaware

 

[UCan3]

If Baker Mayfield were the QB here we are undefeated and the favorite to win the national title. Not much else to say. The deep reason here is because Baker Mayfield is an experienced NFL quarterback

I have to admit I wanted to see Welliver get a shot. To see if we had a potential star on the bench.


We’ve chosen to go to the portal for QBs for awhile now versus developing a young QB into a starter - guess like many schools.

But going that route, not sure we’re going to find our next Mayfield. You get known quantities with celings - much like Joe and Evers.

I don’t think even with Brady in his prime we go to NC game with the Defense we have. We would get in high scoring games but you need elite defenses.

 

[Kolumbo]

I have to admit I wanted to see Welliver get a shot. To see if we had a potential star on the bench.


We’ve chosen to go to the portal for QBs for awhile now versus developing a young QB into a starter - guess like many schools.

But going that route, not sure we’re going to find our next Mayfield. You get known quantities with celings - much like Joe and Evers.

I don’t think even with Brady in his prime we go to NC game with the Defense we have. We would get in high scoring games but you need elite defenses.

Cole hasn't played at all at UNM. maybe we can get him back...

 

[gtcam]

I have to admit I wanted to see Welliver get a shot. To see if we had a potential star on the bench.


We’ve chosen to go to the portal for QBs for awhile now versus developing a young QB into a starter - guess like many schools.

But going that route, not sure we’re going to find our next Mayfield. You get known quantities with celings - much like Joe and Evers.

I don’t think even with Brady in his prime we go to NC game with the Defense we have. We would get in high scoring games but you need elite defenses.

100% on Weliver
Never got the chance

 

[Kolumbo]

100% on Weliver
Never got the chance

Not to derail this thread but I saw another post stating that first year UNM head coach Jason Eck brought Junior QB Jack Layne with him from Idaho. That's a tough break for Cole. I wonder if Cole knew the situation when he accepted the offer.

 

[UCan3]

Not to derail this thread but I saw another post stating that first year UNM head coach Jason Eck brought Junior QB Jack Layne with him from Idaho. That's a tough break for Cole. I wonder if Cole knew the situation when he accepted the offer.

That’s college football these days - no guarantees. Someone asked if we could get him back. I would be for it and see if he can develop into a solid 1st or 2nd option for us. I would think if he comes back, he stays the distance - we are going to need QBs to fill ones leaving.

 

[Hoophound]

That’s college football these days - no guarantees. Someone asked if we could get him back. I would be for it and see if he can develop into a solid 1st or 2nd option for us. I would think if he comes back, he stays the distance - we are going to need QBs to fill ones leaving.

I highly doubt he’d come back. I also doubt Mora would want him. It doesn’t seem like he had much chance of seeing the field anytime soon. I thought we were given the impression last season that McDonald was the clear #3.

 

[Hoophound]

I have to admit I wanted to see Welliver get a shot. To see if we had a potential star on the bench.


We’ve chosen to go to the portal for QBs for awhile now versus developing a young QB into a starter - guess like many schools.

But going that route, not sure we’re going to find our next Mayfield. You get known quantities with celings - much like Joe and Evers.

I don’t think even with Brady in his prime we go to NC game with the Defense we have. We would get in high scoring games but you need elite defenses.

I think we might be able to overcome that with a QB like Mayfield. Bell might score 5 times per game. Still, I agree. It would be tough against a top 5 team with our D.

 

[businesslawyer]

I highly doubt he’d come back. I also doubt Mora would want him. It doesn’t seem like he had much chance of seeing the field anytime soon. I thought we were given the impression last season that McDonald was the clear #3.

We were. Just fans here were unable to accept it because based on some articles and scouts’ views they had decided he would be our next Orlovsky.

 

[Hoophound]

I get drunk at airports and on airplanes just on the off chance someone sitting nearby wants to strike up hypotheticals like this.

Almost as crazy as cloud talking about knocking Jebediah Springfield's head off the statue.

It happened really naturally. We were all watching the Bucs game on our Jetblue screens and I said how great it would be if we could get a quarterback even half as good as Baker Mayfield was in college. That lead one of the guys to say that having a star quarterback is something we’ve never experienced. Even Orlovsky was nowhere near the level of a Mayfield. And off we went…

I did stick up for Dan though, he was a very good college QB.

 

[businesslawyer]

I was flying today and got into a discussion with my two seatmates about football. They were UConn fans from Manchester and now live in Tampa. Both are big Bucs fans. I enjoy the Bucs and pull for them. I love Baker Mayfield. For whatever reason, he’s my favorite NFL player. I just love the way he throws the ball. We got into a discussion about what UConn would look like with Mayfield at QB. We unanimously agreed that we’d be 5-0 now. That’s a no brainer. I was emphatic that there would be no chance of us losing unless we made the playoff where we’d lose in the semis or the title game. They thought we’d lose to Duke and maybe one other game in the regular season. I just can’t see it. I think we blow through our schedule with Mayfield at QB and challenge for a national title. It was a fun discussion and it was particularly cool to talk UConn football with strangers for 3 hours. I wish I could do that more often.

Anyway, what do you think? What does this season look like with Baker Mayfield as our quarterback?

Would we be 5-0 with Mayfield as our QB? Of course we would. We’d be 5-0 with any QB who had made one more play than JF in each of our OT losses, and that’s a large universe of QBs.

We would not, however, even with a young Tom Brady, be one of the best 25 teams in CFB. Maybe we run through our schedule — maybe — but if we were in a P-4 conference there would be plenty of teams whose roster is too much better and deeper to beat even if we had the best QB in college football.

 

[Purple Stein]

Not to derail this thread but I saw another post stating that first year UNM head coach Jason Eck brought Junior QB Jack Layne with him from Idaho. That's a tough break for Cole. I wonder if Cole knew the situation when he accepted the offer.

He's in the same spot on the New Mexico depth chart as he was here.

Would love to have him at Maine!

 

[ZooCougar]

I love how we are pining for a QB who has never heard of UConn and another who is 3rd string at New Mexico now.

 

[UConnJim]

With the portal, you will see QBs available that never would have committed to UConn out of high school. That is why you should offer some top QBs and try to build a relationship if his P2 experience doesn't pan out. Last year, Syracuse benefitted from getting Ohio St. QB Kyle McCord who was a generational QB.

 

[ZooCougar]

With the portal, you will see QBs available that never would have committed to UConn out of high school. That is why you should offer some top QBs and try to build a relationship if his P2 experience doesn't pan out. Last year, Syracuse benefitted from getting Ohio St. QB Kyle McCord who was a generational QB.

Generational? LOL