Summer transfers

[uconnbill]

We knew some would end up leaving, just shocked by Dixon as I thought he would start or play a ton

 

[Waquoit]

...just shocked by Dixon as I thought he would start or play a ton

Is this a canary in the coal mine, bill?

 

[Husky68]

I love all the guys that take every opportunity to criticize Randy Edsall. All he has done is put the best football team on the field that any UConn football fan has gotten the opportunity to enjoy. I have been a diehard fsince the Walt Nadzak days, and the run that we had with RE at the helm is unparalleled (Conference tiltes, bowl games, NFL players). He does it the right way, building a foundation that is sustainable. He is an awesome evaluator of talent, which is necessary to recruit at Connecticut. His integrity is off the charts. What happened since he left was criminal (The choice of the CT HS football coaches, The Broyles award winner). He deserves every bit of 5 years to right this ship.

Really. Best in UConn history, isn't that like the tallest midget? Let's not get carried away with a couple of 1st place ties in the BE over 7 years. After coaching UConn for 5 years the team entered the BE and HCRE1.0 coached there for 7 years before he became HCREDreamJob1.0. During this time the BE record and place (amongst 8 teams) were:
3-3 tie 5th
2-5 tie 6th
1-6 tie 7th
5-2 tie 1st
3-4 tie 5th
3-4 tie 4th
5-2 tie 1st

If his foundation was so sustainable, who did he leave as QB for the twins and how sustainable did it turn out to be since don't think there has been a winning record since he became HCREDreamJob1.0.
You say his integrity is off the charts, that may well be true, I am not in any position to know. Are you? Let's ask Crocker if he thinks HCRE2.0 treated him fairly and with integrity. HCRE2.0 seems more of a narcissist to me where he never, never, never does anything wrong; it always seems to be someone else with eye discipline problems or inability to execute. Ask him a probing question and you get on his "not with MY program" list.

HCRE2.0 has set the bar so low that a FBS win in 2019 will be seen as proof positive than he has the team on the right track.

What has HCRE2.0 done for you to say he DESERVES 5 years. Maybe he needs that much time or more, but what has he done to deserve it? He coaches every day and gets paid every day. He doesn't like his pay or circumstances he can leave (he's shown he knows how to do that). If he produces another year in 2019 like 2018 why wouldn't it be ok to fire him if the AD thinks that is not good enough and there is a better alternative? If 2019 is like 2018 (or near abouts) HCRE2.0 SHOULD be fired even if it means losing some of the 4 and 5 star recruits that have verballed to UConn for 2020.

 

[Chief00]

Really. Best in UConn history, isn't that like the tallest midget? Let's not get carried away with a couple of 1st place ties in the BE over 7 years. After coaching UConn for 5 years the team entered the BE and HCRE1.0 coached there for 7 years before he became HCREDreamJob1.0. During this time the BE record and place (amongst 8 teams) were:
3-3 tie 5th
2-5 tie 6th
1-6 tie 7th
5-2 tie 1st
3-4 tie 5th
3-4 tie 4th
5-2 tie 1st

If his foundation was so sustainable, who did he leave as QB for the twins and how sustainable did it turn out to be since don't think there has been a winning record since he became HCREDreamJob1.0.
You say his integrity is off the charts, that may well be true, I am not in any position to know. Are you? Let's ask Crocker if he thinks HCRE2.0 treated him fairly and with integrity. HCRE2.0 seems more of a narcissist to me where he never, never, never does anything wrong; it always seems to be someone else with eye discipline problems or inability to execute. Ask him a probing question and you get on his "not with MY program" list.

HCRE2.0 has set the bar so low that a FBS win in 2019 will be seen as proof positive than he has the team on the right track.

What has HCRE2.0 done for you to say he DESERVES 5 years. Maybe he needs that much time or more, but what has he done to deserve it? He coaches every day and gets paid every day. He doesn't like his pay or circumstances he can leave (he's shown he knows how to do that). If he produces another year in 2019 like 2018 why wouldn't it be ok to fire him if the AD thinks that is not good enough and there is a better alternative? If 2019 is like 2018 (or near abouts) HCRE2.0 SHOULD be fired even if it means losing some of the 4 and 5 star recruits that have verballed to UConn for 2020.

What 4 or 5 star recruit has verballed to UConn for 2020? Isn’t that part of the problem?

 

[Exit 4]

Is this a canary in the coal mine, bill?

Not at all. This is about terminating tolerance for mediocre efforts at living up to the requirements to be a student athlete.

 

[#1 PA Husky Fan]

Really. Best in UConn history, isn't that like the tallest midget? Let's not get carried away with a couple of 1st place ties in the BE over 7 years. After coaching UConn for 5 years the team entered the BE and HCRE1.0 coached there for 7 years before he became HCREDreamJob1.0. During this time the BE record and place (amongst 8 teams) were:
3-3 tie 5th
2-5 tie 6th
1-6 tie 7th
5-2 tie 1st
3-4 tie 5th
3-4 tie 4th
5-2 tie 1st

If his foundation was so sustainable, who did he leave as QB for the twins and how sustainable did it turn out to be since don't think there has been a winning record since he became HCREDreamJob1.0.
You say his integrity is off the charts, that may well be true, I am not in any position to know. Are you? Let's ask Crocker if he thinks HCRE2.0 treated him fairly and with integrity. HCRE2.0 seems more of a narcissist to me where he never, never, never does anything wrong; it always seems to be someone else with eye discipline problems or inability to execute. Ask him a probing question and you get on his "not with MY program" list.

HCRE2.0 has set the bar so low that a FBS win in 2019 will be seen as proof positive than he has the team on the right track.

What has HCRE2.0 done for you to say he DESERVES 5 years. Maybe he needs that much time or more, but what has he done to deserve it? He coaches every day and gets paid every day. He doesn't like his pay or circumstances he can leave (he's shown he knows how to do that). If he produces another year in 2019 like 2018 why wouldn't it be ok to fire him if the AD thinks that is not good enough and there is a better alternative? If 2019 is like 2018 (or near abouts) HCRE2.0 SHOULD be fired even if it means losing some of the 4 and 5 star recruits that have verballed to UConn for 2020.

You minimalize a couple of 1st place finishes from a program that started at 1-AA, good for you. I, and many UConn FANS were ecstatic to pack the Rent, go to bowl games, be there for the win at ND. Who could have imagined all of that watching games at Memorial Stadium. I support the guy that gave a proud UConn alum what he thought that he would never see.

The bar was already set low when he came back. I admire a guy that can admit he was wrong, say that he regretted how he left, and come back at a fraction of the market compensation. He gives money out of his own pocket to subsidize his coach’s salary and donate to the program. Crocker was a bad hire. Strong leaders acknowledge their mistakes, and make the tough decisions. Unfortunate but necessary.

Apparently, all of that is not good enough for you.

 

[Ldandy]

You minimalize a couple of 1st place finishes from a program that started at 1-AA, good for you. I, and many UConn FANS were ecstatic to pack the Rent, go to bowl games, be there for the win at ND. Who could have imagined all of that watching games at Memorial Stadium. I support the guy that gave a proud UConn alum what he thought that he would never see.

The bar was already set low when he came back. I admire a guy that can admit he was wrong, say that he regretted how he left, and come back at a fraction of the market compensation. He gives money out of his own pocket to subsidize his coach’s salary and donate to the program. Crocker was a bad hire. Strong leaders acknowledge their mistakes, and make the tough decisions. Unfortunate but necessary.

Apparently, all of that is not good enough for you.

It doesn't have to be good enough for everyone. It wouldn't be for me if I was an alum. I won't argue that Randy accomplished some really good things over his first run, and for that he should be lauded. However this is 2019 not 2009, and his results since returning aren't so rosy. If you don't hold him to the same standard for what is acceptable in terms of winning as any other coach then what are you willing to accept? Is nostalgia enough?

If after 5 years he is still winning 2-4 games is that result good enough to keep him on because he went to The Fiesta Bowl that one time? Will it still be the previous regimes' fault or will he accept some ownership for results at that point? So much has changed since Randy's last go around at UCONN, that I'm highly skeptical that he can rebuild the program. The AAC is a different animal than the Big East he left for Maryland.

JMO but playing in a predominantly Southern Conference with schools possessing massive advantages in recruiting and resources will be impossible for a program built on finding diamonds in the rough and polishing them for 5 years to compete.

Unfortunately for Randy, Hudl and other online formats have all but eliminated real hidden talent. You can't build an entire roster of kids with FCS and "unreported" FBS Offers. You can also no longer predicate success on kids developing for 5 years. They don't stick around if they aren't playing, or they develop and transfer somewhere that gives them a better chance to win. Rutgers best OL and team captain transfered to OSU this year.

Finally you need coaching staffs with guys who can recruit and develop. Think of what Randy was working with when he left, and what he is working with now. If he can build a winner with all of these things against him I will be the first to admit I was wrong. However trying to play 3 yards and a cloud of dust football with marginal talent in an entire conference of schools wanting to make every game a track meet is a daunting task. I don't see it, but time will tell.

 

[BlueDogs]

What 4 or 5 star recruit has verballed to UConn for 2020? Isn’t that part of the problem?

That is a major part of the problem, along with a raft of tells that the RE2 experiment went bad early and continues to be off track. Had they stayed the course in year 1 on O and did what it took to keep the 2 most talented coaches and built on that SEC foundation, we would sitting in a lot better spot with recruiting connections, better coaching, higher levels of expectation of play, etc...instead we kept a fool with no real FBS experience or connections running a joke D for two years.

My proof point is Grimes. We forget our Oline was a perpetual disaster for years and getting worse year over year. It was nonfunctional in Red Pants’ last season. Grimes fixed that in one season from Swiss cheese to competent. The D went the other direction in a hurry, and actually pulled our O down with it. Betty Crocker is RE2’s fault. Loosing Lashlee was RE2’s ego. All that follows comes from terrible year 1 decisions.

 

[gioff2323]

My goodness, do any of you tire of saying the same thing over, and over, and over, and over ....

 

[Exit 4]

For those viewing the departure of MW and Dixon as some sort of sign of the apocalypse - have you looked at the transfer portal in general? Lots of programs - very successful programs - are seeing a ton of churn. And sometimes it’s with kids that were set to play, but are leaving anyway. Good summary in the link below.

Transfer Portal: Tracking players exploring transfer options

Tracking players who've entered their names in the NCAA transfer portal.

247sports.com

 

[whaler11]

For those viewing the departure of MW and Dixon as some sort of sign of the apocalypse - have you looked at the transfer portal in general? Lots of programs - very successful programs - are seeing a ton of churn. And sometimes it’s with kids that were set to play, but are leaving anyway. Good summary in the link below.

Transfer Portal: Tracking players exploring transfer options

Tracking players who've entered their names in the NCAA transfer portal.

247sports.com

Are they losing players to FBS programs and bringing in D-II transfers? Did they start with a historically bad roster? Are they set to go into the season with 80 or so scholarship players?

 

[Exit 4]

Are they losing players to FBS programs and bringing in D-II transfers? Did they start with a historically bad roster? Are they set to go into the season with 80 or so scholarship players?

1. There is so much movement I haven’t had time to delve into the trends yet. Some good programs are losing key back ups just because said kid wants to be a starter someplace in their final year. The bad programs are losing kids that just simply want to be on a winner. A lot of kids just moving home or leaving because their school no longer wants them post injury.
2. Few had a roster like ours...
3. On the scholarship thing, I have seen some stories that several programs in the P5 expect to be well under their 85 slot allotment because we are now several years into the 25 man rule. Lots of programs are seeing the combination of transfers, grads and dismissals exceed 25 for back to back years, yet you are only allowed to bring in 25 replacements. I could be wrong, but it appears when the 25 man rule first came into being it was practiced that grads and JUCOs were exempt from the count, so a program could reload that way. Apparently that has been clarified to as part of the new portal to not be the case, all scholarships count towards the cap except for kids that have been WOs for two years. So- while I have been barking about mismanagement, I think you will read a lot of programs will have unused scholarships this fall. I fully expect a rule change next winter.

As it stands, because of the 25 man cap, we can add just 2 to 4 kids this cycle. The reason it is unclear is because January enrollees can be flexed back and forth between years (I believe).

So what does all this mean for UConn? Edsall doesn’t want to swing and miss again like he did with Hinton from Columbia. These last few slots have to be with kids that are really coming here. Beaudry, Harris, Morgan and Brown clearly want to be here and accept the challenge and opportunity. Second, I think they are looking hard at character. They need that locker room to be 90% good character guys/ guys that want to be coached and pushed... no more mediocre talent that has to be babied... that’s not working with the level of talent we get. Edsall will dabble with weak academics if the talent is superior...none of the kids that left had superior athletic talent. Third, all indications are that there are more guys floating in the portal than there are seats left in P6. This is the first year of this open process. Let’s see if they can find some interesting kids in June and July because the seats are gone and the clock is up. Of course - gonna have to be a kid that accepts UConn is the place - grad kids can walk at any time.

 

[Waquoit]

Not at all. This is about terminating tolerance for mediocre efforts at living up to the requirements to be a student athlete.

Pure apologista nonsense. This is the type of player we need to be bringing in not pushing out.

 

[History Geek]

@Exit 4 does a good job detailing the paradigm shift this year. I'd like to see what we have on the field this fall before passing judgement. Yes, last year was horrible. Two more years of that and I will join those calling for a change. But not yet.

 

[ktuck911]

Could it be safer to say that there's a bigger elephant in the Room than Edsall's resume here? The naysayers, that never wanted FBS football here, that make decisions in this state need to take part of the blame in terms of the lack of success.. We could've been at a higher level by now. A LOT of BAD (really BAD) hires were made off wannabe dreams... We had an established foundation when Edsall left after the Bowl game against OU. We should still be ascending right now if not for the incompetence at the upper Admin level...

With all of that said, I'm glad Edsall is back.. He's the right guy (for right now) to put us back on the path towards becoming that program that everybody will continue to sleep on, while sneak up and bite (Husky bite) them in the A@@.... #BleedBlue

 

[Exit 4]

Pure apologista nonsense. This is the type of player we need to be bringing in not pushing out.

Edsall tried to coach the uncoachable - time to cut the losses

 

[whaler11]

1. There is so much movement I haven’t had time to delve into the trends yet. Some good programs are losing key back ups just because said kid wants to be a starter someplace in their final year. The bad programs are losing kids that just simply want to be on a winner. A lot of kids just moving home or leaving because their school no longer wants them post injury.
2. Few had a roster like ours...
3. On the scholarship thing, I have seen some stories that several programs in the P5 expect to be well under their 85 slot allotment because we are now several years into the 25 man rule. Lots of programs are seeing the combination of transfers, grads and dismissals exceed 25 for back to back years, yet you are only allowed to bring in 25 replacements. I could be wrong, but it appears when the 25 man rule first came into being it was practiced that grads and JUCOs were exempt from the count, so a program could reload that way. Apparently that has been clarified to as part of the new portal to not be the case, all scholarships count towards the cap except for kids that have been WOs for two years. So- while I have been barking about mismanagement, I think you will read a lot of programs will have unused scholarships this fall. I fully expect a rule change next winter.

As it stands, because of the 25 man cap, we can add just 2 to 4 kids this cycle. The reason it is unclear is because January enrollees can be flexed back and forth between years (I believe).

So what does all this mean for UConn? Edsall doesn’t want to swing and miss again like he did with Hinton from Columbia. These last few slots have to be with kids that are really coming here. Beaudry, Harris, Morgan and Brown clearly want to be here and accept the challenge and opportunity. Second, I think they are looking hard at character. They need that locker room to be 90% good character guys/ guys that want to be coached and pushed... no more mediocre talent that has to be babied... that’s not working with the level of talent we get. Edsall will dabble with weak academics if the talent is superior...none of the kids that left had superior athletic talent. Third, all indications are that there are more guys floating in the portal than there are seats left in P6. This is the first year of this open process. Let’s see if they can find some interesting kids in June and July because the seats are gone and the clock is up. Of course - gonna have to be a kid that accepts UConn is the place - grad kids can walk at any time.

I understand the transfer dynamic.

It’s not they dynamic that is UConn’s issue.

There is something seriously ‘wrong’ here where they seemingly can’t get anyone to commit.

You wouldn’t think it would be possible to be worse than last year. They may be worse than last year.

It’s year three and there isn’t a single thing to point to in Edsall’s favor.

I respect him personally and for what he did here - but it ain’t working and I don’t see any signs it’s going to work.

 

[Exit 4]

I understand the transfer dynamic.

It’s not they dynamic that is UConn’s issue.

There is something seriously ‘wrong’ here where they seemingly can’t get anyone to commit.

You wouldn’t think it would be possible to be worse than last year. They may be worse than last year.

It’s year three and there isn’t a single thing to point to in Edsall’s favor.

I respect him personally and for what he did here - but it ain’t working and I don’t see any signs it’s going to work.

Let’s circle back on the 2020 commits and final fall 2019 roster on 8/1. But I understand your skepticism... years 4 and 5 for Randy aren’t assured if year 3 isn’t an inflection point.

 

[Stainmaster]

Pure apologista nonsense. This is the type of player we need to be bringing in not pushing out.

Yeah, we need to bring in players who completely disregard the S&C staff and put in zero effort in the weight room. That’s how we win games.

How many times have you cracked your head on hard surfaces in the past five years? There has to be something genuinely wrong with your brain.

 

[gtcam]

Really. Best in UConn history, isn't that like the tallest midget? Let's not get carried away with a couple of 1st place ties in the BE over 7 years. After coaching UConn for 5 years the team entered the BE and HCRE1.0 coached there for 7 years before he became HCREDreamJob1.0. During this time the BE record and place (amongst 8 teams) were:
3-3 tie 5th
2-5 tie 6th
1-6 tie 7th
5-2 tie 1st
3-4 tie 5th
3-4 tie 4th
5-2 tie 1st

If his foundation was so sustainable, who did he leave as QB for the twins and how sustainable did it turn out to be since don't think there has been a winning record since he became HCREDreamJob1.0.
You say his integrity is off the charts, that may well be true, I am not in any position to know. Are you? Let's ask Crocker if he thinks HCRE2.0 treated him fairly and with integrity. HCRE2.0 seems more of a narcissist to me where he never, never, never does anything wrong; it always seems to be someone else with eye discipline problems or inability to execute. Ask him a probing question and you get on his "not with MY program" list.

HCRE2.0 has set the bar so low that a FBS win in 2019 will be seen as proof positive than he has the team on the right track.

What has HCRE2.0 done for you to say he DESERVES 5 years. Maybe he needs that much time or more, but what has he done to deserve it? He coaches every day and gets paid every day. He doesn't like his pay or circumstances he can leave (he's shown he knows how to do that). If he produces another year in 2019 like 2018 why wouldn't it be ok to fire him if the AD thinks that is not good enough and there is a better alternative? If 2019 is like 2018 (or near abouts) HCRE2.0 SHOULD be fired even if it means losing some of the 4 and 5 star recruits that have verballed to UConn for 2020.

You obviously have an undeniable bias against RE1, RE2, RE everything - that's fine - just don't keep writing things that exclude the good just to make your point
Anyone can look down on RE1 on how he left the team BUT not pound on him for the why - to many, a chance to coach at their alma mater would be a dream job
RE2 came into a complete crap show and it would take out of the world results in recruitment to even get a representative team on the field for AAC play in the 1st 2-3 years - I know of no coach who isn't named Sweeney or Saban who could make the sudden turnaround you and some others are unrealistically (IMHO) looking for from RE2
Do any of us enjoy spending season ticket $ on what we saw the last few years? Hell no. But I strongly feel we have to give RE2 a little benefit of the doubt
I have no idea what "he has done" to deserve the 5 years that was agreed to - and you seem to think you do know that he hasn't done much - must be great to be an insider
If 2019 is like 2018 (or near abouts) - what the heck does this mean? Love the specificity
You honestly think the db AD David Benedict is going to admit a mistake and fire RE2?
As far as integrity - I'll leave that alone, I don't personally know the man but I do know that his dealings with one person, Crocker, is not enough to determine a person's overall level of integrity

 

[whaler11]

You obviously have an undeniable bias against RE1, RE2, RE everything - that's fine - just don't keep writing things that exclude the good just to make your point
Anyone can look down on RE1 on how he left the team BUT not pound on him for the why - to many, a chance to coach at their alma mater would be a dream job
RE2 came into a complete crap show and it would take out of the world results in recruitment to even get a representative team on the field for AAC play in the 1st 2-3 years - I know of no coach who isn't named Sweeney or Saban who could make the sudden turnaround you and some others are unrealistically (IMHO) looking for from RE2
Do any of us enjoy spending season ticket $ on what we saw the last few years? Hell no. But I strongly feel we have to give RE2 a little benefit of the doubt
I have no idea what "he has done" to deserve the 5 years that was agreed to - and you seem to think you do know that he hasn't done much - must be great to be an insider
If 2019 is like 2018 (or near abouts) - what the heck does this mean? Love the specificity
You honestly think the db AD David Benedict is going to admit a mistake and fire RE2?
As far as integrity - I'll leave that alone, I don't personally know the man but I do know that his dealings with one person, Crocker, is not enough to determine a person's overall level of integrity

Edsall went to Syracuse...

 

[huskymedic]

Are they losing players to FBS programs and bringing in D-II transfers

Realistically what’s the difference between bringing in a one/two year JUCO transfers (acceptable/expected) versus bringing in D2 transfers (mocked)?

 

[hardcorehusky]

It's June 5th - Nothing but conjecture for 2 1/2 months- joy There are no other sports to take our mind off of this for the summer.

 

[whaler11]

Realistically what’s the difference between bringing in a one/two year JUCO transfers (acceptable/expected) versus bringing in D2 transfers (mocked)?

Good JUCO players are better than D2 players? Isn’t that why bigtime programs bring in JUCO’s and not D2 transfers?

Maybe we have the magic D2 transfers. To me, believing that is sort of like believing that Diaco’s plan of recruiting a ton of wrestlers was some stroke of genius.

Sure I could be wrong and Seton Hill North may take off - but this roster is worse than last year’s as of today.

 

[Exit 4]

Sure I could be wrong and Seton Hill North may take off - but this roster is worse than last year’s as of today.

I don't agree. I think there is a good chance the roster is better. I'd like to say more - but I have to do some work today. Maybe I circle back tonight.