OT: Former UCONN recruit RB Alden Hill to transfer from Tennessee

[FDNY99]

He was pretty high on us before ending up at UT...
http://espn.go.com/college-football...tennessee-volunteers-transfer-first-true-love

 

[ktuck911]

I remember that kid. They sold him a dream in Knoxville. He would've been better off in Storrs. Would he be a fit now?hmmmm

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

this kid. This is the recruit who bad mouthed UConn and the Big East when he committed to Tennessee.

 

[ktuck911]

I know he badmouthed us bro... But EVERYBODY that's considered 'somebody' that opted for 'bigger' schools ( when it comes to FBS level football ) probably did. We gotta put into perspective where we were a few years ago (once Edsall left ) to where we're headed now. Totally different direction. If he could help us grow, and there happens to be mutual interest, then maybe we at least give it consideration. Doesn't necessarily mean he'll play a huge role (i.e. DJ Shoemate... No disrespect to that kid.. loved him, but ...) as far as live game action on the field output, but he can bring some of that know how that he learned at the SEC level here. Just sayin...

 

[LIUCHusky]

I know he badmouthed us bro... But EVERYBODY that's considered 'somebody' that opted for 'bigger' schools ( when it comes to FBS level football ) probably did. We gotta put into perspective where we were a few years ago (once Edsall left ) to where we're headed now. Totally different direction. If he could help us grow, and there happens to be mutual interest, then maybe we at least give it consideration. Doesn't necessarily mean he'll play a huge role (i.e. DJ Shoemate... No disrespect to that kid.. loved him, but ...) as far as live game action on the field output, but he can bring some of that know how that he learned at the SEC level here. Just sayin...

We have three running backs coming in this fall. Why would we want to recruit another one for this class? He would only have two years of eligibility left after sitting out next year. Doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Maybe he's leaving Tenn cause he bought into his own hype and isn't as good as he thought. Either way, I'll pass.

 

[kcc1442]

We should always be trying to add more talent to bring in competition amongst the position groups. This kid has talent. He was very fond of UCONN until he went and visited Tennessee. Can't knock a kid for being honest. It's not like he came out and said UCONN was awful and I would never go there. He was impressed by us and seemed to be ours until he visited Tenn. I would welcome him for sure.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

“Tennessee has everything that UConn has, but Tennessee has the recognition and the conference,” he told GVX247.com. “The only thing with UConn was I felt that UConn was too small. I mean, small is OK in some spots. But I just felt I’m a better player than the Big East, you know?”

 

[uconndogs]

“Tennessee has everything that UConn has, but Tennessee has the recognition and the conference,” he told GVX247.com. “The only thing with UConn was I felt that UConn was too small. I mean, small is OK in some spots. But I just felt I’m a better player than the Big East, you know?”

I said much more stupid stuff than that when I was that age, but jeesh these kids need to learn some humility in this process......

 

[UConnDan97]

“Tennessee has everything that UConn has, but Tennessee has the recognition and the conference,” he told GVX247.com. “The only thing with UConn was I felt that UConn was too small. I mean, small is OK in some spots. But I just felt I’m a better player than the Big East, you know?”

I'm with Jimmy and Duncan on this one.... him...

 

[ktuck911]

ok.. that quote does confirm the ' him' thing... BUT, remember guys, these are kids when they get recruited. If kids aren't grounded at home, and really understand humility, comments like that come out. They can burn bridges unkowingly.

The world is not as forgiving as they might think as they get on in years from boyhood to manhood...

 

[Carl Spackler]

The quote from the kid, is unfortunately a reality of the recruiting battles that UCONN did, and will continue, to face. Recruiters from other schools, have and will continue to use the same kind of arguments.

All I can say, is that if kid is gullible enough to fall for that kind of a recruiting pitch against UCONN, then the recruit is a poor match for the UCONN program. There are plenty of valid reasons that make sense that can and will go into current and future recruits either choosing to enroll at UCONN or enroll somewhere other than UCONN, and the kid's quote is NOT one them.

Said another way....if a recruit feels that the things this kid mentioned are of high priority in their decision making processes regarding attending college - that's the kind of recruit that I don't see a problem with taking an immediate pass on, and moving on to the next guy.

 

[Bill Sussman]

“Tennessee has everything that UConn has, but Tennessee has the recognition and the conference,” he told GVX247.com. “The only thing with UConn was I felt that UConn was too small. I mean, small is OK in some spots. But I just felt I’m a better player than the Big East, you know?”

Nothing against Alden, maybe he has learned something from this experience. Maybe he has changed his mind. Maybe he hasn't. Best of luck to him, and if he wants to look back at UConn, I would say why not.

But it is quotes like the one above that have disillusioned me from following recruiting too closely. I still watch it but am less concerned. It's quotes like the one above that I want the team to read and use a fuel for the fire. I want a full roster of kids that no one else wants and are hungry to prove everyone wrong. I want a roster full of players with a chip on their shoulder and with something to prove. A roster full of players who are willing to put in grueling hours of strength and conditioning in order to improve themselves and the team. A roster full of players who bring it everyday at practice and then put in extra hours because they have to do more in order to be better. A roster full of players who feed on quotes like this and go out and beat the teams who were too big time for them.

I have full on embraced the underdog position. Forget conference realignment, forget the Power 5, forget NCAA governance models. I want a team that just acknowledges that UConn is screwed in that game and just goes out and wins in spite of it. And I want a fanbase that is along for the ride.

Just fired myself up for this season. Here are some quotes to live by on my own personal bandwagon:

"What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn't think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know." -Arnold Schwarzenegger

“If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” -T.S. Eliot

"Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” - Roger Crawford

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” -Randy Pausch​

My motto for this season is two middle fingers and "Bring it"

 

[Woof 101]

Nothing against Alden, maybe he has learned something from this experience. Maybe he has changed his mind. Maybe he hasn't. Best of luck to him, and if he wants to look back at UConn, I would say why not.

But it is quotes like the one above that have disillusioned me from following recruiting too closely. I still watch it but am less concerned. It's quotes like the one above that I want the team to read and use a fuel for the fire. I want a full roster of kids that no one else wants and are hungry to prove everyone wrong. I want a roster full of players with a chip on their shoulder and with something to prove. A roster full of players who are willing to put in grueling hours of strength and conditioning in order to improve themselves and the team. A roster full of players who bring it everyday at practice and then put in extra hours because they have to do more in order to be better. A roster full of players who feed on quotes like this and go out and beat the teams who were too big time for them.

I have full on embraced the underdog position. Forget conference realignment, forget the Power 5, forget NCAA governance models. I want a team that just acknowledges that UConn is screwed in that game and just goes out and wins in spite of it. And I want a fanbase that is along for the ride.

Just fired myself up for this season. Here are some quotes to live by on my own personal bandwagon:

"What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn't think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know." -Arnold Schwarzenegger

“If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” -T.S. Eliot

"Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” - Roger Crawford

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” -Randy Pausch​

My motto for this season is two middle fingers and "Bring it"

Wow a lot of rah rah here, which we need, but Arnold? Then to finish with your motto being two middle fingers? Sounds like you are watching too much action fiction. The two middle fingers is what the kid gave us and The Big East. Not a motto our program would need want or desire.
No malice just say'n....

 

[kcc1442]

Wow a lot of rah rah here, which we need, but Arnold? Then to finish with your motto being two middle fingers? Sounds like you are watching too much action fiction. The two middle fingers is what the kid gave us and The Big East. Not a motto our program would need want or desire.
No malice just say'n....

Every year hundreds and hundreds of kids give us the middle finger as they choose other schools. They also gave the proverbial middle finger to every other school they didn't choose. This kid basically had us a his favorite school and then we finished 2nd in the process. Just because he was honest and told us (when he 17 i might add) that he thought Tennessee brought something UCONN couldn't and part of that was conference affiliation, so we say we won't accept him now regardless of his talent? How about all the other kids that we offered coming out of HS but then gave us a middle finger and choose elsewhere, only to transfer to UCONN later. Shakim Phillips comes to mind. In some ways Boyle. Frazer I believe had an offer. The list goes on. Kids make decisions for all kinds of reasons, at that age. Let's not even pretend that it is so unreasonable that he decided to play at Tennessee in the SEC over coming to UCONN. Its not like he choose UMASS.

 

[uconnflyer88]

It's a completely different staff so I'm not sure the new staff even knows who he is.

Not sure how that conversation would go, Alden picks up the phone and calls Diaco and says "Hey, I was recruited by Coach Pasqualoni back in the day and I liked the program....any spots available?"

 

[CTMike]

My motto for this season is two middle fingers and "Bring it"

Not just like... LOVE it!!

 

[Bill Sussman]

Every year hundreds and hundreds of kids give us the middle finger as they choose other schools. They also gave the proverbial middle finger to every other school they didn't choose. This kid basically had us a his favorite school and then we finished 2nd in the process. Just because he was honest and told us (when he 17 i might add) that he thought Tennessee brought something UCONN couldn't and part of that was conference affiliation, so we say we won't accept him now regardless of his talent? How about all the other kids that we offered coming out of HS but then gave us a middle finger and choose elsewhere, only to transfer to UCONN later. Shakim Phillips comes to mind. In some ways Boyle. Frazer I believe had an offer. The list goes on. Kids make decisions for all kinds of reasons, at that age. Let's not even pretend that it is so unreasonable that he decided to play at Tennessee in the SEC over coming to UCONN. Its not like he choose UMASS.

If you read my post, I actually said if Alden wants to take a look again, why not....as in go for it.

 

[Bill Sussman]

Wow a lot of rah rah here, which we need, but Arnold? Then to finish with your motto being two middle fingers? Sounds like you are watching too much action fiction. The two middle fingers is what the kid gave us and The Big East. Not a motto our program would need want or desire.
No malice just say'n....

Life must be very very boring for you. Have a little fun. Get a little excited. Say some things that you actually mean. The program isn't going to adopt my unofficial motto. You can sleep tight at night.

 

[kcc1442]

If you read my post, I actually said if Alden wants to take a look again, why not....as in go for it.

I know?

I agreed with you. I liked your post. I showed you by liking your post. I didn't agree with the woof man's comments.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

this kid. This is the recruit who bad mouthed UConn and the Big East when he committed to Tennessee.

Like Coach Diaco says when meeting Prospective Student Athletes (per the Hartcord courant) "we want kids that want to be here." I don't care if Mr. Hill thinks he wants to be here now, he apparently didn't then and badmouthed us and that's enough for me. Bridge Burned! Please drive through.

 

[Bill Sussman]

I know?

I agreed with you. I liked your post. I showed you by liking your post. I didn't agree with the woof man's comments.

 

[kcc1442]

Like Coach Diaco says when meeting Prospective Student Athletes (per the Hartcord courant) "we want kids that want to be here." I don't care if Mr. Hill thinks he wants to be here now, he apparently didn't then and badmouthed us and that's enough for me. Bridge Burned! Please drive through.

I really don't know why I'm barking up this tree today. But here it goes. Where is the badmouthing comments? Seriously are we that righteous these days that we can say a 17 year old shouldn't have said publicly that he chose the SEC team over the Big East team? Whats next? HCBD gets a 4 star prospect this year to cut his list to us and Alabama, and he comes out and says I had to pick Alabama over UCONN because hey its the SEC and Alabama. And you're going to condemn the kid? ....How about Hell yeah that kid had us with Alabama!...But no you're right, lets pile on and trash the teenager for stating his honest opinion on a matter that seems pretty matter of fact.

And looking forward, when you were a teenager you never had a change of heart? You were all-knowing and always made the best decision for your future the first time? Come on....

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I really don't know why I'm barking up this tree today. But here it goes. Where is the badmouthing comments? Seriously are we that righteous these days that we can say a 17 year old shouldn't have said publicly that he chose the SEC team over the Big East team? Whats next? HCBD gets a 4 star prospect this year to cut his list to us and Alabama, and he comes out and says I had to pick Alabama over UCONN because hey its the SEC and Alabama. And you're going to condemn the kid? ....How about Hell yeah that kid had us with Alabama!...But no you're right, lets pile on and trash the teenager for stating his honest opinion on a matter that seems pretty matter of fact.

And looking forward, when you were a teenager you never had a change of heart? You were all-knowing and always made the best decision for your future the first time? Come on....

I was responding on what a previous poster said and why I said the word apparently when responding. If he did not bad mouth us then my answer changes. Maybe someone can clear up what comments he did make when passing us over, if they recall them. If he truly bad mouthed UCONN then I stick by my guns. If it's as simple as the SEC is better than the Big East, then I agree with him and bring him on if he fits what the coaching staff is trying to do.
Again, I'm replying on how Jimmy Serrano worded it.

 

[kcc1442]

I was responding on what a previous poster said and why I said the word apparently when responding. If he did not bad mouth us then my answer changes. Maybe someone can clear up what comments he did make when passing us over, if they recall them. If he truly bad mouthed UCONN then I stick by my guns. If it's as simple as the SEC is better than the Big East, then I agree with him and bring him on if he fits what the coaching staff is trying to do.
Again, I'm replying on how Jimmy Serrano worded it.

Yeah I don't remember the words exactly but I remember the positive comments well and i remember his recruitment. He had other good offers but he came to visit us he loved our facilities and campus and everything about UCONN. We were definitely his favorite over a handful of other P5 offers. He made some very positive comments to reporters. Then he went to visit Tennessee, and that was that. He probably compared the two programs because the interviewer had probably asked him about what he had said about UCONN. I don't remember anything too disparaging and I don't know why he would considering he liked UCONN so much. It was just a hey conference affliation and prestige there's no comparison.