Rate the 2018 UConn Early Signing Class

[HuskyDogArt]

A great recruiting class, but we won't know until they hit the field...

 

[UConnJim]

Lutrus was bigger than that in HS. That's part of what I'm talking about in regards to exposure. No one was keeping tabs on these kids

Yes, I think by the end of his senior year, he was 210 to 215. As for not being looked at, I pulled up an article that said Maryland, BC, WVU, and Rutgers were interested and that he went to a junior day at Maryland (his coach played with Ralph Friedgen in HS). Other offers were Ivies.

 

[Devland]

Marcus Easley and Donald Thomas were walk-on's who became NFL players. There have been highly rated recruits, such as Dwayne Difton, who didn't contribute much. So who knows?

 

[JMick]

Yes, I think by the end of his senior year, he was 210 to 215. As for not being looked at, I pulled up an article that said Maryland, BC, WVU, and Rutgers were interested and that he went to a junior day at Maryland (his coach played with Ralph Friedgen in HS). Other offers were Ivies.

That may be true. I thought his only offers were UConn and Harvard

 

[HuskyHawk]

I’m happy Randy adjusted his approach. With the experienced guys coming in he realizes he cannot take 5 years to win games. He needs a 4 win season immediately. That can then allow him to recruit a little better. But good players don’t want to come to team that doesn’t look at least competitive.

I think you can sell somebody on the idea that they can help the team jump from 4 wins to bowl eligible. Selling them on the idea that they can improve a team as bad as we were last year? Much harder.

 

[YoungFree]

If you live by rankings, the class is up to #131 in the country.

Of the 4 unrated commitments on 247, at least Winston Jules has a rating on rivals and if the translation is equivalent to our other players, he should be rated between a 78-79 on 247. This could bump us up to #130...still off from last year's #106 class...but 247 doesn't count transfers if I remember right.

 

[Chief00]

John misfired on that one. We did try to recruit people with more offers. The problem is that no one wants to come here. Graded on a curve, this is a good class.

Must be a curve for a class of - I will stop there.

 

[Chief00]

I’m happy Randy adjusted his approach. With the experienced guys coming in he realizes he cannot take 5 years to win games. He needs a 4 win season immediately. That can then allow him to recruit a little better. But good players don’t want to come to team that doesn’t look at least competitive.

I think you can sell somebody on the idea that they can help the team jump from 4 wins to bowl eligible. Selling them on the idea that they can improve a team as bad as we were last year? Much harder.

You can’t really say yet that he’s gone ten toes in on the grad transfer or JUCO route. How many do we have?
The benchmark for teams who successfully do it in the AAC is in the 14-18 on the roster range - we probably have a handful?

 

[weyuo]

They are still ranked dead last in the AAC and in the 130's nation wide. That is not good at all. Unless over half the commits so far are diamonds in the rough(which we won't see for at least two seasons anyways) UConn isn't even treading water. Ranked around #6 in the conference would be treading water.

 

[Chief00]

My point is that our ceiling isn't high enough to ever pull in high 4* and 5* kids. Our ceiling is probably 1 4* kid every couple years. And we're very far from that ceiling right now. My initial post was pointing out that the type of guys TD would like us to get are those high 4* and 5* recruits, and we'll pretty much never land them. It doesn't mean we can't have good teams.

So far our ceiling isn’t good enough to win games or stop anyone at all. We need a huge upgrade just to be competitive. True, one step at a time, but the World has changed since sleepy Storrs in the 1990’s, even Storrs has dramatically changed.

 

[AndOne]

According to Rivals, the RE2.0/Diaco 2017 class was ranked 10th. Last year was ranked 11th. So far this class is ranked 12th. How does Tulsa and ECU have better recruits? Those schools are awful.

 

[JMick]

So far our ceiling isn’t good enough to win games or stop anyone at all. We need a huge upgrade just to be competitive. True, one step at a time, but the World has changed since sleepy Storrs in the 1990’s, even Storrs has dramatically changed.

I dont disagree that we need better players. It's clear that talent is a huge issue. It's just reality that we aren't going to get many plug and play guys. Randy wants kids he can mold, but we don't have 5 (now 3) years. CFB is very much a "what have you done for me lately" business. I wish he would have went for more JUCO guys and transfers in year one to bridge the gap. Instead he dropped the kids out of an airplane and asked them to learn how to parachute.

 

[noeynox]

Check out @CoachDShack’s Tweet:

 

[Dove]

Reminds me of when I was dating. I had to think there was something wrong with any girl who actually wanted to go out with me.

They settled.

 

[Chief00]

I dont disagree that we need better players. It's clear that talent is a huge issue. It's just reality that we aren't going to get many plug and play guys. Randy wants kids he can mold, but we don't have 5 (now 3) years. CFB is very much a "what have you done for me lately" business. I wish he would have went for more JUCO guys and transfers in year one to bridge the gap. Instead he dropped the kids out of an airplane and asked them to learn how to parachute.

I wonder what the average recruiting rankings were of the teams in this year’s Championship playoffs? True, not a perfect science but Chief thinks there’s a correlation. Yes, Randy may find some diamonds in the rough but we are actually in a pretty good football conference and that’s not going to cut it. It’s not the OBE anymore, we are competing with Southern schools from great recruiting areas with EZ/Pass admissions with a smooth path to handing a football player a piece of paper in 5 years, regardless of any academic curiousity or achievement.
#ChiefKeepingItReal

 

[uconndogs]

Check out @CoachDShack’s Tweet:

Wisdom!

 

[huskymedic]

I wonder what the average recruiting rankings were of the teams in this year’s Championship playoffs? True, not a perfect science but Chief thinks there’s a correlation. Yes, Randy may fine some diamonds in the rough but we are actually in a pretty good football conference and that’s not going to cut it. It’s not the OBE anymore, we are competing with Southern schools from great recruiting areas with EZ/Pass admissions with a smooth path to handing a football player a piece of paper in 5 years, regardless of any academic curiousity or achievement.

I'm not sure what you are trying to say... Is it perennial premier college football programs that recruit and get to commit multiple 5 and 4 star players each year end up being very good?

Here's where this year's Final Four recruited from:

 

[Bobol]

...... going by 247, we have 6 3 star players out of 11. That's a start to return to respectability.

On the other hand Rivals reports that we had 12 commits with ratings breaking down as follows:
3 three stars
6 two stars
3 zero stars.

Not good to have as many zero stars and three stars.

 

[huskymedic]

On the other hand Rivals reports that we had 12 commits with ratings breaking down as follows:
3 three stars
6 two stars
3 zero stars.

Not good to have as many zero stars and three stars.

But if you use the average rating for the current UConn commits on Rivals (2.08) and sort by that number -- UConn jumps into the top 100 (actually high 80's I believe). The rating algorithms for each site is a bit different. Once you get past a certain point - I'm not sure there is significant difference in teams once you take all the variables into consideration.

 

[Chief00]

I'm not sure what you are trying to say... Is it perennial premier college football programs that recruit and get to commit multiple 5 and 4 star players each year end up being very good?

Here's where this year's Final Four recruited from:

Correct, teams that are able to recruit 4 and 5 star players generally are higher ranked. Chief knows that’s stating the obvious but I say that because sometimes Chief thinks we romanticize too much about these diamonds in the rough players given the technology svailable now.
Huskymedic thanks for that map - Texas is really impressive with 83, but it also has a large population. Louisiana isn’t the hotbed it once was (23). Katrina displaced a lot of players to the Houston area. South Carolina (61) is extremely well represented given the population as is Alabama (64).
Surprisingly, GA (47), and OK (46) almost have as many players as populated FL (50).

 

[huskymedic]

Correct, teams that are able to recruit 4 and 5 star players generally are higher ranked. Chief knows that’s stating the obvious but I say that because sometimes Chief thinks we romanticize too much about these diamonds in the rough players given the technology svailable now.

Huskymedic thanks for that map - Texas is really impressive with 83, but it also has a large population. Louisiana isn’t the hotbed it once was (23). Katrina displaced a lot of players to the Houston area. South Carolina (61) is extremely well represented given the population as is Alabama (64). Surprisingly, GA (47), and OK (46) almost have as many players as populated FL (50).

UConn has been rutting about South Carolina this year more than I can remember than in previous years.

Here's another view (and to your point about romanticizing about diamonds in the rough players - there is an equal quixotic fantasy w/ UConn being able to get 4 and 5 star players to commit here - we just need to do continually better attracting mid to high 3 stars players because they are more likely to get on campus and in the door).

 

[Chief00]

UConn has been rutting about South Carolina this year more than I can remember than previous years.

Here's another view (and to your point about romanticizing about diamonds in the rough players - there is an equal quixotic fantasy w/ the UConn being able to get 4 and 5 star players to commit here - we just need to do continually better attracting mid to high 3 stars players because they are more likely to get on campus and in the door).

Agree, if we work effectively, 3 star recruits would be pleasing. I brought up the 4 and 5 stars to prove In rankings there’s a rough directional correlation to winning. Not an Earth shattering insight but worth saying.

 

[RSTuthill]

Agree, if we work effectively, 3 star recruits would be pleasing. I brought up the 4 and 5 stars to prove In rankings there’s a rough directional correlation to winning. Not an Earth shattering insight but worth saying.

YOU brought up the 4 and 5 stars recruits? I thought Chieff00 brought them up. No?

 

[Chief00]

YOU brought up the 4 and 5 stars recruits? I thought Chieff00 brought them up. No?

Every coach, at some point, must make a decision about a player, is the cost/benefit calculation there to justify putting more time in to coach up OR have you reached diminishing returns and make the decision the coaching is better directed toward someone else, who can absorb it more productively and get better. The same holds true with Chief coaching up certain posters.

 

[BlueDogs]

My only issue with this “can’t find hidden diamonds” anymore is summed up as follows: Tyler Matakevich (Trumbull, Ct. 6-1 235)...

If you think it’s tough to recruit at UConn, imagine at Temple. Here’s a kid who would have given his left nut to play at UConn, but we were too good for him.