Marchi Not Signing Wednesday

[huskymedic]

Strange - something had to go sideways w/ the transcript - he's been a commit since June of 2013.

http://courantblogs.com/uconn-footb...ll/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

>>Marchi told me by phone this morning he got a call from UConn Friday stating he could not be admitted to the school because of academics.

“First of all I want to clear up…everybody has been.. I’ve seen where everybody has been talking that this is some deep conniving plan that’s like beyond thought but it was an admissions decision by UConn,” Marchi said. “ I had no choice. I wasn’t able to sign on Wednesday so my only option was to de-commit and explore my options with other schools. If nothing turns out there then I’ll have to prep.

Asked if he didn’t qualify Marchi said: “I guess so because when they called they just said admissions denied the application and there was nothing they could do about it. I got the call Friday so it was a bit of a late call for me.”<<

 

[kris1]

If UCONN's still targeting a QB, the Bleacher Report blog mentioned UCONN as a possible consideration for former CT resident and USC west QB Max Wittek. Unlikely, but he's graduating and available. Just sharing, not advocating the idea. Purportedly, Notre Dame recruited Wittek out of Mater Dei HS where he transferred from CT.

Other possibilities for high school/prep school QBs?

Of the local kids, I think there are only three other QBs, beside Marchi, with D1 ability, in this order:

1. Stephen Barmore (Southington) - Headed to Yale. It will be hard to sway him. The kid is just a winner. He's not the biggest, but he's just a very good athlete, super smart, and a born leader. You can't help but root for the kid. He finds a way to get it done in big spots. He was the best QB, I saw this year. You can't teach what this kid has. He just competes and leaves it all on the field. He has great poise, is very accurate, mobile, and has a strong enough arm. He could have the best collegiate career of the the three.

2. TJ Linta (Hamden Hall) - Headed to Brown. He would be a great steal, if HCBD can pull it off. He's a pro-style QB. He's got a pro body, very smart, accurate, and also has some mobility at his size. I met TJ a few years ago, he looked like an offensive lineman at 6'4, 240. He has worked hard to transform his body. That transformation, has made him much more mobile both in and out of the pocket. He will likely be the best pro prospect of the three.

3. Jordan Vazzano (St Joseph's) - After 2012, I was impressed with his size, mobility, and arm strength. At that time, I thought he could be an under the radar kid, we could get late. So, I made it a point to watch him in 2013. Although he does have a big arm (can make every throw), he didn't show the mobility of a season earlier. He was also grossly inaccurate in games I saw against New Canaan (twice) and Darien. In those games he was a combined, 40-102 (39%) for 547 yards, 4 TDs and 5 INTs. Looking back at his last two seasons, he consistently struggled against athletic defenses: New Canaan, Darien, Trinity Catholic, and Hillhouse (2012 Class M Playoff). The thing I saw in the games he struggled, was touch on the football. He had receivers open, but he didn't show the ability to throw a catchable football, allowing his WR to make a play. His arm strength may be his biggest flaw. He zips every throw and sometimes it gets away from him. Many of the INTs, I saw, were overthrown balls. Although he does have D1 ability, he will likely be a nice addition to an FCS, D2, or D3 school in either football or baseball.

 

[noeynox]

How bout Dante Cioffi?

 

[The Viking]

How the hell do they just decide - or find out - now, just before signing day. Is UConn able to check in on the kids academics and send out a friendly reminder that certain things have to be met to get admitted?

Did he just screw up in the fall semester? I don't get it. I'd love to hear the answer. Because he sounded like he was caught off guard.

 

[coachcap]

This news frosts me on many levels.
1. As a St. Paul grad, I know how that school values academics. It is a veritable college prep school of itself.
2. Coach Kelly is not only the football coach, he's also the Dean of Boys at the school. As such, you'd think he'd have a handle on whether or not his star qb has academic issues. As a father of one of his former players at Southington High, I'm astounded.
3. As a St. Paul & UConn grad, I was looking forward to seeing Marchi in a UConn uniform as a matter of pride in my schools. Looks like this will be delayed or abandoned. SAD.

 

[kris1]

How bout Dante Cioffi?

Dante Cioffi -- Hudl or (http://dantecioffi.com/)

I haven't seen him play. But researching him, he certainly has the body (6'4, 225) of a D1 QB. He's a Travis Meyer's Five Star protege. He didn't put up the numbers of the others, but he completed 60% of his passes with 22TDs, and only 5 INTs (on 187 attempts). A lot like Vazzano, he hasn't generated much D1 interest.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Admittedly I don't know the full story......but the admissions thing here needs to get fixed ASAP. We are walking into a gun fight with a pea shooter.

For the school to call this kid, less than a week before Signing Day.......FUBAR.

 

[Dooley]

I agree Jimmy. Not fair to the kid to give him the academic stop sign a few days before Signing Day. Hope he can prep, get grades up, and come in the 2015 class. Probably would help him out with Cochran, Boyle and Taylor ahead of him on the depth chart and under classmen themselves.

 

[metsfan2323]

I agree Jimmy. Not fair to the kid to give him the academic stop sign a few days before Signing Day. Hope he can prep, get grades up, and come in the 2015 class. Probably would help him out with Cochran, Boyle and Taylor ahead of him on the depth chart and under classmen themselves.

I agree, hopefully Logan follows the Jamar Summers route to Storrs.

 

[UConnRock]

With the last minute decision I would guess it is an SAT scores issue and not meeting the NCAA minimum vs. a UConn admission issue. Can't imagine that he wouldn't have the minimum academic requirements from St. Paul's. We will probably never know, but he may have submitted his latest SAT score and hoped.

Just thankful UConn has a RS soph, a true soph , and a RS freshman in the qb ranks. The Cochran, Boyle, Taylor depth chart is comforting at this point.

 

[2Infinity]

I agree with Rock on this, that this is not a UConn issue, I think it's more likely something that happened on his end. UConn had many months to evaluate his application, so if admissions had a problem, I'm sure it would have come out earlier. As mentioned before, his transfer from St. Paul still sounds fishy to me. He originally said it was so he could play basketball with his buddies at his hometown school. Then the reason changed to become a financial issue. It seems a little odd to me to be enrolled at St. Paul's for seven semesters and then have a problem affording the eighth and last one?? I think something may have happened at the school and that's why he transferred and is also why he had his UConn admission denied. We'll see in time, and I truly hope I'm wrong, but it seems just too logical to not be the case.

 

[Waquoit]

UConn had many months to evaluate his application, so if admissions had a problem, I'm sure it would have come out earlier.

How sure are you? UConn admin and support staff are full of stiffs and something like this is possible if not probable.

 

[2Infinity]

How sure are you? UConn admin and support staff are full of stiffs and something like this is possible if not probable.

I'm not certain, but would find it very surprising if they had waited this long to decide on his admission. That's especially true with a new HC since I believe they really would want to avoid creating an embarrassing situation like this just after he's hired. I believe something changed recently where they had no choice but to decline his admission. Based on the circumstances, if there was any wiggle room, I think they would have given it to him.

 

[Carl Spackler]

This news frosts me on many levels.
1. As a St. Paul grad, I know how that school values academics. It is a veritable college prep school of itself.
2. Coach Kelly is not only the football coach, he's also the Dean of Boys at the school. As such, you'd think he'd have a handle on whether or not his star qb has academic issues. As a father of one of his former players at Southington High, I'm astounded.
3. As a St. Paul & UConn grad, I was looking forward to seeing Marchi in a UConn uniform as a matter of pride in my schools. Looks like this will be delayed or abandoned. SAD.

I have no personal attachment to this one, other than St. Paul is now in the same H.S. football league I played in eons ago. so with that detachment, here's what I can gather. This kid has transferred out of St. Paul to Gilbert right? Mid year - senior year? Private catholic school transfer to a regional public? I believe that the reasons given were "financial"? DOes that mean tuition? Or something else 'Financial'? Assuming it means tuition.......

Why would the kid lose financial support and need to transfer mid-year in his senior year? Was there financial aid that was being recieved the previous 3 1/2 years available before, that was no longer available? Why? Was the kid's tuition being paid, on his own, and some kind of family crisis happened so that tuition could not be met? What happened there?

NOW - all of those questions are personal business of the Marchi family, and none of our business and not public domain. I would bet that the kid's coach, and H.S. guidance counselors knew, and that his recruiting contacts knew. A reporter could ask, but would probably need to show a little bit of ability to determine what kinds of things to share with teh public, and what not....but I digress.

BUT - all of those kinds of things can have major impact on whether or not a high school senior has met the requirements for admission to the University of Connecticut.

Going with the thought process, that the simplest thing that explains teh most is usually correct, and he's a mid-year H.S. transfer, it's probably something as simple as that he's got a handful of courses that are now incomplete at St. Paul, and whatever he's getting at GIlbert to finish H.S. isn't enough to get through admissions at UCONN.

 

[CTEagle]

Vazzano and cioffe are not D1 QB's. Vazzano has the size but that's about it. Cioffe couldn't cut it at Prep or saint joes. He's been at 3-4 high schools over the past 5 years. Uconn should be aiming higher

 

[junglehusky]

As others have pointed out, we don't have the facts - as Donald Rumsfeld used to say, a bunch of unknown unknowns.. [OBLIGATORY WILD-ASS-GUESS FLAG] I wonder what Marchi's relationship to the St. Paul coaches is like, you might expect them to have a comment on the situation but if the relationship went south for some reason... well that might be a factor. Another factor could be change of coaches at UConn. Then the fact that he's a 17 year old kid.

 

[Waquoit]

That's especially true with a new HC since I believe they really would want to avoid creating an embarrassing situation like this just after he's hired.

You would think that, but it's not a given. I think there's faction there doesn't care and actually looks for chances to stick it to the athletics.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

You would think that, but it's not a given. I think there's faction there doesn't care and actually looks for chances to stick it to the athletics.

It's not like the admissions area has a history or anything. Or that one of our former coaches made a reference to the rigorous admissions process as one of the reasons he left. Not like we didn't think Mark Harrison couldn't play.

 

[Carl Spackler]

You would think that, but it's not a given. I think there's faction there doesn't care and actually looks for chances to stick it to the athletics.

Interesting accusation.

The thought process being put forth by most of the opinions I've read around here, is that whatever the hang up is/was - for this specific prospective student-athlete, and confirming a an athletic scholarship starting in the fall of 2014 - should have been identified sooner and the prospect notified earlier.

My response to that is......why?

Maybe UCONN was fully aware of everything going on with this prospect, and waited as long as they could to get what they needed from a prospective student athlete to justify awarding and athletic scholarship starting in the fall 2014 term, and didn't get it, and moved on.

That's not a very sexy story though.

 

[Carl Spackler]

It's not like the admissions area has a history or anything. Or that one of our former coaches made a reference to the rigorous admissions process as one of the reasons he left. Not like we didn't think Mark Harrison couldn't play.

If there is a legitimate problem with communication and procedure between the football recruiting staff and the university admissions office, then it needs to be addressed by the proper authorities in the university structure, and the would be the head football coach, the recruiting director(s) and their staff, and the admissions office staff. All under the watch of the university president and athletic director.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

If there is a legitimate problem with communication and procedure between the football recruiting staff and the university admissions office, then it needs to be addressed by the proper authorities in the university structure, and the would be the head football coach, the recruiting director(s) and their staff, and the admissions office staff. All under the watch of the university president and athletic director.

That's correct. I started a thread on the main board hoping we did exactly this.

Somehow Rutgers takes in PSU academic rejects as well as kids like Harrison (who we didn't even bother to recruit because of grades) while maintaining their academic status. We're not Stanford. And we're not Louisville. Can we find the middle ground?

 

[Carl Spackler]

That's correct. I started a thread on the main board hoping we did exactly this.

Somehow Rutgers takes in PSU academic rejects as well as kids like Harrison (who we didn't even bother to recruit because of grades) while maintaining their academic status. We're not Stanford. And we're not Louisville. Can we find the middle ground?

Jimmy, Jimmy....what's the simplest solution that explains the most? - could it be that University of New Jersey is probably doing some shady sh---t and has closets full of skeletons and all kinds of stuff under the rug? I wonder if they have a track record for that.

It's entirely unrealistic to expect every recruit that commits to the university to actually receive a scholarship come signing day. There will be multiple kids every year that commit that don't get it for any number of reasons. All you can do is be completely open and honest about things and what you're doing. IN college football your rep is all you got.

While this has probably been an emotionally tough thing for this kid and his family to handle, there is no indication that UCONN has done anything to make things more difficult in recruiting than it needs to be for our program, and there is even less to think that this was some kind of conspiracy.

If a coach has a problem with academics admissions and getting recruits through, then they need to either get the standards changed or find prospects to recruit that do fit. If there is an adversiaral relationship regarding processing recruits through admissions to such an extent as what has been accused here, in that recruits are losing scholarships because of communication failures, or something like that (complete accusatory spectulation) but if that were to be the case and there was a trend indicating that to be the case, then the supervisory roles at the university president an athletic director level needs to root it out, and to fire everybody and put people in place that can work together successfully.

 

[Jarhead_1775]

I can hear HFD screaming from here about our BS academic standards. God dammit I want to win, be relevant, and play in the B1G, but I won't do it at any cost. Standards are standards. I sincerely hope Logan meets them after a prep year and rocks the Rent for 4 years.

 

[kris1]

Interesting Bristol Press article on the Marchi situation, including comments from St. Paul HC, Jude Kelly.

http://bristolpress.com/articles/2014/02/02/sports/doc52eebb8ad2584551034619.txt

 

[huskymedic]

@TimothyGaffney: UConn takes back offer to Logan Marchi... http://post original url/IeJTjlbrTT