Nate Hopkins has left the team

[TheDoggPound]

Bummed out. I guess Scott is the obvious candidate to replace his goal line touches?

 

[Chin Diesel]

Who wants to be the guy who ONLY gets the ball on 4th and 1 at the goal line.

Me.
Would love to have skillset of extending drives, putting points on the board and demoralizing defenses.

 

[Kemba429]

Really liked Hopkins. Excited to see the type of player Zavier Scott will become though now that hell get more snaps as a true frosh.

 

[JMick]

Really liked Hopkins. Excited to see the type of player Zavier Scott will become though now that hell get more snaps as a true frosh.

Scott is a RSFR. The two freshman are Gillespie and Black. If anyone gets hurt we will probably see one of them though

 

[huskymedic]

From the Fuller Robinson/Fortt article in its own thread:

>>Sophomore Nate Hopkins, who led the Huskies with seven touchdown runs in 2017 as a redshirt freshman, has left the team according to Edsall. “We had some changes in the depth chart,” Edsall said. “He told me he wanted to go somewhere else. I think we have some decent players at running back and I think the competition is pretty good. We told him what we thought his role would be as a short-yardage and goal line guy. We just try to be honest and if guys don’t want to do the role that we think and they think they can have a bigger role somewhere else, God bless them and good luck to you.”<<

 

[Pudge]

Edsall is an acquired taste. He has always been blunt - no diplomacy. The kids hear straight away when they are not meeting standards and the roles are evolving. Day to day. If Hopkins didn’t like the proposed role ... he has the ability - in my view - to earn the higher slot.

Kids aren’t different. 12-14 years ago ... UConn had to use a 4th guy as the starter RB for many games. He was super good in that role.

Chris Bellamy

 

[huskymedic]

Jim Fuller‏ @NHRJimFuller 12m 12 minutes ago
In #UConn's 1st 7 games in '17 - Nate Hopkins 75 carries, 289 yards, Kevin Mensah 46-210. Last 5 games, Hopkins 17-54, Mensah 80-351. With Zavier Scott (and others) also in mix, RB position should be fine even with Hopkins' departure

 

[whaler11]

Scott is a RSFR. The two freshman are Gillespie and Black. If anyone gets hurt we will probably see one of them though

Nobody even needs to get hurt. They can play 8 games between them.

 

[huskymedic]

Courant’s Putterman: UConn Running Back Nate Hopkins Leaves Team, Plans To Transfer

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Exit 4]

I don’t get the feeling Edsall tried that hard to get him to stay. We know Donovan Williams contemplated leaving and the staff convinced him not too.

I think the first game will be the Mensah/Scott/O’Reilly show and then we see four games sprinkled in for the two rookies for whomever is banged up.

And now it looks like the annual tryout will tilt toward finding another WO rb.... tell your friends!

 

[huskymedic]

... And now it looks like the annual tryout will tilt toward finding another WO rb.... tell your friends!

While Lavarey Banton is listed as a LB - he also played RB successfully in HS.

 

[Chief00]

This sucks. I liked this kid. He saved our hide against HC last year.

It’s always nice to have a relative big back by the goalline. He also gave them a change up at RB. Having said that he certainly wasn’t a star.

 

[Block C]

That’s what happens when there are players that compete. Edsall loves competition and if players can’t deal with it oh well.

 

[RMS25CT]

If O'Reilly is getting 1st team reps, it would seem that Mensah is not at 100% in terms of physical shape or playbook understanding. Hopefully he can make up for lost time even quicker now...

Maybe O’Reilly came back in better shape, stronger and quicker than the other RBs. Maybe he is more versatile and is a multi-down back. I’ve said a few times not to over look him.

I doubt there are many (if any) guys on that team that are as focused AND work harder than that kid. He knows what the prize is and hasn’t taken his eyes off of it since given the opportunity he has earned.

 

[Exit 4]

Maybe O’Reilly came back in better shape, stronger and quicker than the other RBs. Maybe he is more versatile and is a multi-down back. I’ve said a few times not to over look him.

I doubt there are many (if any) guys on that team that are as focused AND work harder than that kid. He knows what the prize is and hasn’t taken his eyes off of it since given the opportunity he has earned.

And Randy likes the guys that do what they are asked in terms of fitness, school and the playbook.

Now all five remaining RBs are guys Randy recruited.

 

[Austin316]

It’s always nice to have a relative big back by the goalline. He also gave them a change up at RB. Having said that he certainly wasn’t a star.

The kid was a freshman that got more touches and td’s from the backfield then Newsome. He was pretty good and I think he would have been great this year. That said, players going forward might be in check-mode and listen to their coaches before indicating how the depth chart should look.

Best of luck Nate.

 

[uconndogs]

Translation=we’ve got plenty of RB talent.

This is Edsall MO. Plenty of competition and the best play. This is nothing more than someone looking for more time somewhere else as they got pushed down the DC.

 

[RSTuthill]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When the guy that recruited you leaves, it is time to start assessing and developing your options.

 

[businesslawyer]

If he can get his academics in check.

I'm not sure why you're moaning here. He already has the grades he needs to play this semester. If he screws up in the classroom now, those chickens won't come home to roost until after the season.

 

[Milo65]

The kid was a freshman that got more touches and td’s from the backfield then Newsome. He was pretty good and I think he would have been great this year. That said, players going forward might be in check-mode and listen to their coaches before indicating how the depth chart should look.

Best of luck Nate.

I think that's more around Diaco and Company unable to understand Newsome's potential. Last year, Hopkins was mostly a goal line/short yardage back. Other than the Holy Cross game, his touches were limited. I like Hopkins, but with almost three weeks until the first game, I would of liked him to compete and prove the coaches wrong.

 

[ktuck911]

O'Reilly's on scholarship now FWIW

 

[YoungFree]

Well dang...

 

[HuskyHawk]

This is what is going to keep happening as Edsall transforms the roster. I hope Edsall is trying to move people around the field and see what he can do with them to keep them here.

 

[kemba]

I said in another thread edsall hasn't earned blind faith with qb's....with running backs he has. While at this point you'd prefer to keep him, its also exciting to see we have guys who have passed him on the depth chart