Leaving With Eligibility Remaining

[RSTuthill]

The OL in my opinion under-performed this year. It should have been outstanding this year and it wasn't. And now two guys are leaving with eligibility remaining. And there are what, eight guys total with eligibility leaving? Maybe more that we do not yet know about or know that they are considering it?

The old way that teams like UConn used to get good is by recruiting a lot of guys that you hoped were diamonds in the rough and then coach them up over 5 years. That is no longer a viable pathway it appears. If players get any good and they get a degree in four years, they will go someplace with a better program and more visibility for their last year. In this new environment, I guess I no longer see a viable pathway for schools like UConn since the transfer portal is useless for weak programs. Always dealing with marginal FBS players with no opportunity to keep them once they develop proficiency.

 

[noeynox]

The OL in my opinion under-performed this year. It should have been outstanding this year and it wasn't. And now two guys are leaving with eligibility remaining. And there are what, eight guys total with eligibility leaving? Maybe more that we do not yet know about or know that they are considering it?

The old way that teams like UConn used to get good is by recruiting a lot of guys that you hoped were diamonds in the rough and then coach them up over 5 years. That is no longer a viable pathway it appears. If players get any good and they get a degree in four years, they will go someplace with a better program and more visibility for their last year. In this new environment, I guess I no longer see a viable pathway for schools like UConn since the transfer portal is useless for weak programs. Always dealing with marginal FBS players with no opportunity to keep them once they develop proficiency.

All these 4th year juniors were recruited by the previous staff. While it sucks that they are leaving as you said they underperformed on OL next year. This just opens up opportunities for others to step up and for the current staff to recruit more players of their choosing.

 

[gioff2323]

Why is it some here are always looking for an angle? It has been said by several sources that some of these kids will meet with staff at end of year and decide whether to stay. So some of them could be back. Even if they leave - this can not have been a fun football experience for these guys. Losing wears on you. Losing at historic levels has to be extremely tough.

If a kid has met all of the academic standards and is ready to graduate and get on with his life, can we not just wish him well and hope that he becomes a contributing member of society, and maybe even a proud alum who gives in ways beyond the field? Can it not be a good story about a kid who gave all he had to a university and wants to go out with his buddies to see what the world has to offer?

 

[noeynox]

Why is it some here are always looking for an angle? It has been said by several sources that some of these kids will meet with staff at end of year and decide whether to stay. So some of them could be back. Even if they leave - this can not have been a fun football experience for these guys. Losing wears on you. Losing at historic levels has to be extremely tough.

If a kid has met all of the academic standards and is ready to graduate and get on with his life, can we not just wish him well and hope that he becomes a contributing member of society, and maybe even a proud alum who gives in ways beyond the field? Can it not be a good story about a kid who gave all he had to a university and wants to go out with his buddies to see what the world has to offer?

What's the angle? It's the uconn football board where we discuss uconn football stuff and happenings.

 

[Exit 4]

Hard to make sweeping indictments just yet... need to see how it all shakes out in the end.

And then you have to look at our peer schools, whatever our transfer / early exit story is- how do we compare to our peers?

 

[UConnJim]

4th year juniors who are not starting leave all FBS program every year. Out of the 8 RJrs that are leaving, only 3 really played. That said, losing 2 starters on the OL who have a year of eligibility left hurts. Maybe one of them would have started next year, but they would have provided experienced depth.

End of the day, no Diaco recruit has been drafted by the NFL, although Peart will probably be the first. And if you look at how younger players have passed Diaco recruits on the depth chart, it’s pretty clear Diaco left the roster in bad shape for Edsall.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

The OL in my opinion under-performed this year. It should have been outstanding this year and it wasn't. And now two guys are leaving with eligibility remaining. And there are what, eight guys total with eligibility leaving? Maybe more that we do not yet know about or know that they are considering it?

The old way that teams like UConn used to get good is by recruiting a lot of guys that you hoped were diamonds in the rough and then coach them up over 5 years. That is no longer a viable pathway it appears. If players get any good and they get a degree in four years, they will go someplace with a better program and more visibility for their last year. In this new environment, I guess I no longer see a viable pathway for schools like UConn since the transfer portal is useless for weak programs. Always dealing with marginal FBS players with no opportunity to keep them once they develop proficiency.

Edsall was here for fourteen years his first time. We have gone from Edsall to PP to Diaco to Edsall in a matter of 6-7 years. How can you establish any kind of Identity with that kind of turnover and different talent evalutions? During Edsall's first tour, UConn was likened to B1G teams, tough and disciplined. Thats gone. People that leave or asked to leave are somebody elses guy. Truly the only one I was surprised at was Nino.

 

[RSTuthill]

4th year juniors who are not starting leave all FBS program every year. Out of the 8 RJrs that are leaving, only 3 really played. That said, losing 2 starters on the OL who have a year of eligibility left hurts. Maybe one of them would have started next year, but they would have provided experienced depth.

Agreed, the point is that it makes it more difficult to go from abysmal to competitive.

End of the day, no Diaco recruit has been drafted by the NFL, although Peart will probably be the first. And if you look at how younger players have passed Diaco recruits on the depth chart, it’s pretty clear Diaco left the roster in bad shape for Edsall.

Or that Edsall simply prefers his own players to those of Diaco's for whatever reason including that he feels more of an obligation to develop them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Palatine]

4th year juniors who are not starting leave all FBS program every year. Out of the 8 RJrs that are leaving, only 3 really played. That said, losing 2 starters on the OL who have a year of eligibility left hurts. Maybe one of them would have started next year, but they would have provided experienced depth.

Forget 4th year juniors who haven't played. Edsall has set himself up for a mass exodus of his best players by putting them in a situation where they have no hope.

 

[uconnfan68]

4th year juniors who are not starting leave all FBS program every year. Out of the 8 RJrs that are leaving, only 3 really played. That said, losing 2 starters on the OL who have a year of eligibility left hurts. Maybe one of them would have started next year, but they would have provided experienced depth.

End of the day, no Diaco recruit has been drafted by the NFL, although Peart will probably be the first. And if you look at how younger players have passed Diaco recruits on the depth chart, it’s pretty clear Diaco left the roster in bad shape for Edsall.

Losing 3 starting OL will seriously set us back next year.

 

[Alum86]

Losing 3 starting OL will seriously set us back next year.

Quarteback, sweep left on one. And run for your life.

 

[UConnDan97]

Losing 3 starting OL will seriously set us back next year.

It's hard to see this any other way.

I hope there's a change of heart from Nino and Cam. Some can argue all they want about them not being tough enough or not performing well enough, or whatever spin they wish to put on it.

But then why are they starters?? Yeah... not good...

 

[BlueDogs]

You can only live on drinking Kool-Aid for so long before the hollow calories take their toll and you crash. Edsall has lost a lot of credibility and kids aren't stupid. Frankly, I hope December 2 is the end of the line. This all starts with his own arrogance and insistence of keeping Crocker around and recruiting to a ridiculous tween scheme and driving out the most talented coaches we've had in a long time (Lashlee and Grimes) to protect his turf. This is on him.

 

[HuskyV]

This may be part of the new world order. Especially after a player has completed 4 years and is on schedule to graduate - they are effectively a free agent for their 5th year. If player or team choose to go a different direction they easily do so.

I hoop we may benefit with players seeking greener pastures. At least in the near term we may be subject to losing some talented 5th year players who get an invite to a P5 team.(reason to play them when ready rather than red shirt).

 

[UConnJim]

You can only live on drinking Kool-Aid for so long before the hollow calories take their toll and you crash. Edsall has lost a lot of credibility and kids aren't stupid. Frankly, I hope December 2 is the end of the line. This all starts with his own arrogance and insistence of keeping Crocker around and recruiting to a ridiculous tween scheme and driving out the most talented coaches we've had in a long time (Lashlee and Grimes) to protect his turf. This is on him.

You have no clue.

First, Grimes. Grimes was making $250K at UConn and he is making $425k at Auburn. Plus, he had coached at Auburn and Arkansas St. under Gus Malzahn and he grew up and went to college in Arkansas. He did not leave because Edsall didn't want him. He got a better job at higher pay in a location near where he grew up, went to college, and coached before.

Now Lashlee. EVERYBODY knew that Lashlee was a short timer at UConn. The only reason he came to UConn is that he needed a job after getting pushed out at Auburn and Benedict knew him. He made $600k at Auburn and took a massive pay cut to $350k at UConn to resurrect his career. He left UConn to go to SMU where he is paid more and Dallas is within driving distance of where he and his wife grew up in Arkansas. Plus, he is coaching in the general area where all his football relationships are.

As for Crocker, he had an impressive resume from his 11 years at Villanova and he was from Connecticut. He looked like a good hire. His first year was the warning sign and it was hoped that he could turn it around in year 2, but youth really killed any chance to turn it around. I think he is a good football coach and the 3-3-5 is employed by many schools successfully, especially in pass happy conferences, but for whatever reason Crocker did not work out at UConn.

 

[Huskygrad88]

You have no clue.

First, Grimes. Grimes was making $250K at UConn and he is making $425k at Auburn. Plus, he had coached at Auburn and Arkansas St. under Gus Malzahn and he grew up and went to college in Arkansas. He did not leave because Edsall didn't want him. He got a better job at higher pay in a location near where he grew up, went to college, and coached before.

Now Lashlee. EVERYBODY knew that Lashlee was a short timer at UConn. The only reason he came to UConn is that he needed a job after getting pushed out at Auburn and Benedict knew him. He made $600k at Auburn and took a massive pay cut to $350k at UConn to resurrect his career. He left UConn to go to SMU where he is paid more and Dallas is within driving distance of where he and his wife grew up in Arkansas. Plus, he is coaching in the general area where all his football relationships are.

As for Crocker, he had an impressive resume from his 11 years at Villanova and he was from Connecticut. He looked like a good hire. His first year was the warning sign and it was hoped that he could turn it around in year 2, but youth really killed any chance to turn it around. I think he is a good football coach and the 3-3-5 is employed by many schools successfully, especially in pass happy conferences, but for whatever reason Crocker did not work out at UConn.

Whoa, Whoa. Stop interjecting facts and rational thought here. It’s a narrative that fits people’s reality that Randy ran these people out of town so he could keep hiring new people knowing he had no money to work with. He’d rather lose than have talented assistants. Don’t you know that?

 

[Palatine]

Randy never hired any assistant that could threaten his job. He may not have run them out but he sure as heck didn't ty to stop them.

 

[Husky68]

Forget 4th year juniors who haven't played. Edsall has set himself up for a mass exodus of his best players by putting them in a situation where they have no hope.

I kind of

Losing 3 starting OL will seriously set us back next year.

Luckily there isn't much going back room, can only go from bottom 10 out of 130 to absolute bottom (and we know that UMass will compete for that spot).

 

[UConnJim]

Randy never hired any assistant that could threaten his job. He may not have run them out but he sure as heck didn't ty to stop them.

This is the problem with UConn fans as they don't understand college football. College football coaches are the ultimate nomads as they look to move up in title and pay.

It is pretty clear that UConn does not pay top dollar to coaches so the best assistants are going to move on. If Diaco had proven to be a winner, he would not be at UConn today as he would have moved on to a higher paying position. Look at how much some recent UConn coaches are making today:

JB Grimes: $425k
Don Brown: $1.5 million
Joe Moorehead: $3.5 million + bonus.
Todd Orlando: $1.8 million
Andy Breiner: $325k
Anthony Poindexter: $600k (including bonus)
Kevin Wolthausen: $225k
Mike Foley: $130K
Bob Diaco: $185k

The only 2 UConn could afford at their current responsibilities are Foley (OL) and Diaco (DC).

The only 2 times that I think Edsall held the coach back was Moorehead and Lashlee. Moorhead got screwed by PP and Lashlee was going to be a one year coach at UConn anyway.

 

[Jimdish255]

Losing 3 starting OL will seriously set us back next year.

Losing 2 or 3 OL starters would be nothing short of a disaster. Something the AD has to take seriously as would any QB here or in the recruiting pipeline. Hope this is not the case but I'm pretty much numb to disappointment at this point. Just seeing too many other mid-major type programs capable of getting it right while we flounder and try to act like we're Stanford.

 

[uconnfan68]

Losing 2 or 3 OL starters would be nothing short of a disaster. Something the AD has to take seriously as would any QB here or in the recruiting pipeline. Hope this is not the case but I'm pretty much numb to disappointment at this point. Just seeing too many other mid-major type programs capable of getting it right while we flounder and try to act like we're Stanford.

2 of 4th years have declined to stay, and Peart is already done. So 3 OL and counting...

 

[BlueDogs]

You have no clue.

First, Grimes. Grimes was making $250K at UConn and he is making $425k at Auburn. Plus, he had coached at Auburn and Arkansas St. under Gus Malzahn and he grew up and went to college in Arkansas. He did not leave because Edsall didn't want him. He got a better job at higher pay in a location near where he grew up, went to college, and coached before.

Now Lashlee. EVERYBODY knew that Lashlee was a short timer at UConn. The only reason he came to UConn is that he needed a job after getting pushed out at Auburn and Benedict knew him. He made $600k at Auburn and took a massive pay cut to $350k at UConn to resurrect his career. He left UConn to go to SMU where he is paid more and Dallas is within driving distance of where he and his wife grew up in Arkansas. Plus, he is coaching in the general area where all his football relationships are.

As for Crocker, he had an impressive resume from his 11 years at Villanova and he was from Connecticut. He looked like a good hire. His first year was the warning sign and it was hoped that he could turn it around in year 2, but youth really killed any chance to turn it around. I think he is a good football coach and the 3-3-5 is employed by many schools successfully, especially in pass happy conferences, but for whatever reason Crocker did not work out at UConn.

Yes, I have no clue. Take a look at the results. Worst D in college history. Crocker was a horrendously bad experiment. Anybody with an ounce of football knowledge saw it coming. It’s a speed arbitrage scheme for FCS where the biggest difference between an FBS lineman and FCS lineman is speed. That doesn’t fly against against FBS lines, and sending undersized guys does nothing. That’s why we were eaten alive up the middle and shredded in the air. Grimes took a dysfunctional O-line and made then serviceable in one season. Lashlee had an offense moving and scoring until RE put the shackles on because the D was terrible. I’ll stand by my view because the facts on the field tell the story.

 

[uconnbill]

The facts are no allowed in the Boneyard doesn't everyone know that, come on folks get with the program.

Hope to see everyone Saturday to honor those leaving the program by graduation

 

[ktuck911]

This is the problem with UConn fans as they don't understand college football. College football coaches are the ultimate nomads as they look to move up in title and pay.

It is pretty clear that UConn does not pay top dollar to coaches so the best assistants are going to move on. If Diaco had proven to be a winner, he would not be at UConn today as he would have moved on to a higher paying position. Look at how much some recent UConn coaches are making today:

JB Grimes: $425k
Don Brown: $1.5 million
Joe Moorehead: $3.5 million + bonus.
Todd Orlando: $1.8 million
Andy Breiner: $325k
Anthony Poindexter: $600k (including bonus)
Kevin Wolthausen: $225k
Mike Foley: $130K
Bob Diaco: $185k

The only 2 UConn could afford at their current responsibilities are Foley (OL) and Diaco (DC).

The only 2 times that I think Edsall held the coach back was Moorehead and Lashlee. Moorhead got screwed by PP and Lashlee was going to be a one year coach at UConn anyway.

Must be nice being Diaco right now... He's got $5 Million stashed and living off of his current salary...

 

[HurricaneDave]

Must be nice being Diaco right now... He's got $5 Million stashed and living off of his current salary...

He was also ridiculously overpaid for his one season at Nebraska. La Tech is doing well this year. He's young enough that I think there's a good chance he ends up as a DC at a P5 program again in the future.

 

[Palatine]

He was also ridiculously overpaid for his one season at Nebraska. La Tech is doing well this year. He's young enough that I think there's a good chance he ends up as a DC at a P5 program again in the future.

If BD wants a P5 job, has to cut out the bizarre behavior. If you're winning, it's entertaining and they call it eccentric. If you're losing it's indistinguishable from mental illiness.

 

[Pudge]

Breiner as Head Coach. Todd Orlando isn’t dropping pay scale to be UConn HC. That’s a big national change. A Coordinator won’t take a HC job rashly or easily at G5 level because it won’t pay

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

If BD wants a P5 job, has to cut out the bizarre behavior. If you're winning, it's entertaining and they call it eccentric. If you're losing it's indistinguishable from mental illiness.

I just don't know if he is a good coach at all. His best year by far was his last at ND, and when I talk to ND fans, they weren't happy with his bend don't break style.

He can get by on good looks and "interesting" press conferences only for so long. At some point he has to be successful beyond one year at ND.

A good example of the good ole boy network where a guy gets jobs on who he knows, not what he has done.

 

[Buffett10]

Yes, I have no clue. Take a look at the results. Worst D in college history. Crocker was a horrendously bad experiment. Anybody with an ounce of football knowledge saw it coming. It’s a speed arbitrage scheme for FCS where the biggest difference between an FBS lineman and FCS lineman is speed. That doesn’t fly against against FBS lines, and sending undersized guys does nothing. That’s why we were eaten alive up the middle and shredded in the air. Grimes took a dysfunctional O-line and made then serviceable in one season. Lashlee had an offense moving and scoring until RE put the shackles on because the D was terrible. I’ll stand by my view because the facts on the field tell the story.

Or could it be that the defense was bad because we were playing 18 and 19 yr old kids against 21, 22, 23 yr olds? All thanks to a coach who can’t evaluate talent

 

[Husky68]

Or could it be that the defense was bad because we were playing 18 and 19 yr old kids against 21, 22, 23 yr olds? All thanks to a coach who can’t evaluate talent

Year one of HCRE2.0 we were not playing 18 and 19 year olds and the defense was just bad. It wasn't till the next 2 years where HCRE2.0 put his personal stamp on going with the 5 year rebuild plan that we got truly terrible.
Just for a little history reminder, Crazy Bob's last year defense gave up 28.1 PPG, HCRE2.0's 1st year gave up 37.9 PPG. You know what record breaking results HCRE2.0 got in year 2 and now only the fact that UMass has a football team keeps UConn from challenging for the worst defense in 2019.