Now that Christmas is over....

[Exit 4]

Looking at this a different way, aside from Jordan Todman and maybe Kendall Reyes, i’m not sure any Uconn player that got to the NFL would have ever cracked the two deep at a top 10 college program at any time. Almost all of our NFL bound players required heavy - heavy loads of playing time to develop their game and display their ability. I’m talking about the kids that got drafted or have managed to stick to the active roster as free agents (Andrew Adams). In a top 10 program there are multiple new 4 and 5 star toys every year that would have kept these guys off the field.

 

[Guru13]

Looking at this a different way, aside from Jordan Todman and maybe Kendall Reyes, i’m not sure any Uconn player that got to the NFL would have ever cracked the two deep at a top 10 college program at any time. Almost all of our NFL bound players required heavy - heavy loads of playing time to develop their game and display their ability. I’m talking about the kids that got drafted or have managed to stick to the active roster as free agents (Andrew Adams). In a top 10 program there are multiple new 4 and 5 star toys every year that would have kept these guys off the field.

So looking at the Uconn roster with the new recruits, who do ya'll think has a chance of making the starting lineups that are 3 stars athletes and also making the NFL. We have a lot of younger guys with potential and there are probably gonna be some recruits that will end up locking up a spot for the next 3 years at Uconn.

 

[BlueMAB]

I get what you are saying. And I agree that’s what the recruit is likely to believe. We are just poiting out that it’s a foolish choice because they sit the bench, get beat up in practice and are not being evaluated as a game rep player at the next level.
Again, I’m not disagreeing with you all in terms of the choice a kid is likely going to make.

You're creating a straw man here. I refuse to accept the premise/assumption that if you're a 3-star athlete you're nailed to the bench just because there are guys rated higher by the scouts. Who's rating is more credible, Nick Saban's or Scout.com's?

Unless he's a QB, K or P, if he cracks the 2 deep, he'll see game time. If he's not good enough to crack the 2-deep, he's probably not good enough for the NFL.

For scalitos and giggles I looked at the 2014-2017 Bama classes. 15 total. More guys became starters than ended up transferring. Most guys got PT. 1 never enrolled, 3 were JuCos, and 3 transferred (2 P5, and 1G5)..

2014 They had four 3-stars. One was the #1 JuCo TE in the country, and played 2 years. One is now their starting punter, one is no longer on the roster (transferred to Minnesota), and the other never enrolled (went Juco).

2015: Four 3-stars. 1 transferred to Wisconsin, 1 was a JuCo who was dismissed for domestic violence, one is a RS Soph ST specialist who saw time as a RS soph, and played in every game in 2016, the last one was the starting right tackle as an RS sophomore last year.

2016: Seven 3-stars. 1 transferred to WVU, 1 (TE) played in 15 games as a true freshman, but saw his time drop last year. 1 played as a true freshman and played in all but 2 games in 2016 (missed 2 due to injury). 1 was a JuCo and was in the rotation on the DL last year. Another (TE) played in 12 games (3 starts) in 2016, and also played as a true frosh. 1 transferred to UCF. The last one played as a RS freshman, and started last year as a RS sophomore.

You can't simply conclude all of these three star guys will be nailed to the bench. Most of them either play, if they don't, they leave. You've got 3-star guys who earned starting time at RB, TE, and OT. A special-teamer who plays every game. A couple JuCos who played TE and DL, and a few guys who transferred to P5, or the best G5 program in the country right now. You'll never convince me taking your a chance to play at Bama, only to transfer to UCF, Minnesota, or Wisconsin, means you and your family made a huge mistake.

Would some of those guys get more time elsewhere? Maybe. But they're playing at Bama. They'll get evaluated by scouts who understand what that means. They'll get camp invites. They'll have a pro day. If they don't get drafted, you can't just assume they would have if they went a different route. And most importantly: They. Played. At. Bama.

 

[UConnDan97]

So looking at the Uconn roster with the new recruits, who do ya'll think has a chance of making the starting lineups that are 3 stars athletes and also making the NFL. We have a lot of younger guys with potential and there are probably gonna be some recruits that will end up locking up a spot for the next 3 years at Uconn.

In terms of 3 star UConn commits, the first name that jumps out is Travis Jones. If the reports are accurate, it's almost certain that he'll see the field for the majority of his four years. Another one that could possibly fit the bill is Krajewski. I'm not sure if he's a good enough QB to start his freshman year, but it's clear that we're expecting great things from him too. He led his high school to the Georgia championship game...

 

[Exit 4]

So looking at the Uconn roster with the new recruits, who do ya'll think has a chance of making it to the NFL. We have a lot of younger guys with potential and there are probably gonna be some recruits that will end up locking up a spot for the next 3 years at Uconn.

I have not watched every senior tape....but I like Morrison to be an impact athlete in the secondary and I also like Paul as a surprise at Cb. I like Travis Jones, Uguak and Kevon Jones to be plus level players overall. I worry that Webb might have dominated inferior completion, but we’ll see.

Elsewhere I think Jeffreys has surprising athletism, maursseau has some fine route running ability. Nyadu - love his tape and the level of kids he was playing. Neiwdowski (sp) has real potential to be good.

But circling back to the NFL question, I like Morrison on defense and Nyadu on offense as possible NFL players with second/third choices being T. jones or Uguak on D and neidrowski / Krajewski on offense.

I probably forgot someone, that’s my thinking on the fly.

 

[whaler11]

Looking at this a different way, aside from Jordan Todman and maybe Kendall Reyes, i’m not sure any Uconn player that got to the NFL would have ever cracked the two deep at a top 10 college program at any time. Almost all of our NFL bound players required heavy - heavy loads of playing time to develop their game and display their ability. I’m talking about the kids that got drafted or have managed to stick to the active roster as free agents (Andrew Adams). In a top 10 program there are multiple new 4 and 5 star toys every year that would have kept these guys off the field.

The coaches at top 10 schools are too stupid to play the best players on their roster.

Another interesting angle.

 

[Guru13]

In terms of 3 star UConn commits, the first name that jumps out is Travis Jones. If the reports are accurate, it's almost certain that he'll see the field for the majority of his four years. Another one that could possibly fit the bill is Krajewski. I'm not sure if he's a good enough QB to start his freshman year, but it's clear that we're expecting great things from him too. He led his high school to the Georgia championship game...

Yea Travis Jones will be taking someone spot at DT, I have a feeling will see him at DE too in some situations. Krajewski will definitely be a starter probably after a redshirt year or maybe in year two as an RS SO. We also have Nyadu who will probably end up competing for a starter position after a redshirt season or he may end up on the two-deep in the fall, he is enrolling early so he as an advantage to quickly learn the playbook and get bigger

 

[Exit 4]

The coaches at top 10 schools are too stupid to play the best players on their roster.

Another interesting angle.

You are assuming practice delivers clear results as to who the best players are which is not always the case. Almost none of our NFL bound kids looked very special in high school or - moreover during their first three years at Uconn even after getting a ton of reps. The only player I thought had a sure fire NFL career from day one at Uconn was Toddman.

 

[whaler11]

You are assuming practice delivers clear results as to who the best players are which is not always the case. Almost none of our NFL bound kids looked very special in high school or - moreover during their first three years at Uconn even after getting a ton of reps. The only player I thought had a sure fire NFL career from day one at Uconn was Toddman.

This seems like a bigger stretch than the best coaches in the country misevaluating their own rosters so badly that only 2 of UConn’s NFL players would have been on their two-deep?

 

[Guru13]

I have not watched every senior tape....but I like Morrison to be an impact athlete in the secondary and I also like Paul as a surprise at Cb. I like Travis Jones, Uguak and Kevon Jones to be plus level players overall. I worry that Webb might have dominated inferior completion, but we’ll see.

Elsewhere I think Jeffreys has surprising athletism, maursseau has some fine route running ability. Nyadu - love his tape and the level of kids he was playing. Neiwdowski (sp) has real potential to be good.

But circling back to the NFL question, I like Morrison on defense and Nyadu on offense as possible NFL players with second/third choices being T. jones or Uguak on D and neidrowski / Krajewski on offense.

I probably forgot someone, that’s my thinking on the fly.

The secondary is really gonna have some talent for sure. This group will probably end up being very talented and who knows we may end up being known as DBU if we take flight. I watched Morrison tape and I hope we use him on the Outside and move Jordan Swann to the inside as a nickel DB. Travis Jones will make an impact from the get go. I wanna say he will piss a lot of our oline off during one-on-ones but hey it will be great competition for them to also get better. I like to see a matchup between him and Nyadu. Players like Webb sometimes are questionable to me, he really dominated but like you said against inferior competition. Hopefully we are wrong about him, but it will be interesting to see how he turns out. Nyadu is going to end up being a great guard/tackle for us. I love when he is running downhill to make a block, he has a high motor. Neiwdowski is a sleeper in this class and has potential to be good.

We have 16 players that are 3 stars from this year and last year's recruiting class. So will see where they end up in the next upcoming year and the year after.

 

[Exit 4]

This seems like a bigger stretch than the best coaches in the country misevaluating their own rosters so badly that only 2 of UConn’s NFL players would have been on their two-deep?

I don’t think it’s a stretch at all. This situation is most evident when a starter goes down for the season via injury and three games later everyone views the replacement as better than the original starter. So, when that happens did the coach mismanage his roster? Yes, by your definition. The reality is no one really knew what would happen until the staff was forced which in turn allowed the replacement to finish his development and evolve into the better player. Not all players get better with reps, but virtually every Uconn NFL bound player needed a ton or reps to get NFL ready.

Top programs don’t take kids that will need three years as starter to become NFL worthy. They move on to the next four or five star toy that walks in every July.

 

[Hornet22]

The coaches at top 10 schools are too stupid to play the best players on their roster.

Another interesting angle.

Interesting article I came across.
It’s not as easy as you think. And these guys have to work to convince a top level guy to come and sit. There is no way that all these guys are playing meaningful minutes at these programs. It’s just a numbers game. And if you buy what they’re selling, God bless ya. I don’t want to sit the pine at Alabama just because Saban is telling me it’s best for me for NFL purposes. It’s a sales pitch so they can have competitive practices to help the cream that rises to the top. But trust and believe there are NFL potential guys on that bench that rarely see the field

How programs convince elite recruits to sit bench

 

[Hornet22]

“

Interesting article I came across.
It’s not as easy as you think. And these guys have to work to convince a top level guy to come and sit. There is no way that all these guys are playing meaningful minutes at these programs. It’s just a numbers game. And if you buy what they’re selling, God bless ya. I don’t want to sit the pine at Alabama just because Saban is telling me it’s best for me for NFL purposes. It’s a sales pitch so they can have competitive practices to help the cream that rises to the top. But trust and believe there are NFL potential guys on that bench that rarely see the field

How programs convince elite recruits to sit bench

Jeremiah went more in-depth on the process with fellow former Seahawksand Panthers scout Bucky Brooks on their CFB 24/7 podcast recently,expounding on the method to the madness of trying to land on a grade. "A lot of times when we'd get a discussion on a player," he said, "we would go up to the whiteboard, go around the room and say, okay, 'Which games did you watch? Which games did you watch?' Then literally, the director in the room would be like, ‘Okay, Bucky, why don't you go watch these four late-season games, D.J., you need to go watch these three games you missed early in the year. Let's come back together and see if we can't figure this guy out. We got to get him right, we got to get him where he belongs."

YOU NEED TO PLAY IN GAMES!
If a coach is trying to sell me on making it to the league despite much playing time I’m not buying. He’s only recruiting me for practice depth. Not saying it’s impossible to make it. But again, UConn had 90 scouts come through the facility. If I’m getting playing time and leaving my mark on the field at the FBS Level then I’m in a good spot.

 

[Hornet22]

Let’s say they have 15? 2 redshirt, 1 is hurt - maybe 12 are available Saturday.

They play 7-8 in a close conference game. 10 in one of their constant blowouts.

They also give you 5 years to play 4.

They also have a pro workout days and they give camp invites to anyone willing to play tackling dummy.

Why don’t these NFL caliber bench warmers transfer? Why is the transfer market jammed up with Tre Bell and not NFL McFourstar.

You know how many players transfer from the big schools? Maybe you don’t pay attention. There are a handful of them that play meaningless minutes and probably regret going to said school.

 

[Hornet22]

I have not watched every senior tape....but I like Morrison to be an impact athlete in the secondary and I also like Paul as a surprise at Cb. I like Travis Jones, Uguak and Kevon Jones to be plus level players overall. I worry that Webb might have dominated inferior completion, but we’ll see.

Elsewhere I think Jeffreys has surprising athletism, maursseau has some fine route running ability. Nyadu - love his tape and the level of kids he was playing. Neiwdowski (sp) has real potential to be good.

But circling back to the NFL question, I like Morrison on defense and Nyadu on offense as possible NFL players with second/third choices being T. jones or Uguak on D and neidrowski / Krajewski on offense.

I probably forgot someone, that’s my thinking on the fly.

I wouldn’t sleep on any of these 19 guys. Remember, RE evaluated them and brought them in because he believes they can be coached.
All of these guys showed something that lends one to believe if they continue to progress and accept the coaching they can be darn good. Especially the secondary.

 

[Hornet22]

“More important than that, though, is how well a prospect actually plays his position. This is the nuance of tape analysis, learning how a player moves, how he recognizes defensive/offensive schemes, and how skilled he is on the field. This is huge part of the scouting process and the inordinate amount of time that goes into it. The ironic part about scouting though, is that while game-tape analysis is one of the most important components of a report, it's ultimately the easy part.”

Sorry guys. Can’t be in this category if you’re riding the pine at Bama. No way.
Tough to get to the league from the sidelines fellas. And as for garbage time, that’s not good enough. You need lots of meaningful minutes to develop a true draft grade.
Not sure how something as Simple as this escapes some of you here?
Yes, being on the field at UConn is WAY better than fighting for playing time and getting some minutes at Bama. I wouldnt advocate going to Sacred Heart over Bama for the sake of playing time but playing time at UConn (FBS) is so valuable. Believe me, if I’m a corner and I have good measurables and I’m balling out against Boise, Syracuse, UCF, Memphis, Indiana, Illinois, etc. I’m in a VERY GOOD SPOT and I’m developing a draft grade.

 

[whaler11]

Top programs don’t take kids that will need three years as starter to become NFL worthy.

Which is why this is a giant strawman these two have created to burn down. These players don’t exist.

 

[Hornet22]

I don’t think it’s a stretch at all. This situation is most evident when a starter goes down for the season via injury and three games later everyone views the replacement as better than the original starter. So, when that happens did the coach mismanage his roster? Yes, by your definition. The reality is no one really knew what would happen until the staff was forced which in turn allowed the replacement to finish his development and evolve into the better player. Not all players get better with reps, but virtually every Uconn NFL bound player needed a ton or reps to get NFL ready.

Top programs don’t take kids that will need three years as starter to become NFL worthy. They move on to the next four or five star toy that walks in every July.

Exit 4. I guess you don’t quite understand the point either with your last paragraph. I NEVER said top programs are taking guys who can’t make it to the NFL. I simply said that those programs get guys who are NFL caliber yet never see meaningful time because those programs are loaded with players like that. Which is why the statement was made that some of those guys are better served going to an FBS where they can play rather than just going to a top FBS to sit the pine or maybe wait two to three years to finally get a chance. But you’re asking a lot of a five star guy to be patient and focused and determined enough to stay the course. What usually happens is hose guys either quit, transfer or get in trouble because their egos are bruised.

Geez. It’s a numbers game. Everyone at a school like that doesn’t get to play like they thought they would because you can only travel with so many guys.

 

[kemba]

If a player is getting recruited by Alabama, they are getting recruited by loads of other elite programs and power five schools. If Bama's depth chart seems to daunting they can go to Georgia or Michigan. If those don't seem like good situations the can go to a mid level power five school. If all these top programs think they can play, nobody is saying wow Im not going to play there lets go to UConn. If you can't get on the field at any power five school you weren't an nfl player.

 

[Exit 4]

Which is why this is a giant strawman these two have created to burn down. These players don’t exist.

You haven’t refuted my point, that virtually none of Uconn’s NFL level players came in as such and all of them needed copious amounts of playing time to develop. It’s that simple. There is nothing strawman about that which is pretty plain to the eyes. Therefore the argument is the same one had since the birth of scholarship football, play at the highest level you can and fight for snaps (and take a chance you are overlooked!) or play a notch or two down and plan to get most of the snaps. Most choose the former of course for many reasons already discussed, but there is merit to the latter.

 

[Exit 4]

Exit 4. I guess you don’t quite understand the point either with your last paragraph. I NEVER said top programs are taking guys who can’t make it to the NFL. I simply said that those programs get guys who are NFL caliber yet never see meaningful time because those programs are loaded with players like that. Which is why the statement was made that some of those guys are better served going to an FBS where they can play rather than just going to a top FBS to sit the pine or maybe wait two to three years to finally get a chance. But you’re asking a lot of a five star guy to be patient and focused and determined enough to stay the course. What usually happens is hose guys either quit, transfer or get in trouble because their egos are bruised.

Geez. It’s a numbers game. Everyone at a school like that doesn’t get to play like they thought they would because you can only travel with so many guys.

I don’t think I have missed any of your points- just have my own points.

 

[whaler11]

You haven’t refuted my point, that virtually none of Uconn’s NFL level players came in as such and all of them needed copious amounts of playing time to develop. It’s that simple. There is nothing strawman about that which is pretty plain to the eyes. Therefore the argument is the same one had since the birth of scholarship football, play at the highest level you can and fight for snaps (and take a chance you are overlooked!) or play a notch or two down and plan to get most of the snaps. Most choose the former of course for many reasons already discussed, but there is merit to the latter.

For the love of pete. The strawman is that these players would be buried on a high level P5 bench.

Nick Williams wasn’t picking between LSU and UConn.

 

[Hornet22]

If I’m a scout at the Ravens and we’re in our war room going over draftable players. Again, we’re looking for CB. You have a talented guy at Bama who drank the coolaid and is in his junior year but hasn’t really seen the field. He’s waiting for his shot. But again, he believes because he’s at Bama that riding the bench is still good enough to make it because of the name brand and the level of coaching etc. Now take a guy from UConn who was a legit 3 star guy that decided that he wanted to play and knew he could come and start based on our roster. Following me so far?
Now the UConn guy who spurned Bama is doing really well as he should because he was a legit top level prospect playing in a G5 conference with some decent out of conference FBS opponents on the schedule.
Now when the Ravens meet and they need a corner who the heck do you think will have more to evaluate? What will jump out is the guy from UConn because he actually has film to watch and evaluate. The guy riding the pine will be at the bottom of the pile because how can they determine how effective of a player he can be on an NFL field by simply saying, “But he’s at Bama fellas.”
If I’m a 3 star guy Bama will sign me because they need competive bodies. But I may not necessarily want to take that deal as the 3 star player because it’s all about playing time and that will be tough sledding.

 

[whaler11]

If I’m a scout at the Ravens and we’re in our war room going over draftable players. Again, we’re looking for CB. You have a talented guy at Bama who drank the coolaid and is in his junior year but hasn’t really seen the field. He’s waiting for his shot. But again, he believes because he’s at Bama that riding the bench is still good enough to make it because of the name brand and the level of coaching etc. Now take a guy from UConn who was a legit 3 star guy that decided that he wanted to play and knew he could come and start based on our roster. Following me so far?
Now the UConn guy who spurned Bama is doing really well as he should because he was a legit top level prospect playing in a G5 conference with some decent out of conference FBS opponents on the schedule.
Now when the Ravens meet and they need a corner who the heck do you think will have more to evaluate? What will jump out is the guy from UConn because he actually has film to watch and evaluate. The guy riding the pine will be at the bottom of the pile because how can they determine how effective of a player he can be on an NFL field by simply saying, “But he’s at Bama fellas.”
If I’m a 3 star guy Bama will sign me because they need competive bodies. But I may not necessarily want to take that deal as the 3 star player because it’s all about playing time and that will be tough sledding.

Sure this was all proven 100% fantasy by Wing yesterday but keep saying it.

Nobody picks between Alabama and G5. This is so ridiculous it’s painful.

 

[Hornet22]

You haven’t refuted my point, that virtually none of Uconn’s NFL level players came in as such and all of them needed copious amounts of playing time to develop. It’s that simple. There is nothing strawman about that which is pretty plain to the eyes. Therefore the argument is the same one had since the birth of scholarship football, play at the highest level you can and fight for snaps (and take a chance you are overlooked!) or play a notch or two down and plan to get most of the snaps. Most choose the former of course for many reasons already discussed, but there is merit to the latter.

Exit 4!!!! Eureka!!!! That has been my point all along. I know what the most popular choice is. Doesn’t take a dummy to figure that out. But yes! There is merit to the latter. That’s all I’ve been saying.

 

[Exit 4]

If a player is getting recruited by Alabama, they are getting recruited by loads of other elite programs and power five schools. If Bama's depth chart seems to daunting they can go to Georgia or Michigan. If those don't seem like good situations the can go to a mid level power five school. If all these top programs think they can play, nobody is saying wow Im not going to play there lets go to UConn. If you can't get on the field at any power five school you weren't an nfl player.

The argument to me is about snaps. Plenty of four star kids at top 10 programs could have increased their NFL odds by transferring a notch down (say Clemson to West Virgina) to get more snaps which allows for needed development and screen time. To me there is nothing more complicated about this. At bama, you might be a 5th round level talent, but there are two players in front of you with 1st and 3rd round talent and so your snaps are limited and you never develop.

 

[Exit 4]

Exit 4!!!! Eureka!!!! That has been my point all along. I know what the most popular choice is. Doesn’t take a dummy to figure that out. But yes! There is merit to the latter. That’s all I’ve been saying.

Hornett22, you appear to be new around here, but this is a conversation that has been had many times before over the years during recruiting season.

 

[Exit 4]

For the love of pete. The strawman is that these players would be buried on a high level P5 bench.

Nick Williams wasn’t picking between LSU and UConn.

Of course Nick wasn’t. He needed time to develop and play and then he improved to become NFL level talent. Meanwhile that four star kid could never could get past the 1 and 3rd round picks in front of him at his position and hence never makes it to the NFL. The point here is a lot of talent from high school fails to develop because of the numbers game on any given roster. Those kids should have played down a notch. Of course, we are taking about Bama kids that should have played at miss st. For Uconn, it’s about Maryland and Rutty kids that should have played at Uconn.

 

[Hornet22]

Sure this was all proven 100% fantasy by Wing yesterday but keep saying it.

Nobody picks between Alabama and G5. This is so ridiculous it’s painful.

Ha! I’m a basketball guy by trade and what you don’t realize is it happened with college basketball and will continue and eventually spill in to football. How do you think the likes of Wichita State, Butler and a host of mid majors started getting good? Because players were getting tired of sitting the bench at the Kentucky’s and Dukes and once George Mason made some noise in the tournament years back and even Butler (throw in VCU) then the tide started to slowly turn. High level Prospects started looking for rosters where they could actually see the floor and knew full well that they could make it to the League anyways.
So keep thinking this was a straw man blah blah blah.
Basketball proved it makes sense in a lot of cases. Football will come next.
Antonio Gibson from Memphis. Look at his offer sheet. Two SEC schools on it.
Troy Hurst turned down Missouri in the SEC that has arguable the best offense in the country to go to Memphis.
Kenny Gainwell from Memphis turned down Ole Miss
Ever heard of Ed Oliver? Houston Cougars. No 6th ranked prospect in the country in 2016 turned down everyone to go to Houston.
Please. Do yourself a favor and check the last few classes for G5’s and check their offer sheets.
You guys are clueless

 

[whaler11]

Ha! I’m a basketball guy by trade and what you don’t realize is it happened with college basketball and will continue and eventually spill in to football. How do you think the likes of Wichita State, Butler and a host of mid majors started getting good? Because players were getting tired of sitting the bench at the Kentucky’s and Dukes and once George Mason made some noise in the tournament years back and even Butler (throw in VCU) then the tide started to slowly turn. High level Prospects started looking for rosters where they could actually see the floor and knew full well that they could make it to the League anyways.
So keep thinking this was a straw man blah blah blah.
Basketball proved it makes sense in a lot of cases. Football will come next.
Antonio Gibson from Memphis. Look at his offer sheet. Two SEC schools on it.
Troy Hurst turned down Missouri in the SEC that has arguable the best offense in the country to go to Memphis.
Kenny Gainwell from Memphis turned down Ole Miss
Ever heard of Ed Oliver? Houston Cougars. No 6th ranked prospect in the country in 2016 turned down everyone to go to Houston.
Please. Do yourself a favor and check the last few classes for G5’s and check their offer sheets.
You guys are clueless

Do you even read the posts. I mentioned Ed Oliver 5 pages ago.

Fine - what you want to happen and what you think is best is going to happen.

If you are a basketball guy tell me some more how the best recruits don’t all go to the same handful of schools and instead choose George Mason? What planet do you live on?