Ten best UConn players in the Rent era. | The Boneyard

Ten best UConn players in the Rent era.

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This list is definitely debatable. I'm sure someone great slipped my mind. Go ahead. Who is in your top ten?

1. Dan Orlovsky. Although he only played two years in the Rent, he lit the place up. Great size. Great arm. Great leader. Very heady, smart QB. Threw the first TD in a stomping of Indiana. Holds a basket full of passing records and represented the university with humility and class. A deserving #1.

2. Terry Caulley. The best running back to ever list suit up for the Huskies. Yep, I said that. His quickness, acceleration, top speed, vision were all at A+ level. His strength was tremendous for such a small guy, he broke tackle after tackle, carried a high load and ran between the tackles as often as he ran outside. A freak accidence at Virginia Tech where he was untouched diminished a career headed for the stratosphere.

3. Donald Brown. His two thousand yard rushing season is the benchmark for the Huskies.

4. Darius Butler. He did everything. He scored a TD rushing, receiving, on a kickoff return and INT return. Closest to a lock down CB at the Rent. Had a 42 inch vertical leap.

5. Larry Taylor. He of the unfair fair catch. The best return man of, perhaps, any era. A threat every time he touched the ball.

6. Trevardo Williams. He was a terror off the edge where few OTs could deal with his speed.

7. Marcus Easley. Lightly used in Huskies career, he was a rare combination of size and speed. Caught everything especially big third downs.

8. Tyvon Branch. Prototype cornerback. Big. Fast. He is the best run stopping corner the Huskies have had.

9. Yawin Smallwood. The Huskies have had a lot of great LBs. He was a monster in the idle with the brain and leadership qualities to match.

10. Lawrence Wilson. Two times all Big East first team. Leading tackler in BE in 2010. Huge INTs versus Louisville and USF were game changers.
 

uconnphil2016

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Lists like this are tough for me to compile--I'm 24, so I've seen everything at the Rent but was super young. Honestly, I don't know that I'd put Yawin Smallwood on the list. He was good, but I don't know that he was THAT good. Frankly, Noel Thomas might crack the top ten for me just because of his senior season. He gave us so much last year on a team that was totally lost. Who else...Lutrus' first couple of years were as good as anyone.
I'd also have to put Donald Brown ahead of Caulley, and maybe ahead of Orlovsky. His junior year was just so darn good and I dont think we've ever seen anything like that. Over 2,200 yards from scrimmage and 18 TDs. Unreal.
 
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Todman fits in somewhere. Dont know if I could include Easley due to the short time of greatness...not his fault. I would also put Byron Jones in the top 7. Tough to list OLs, but the "Rent Era" and the work of Todman, Brown, Caulley and others were all based on the strong OL. Tough to put Obi in as he was stuck in the Diaco ear. Have trouble w/ Taylor at 5. Cody Brown and Whitten are higher on my list than Smallwood.
 
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Alfred Fincher - 6th on the career tackles list. All big east senior season. 3rd round draft pick.

There has to be an OL or two that belongs up there too.

Will Beatty? Donald Thomas?

Noel Thomas deserves a spot before Larry Taylor, IMO. Thomas broke records, it's not his fault the team was an abomination during his time.
 
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Lot of great players. Hard to compare apples and oranges and rank against different positions.
 
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This list is definitely debatable. I'm sure someone great slipped my mind. Go ahead. Who is in your top ten?

1. Dan Orlovsky. Although he only played two years in the Rent, he lit the place up. Great size. Great arm. Great leader. Very heady, smart QB. Threw the first TD in a stomping of Indiana. Holds a basket full of passing records and represented the university with humility and class. A deserving #1.

2. Terry Caulley. The best running back to ever list suit up for the Huskies. Yep, I said that. His quickness, acceleration, top speed, vision were all at A+ level. His strength was tremendous for such a small guy, he broke tackle after tackle, carried a high load and ran between the tackles as often as he ran outside. A freak accidence at Virginia Tech where he was untouched diminished a career headed for the stratosphere.

3. Donald Brown. His two thousand yard rushing season is the benchmark for the Huskies.

4. Darius Butler. He did everything. He scored a TD rushing, receiving, on a kickoff return and INT return. Closest to a lock down CB at the Rent. Had a 42 inch vertical leap.

5. Larry Taylor. He of the unfair fair catch. The best return man of, perhaps, any era. A threat every time he touched the ball.

6. Trevardo Williams. He was a terror off the edge where few OTs could deal with his speed.

7. Marcus Easley. Lightly used in Huskies career, he was a rare combination of size and speed. Caught everything especially big third downs.

8. Tyvon Branch. Prototype cornerback. Big. Fast. He is the best run stopping corner the Huskies have had.

9. Yawin Smallwood. The Huskies have had a lot of great LBs. He was a monster in the idle with the brain and leadership qualities to match.

10. Lawrence Wilson. Two times all Big East first team. Leading tackler in BE in 2010. Huge INTs versus Louisville and USF were game changers.
Lutrus? Great until he hurt his shoulder.
 

uconnphil2016

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Lutrus? Great until he hurt his shoulder.

Right. I'm not saying he had a top 10 career. He's just someone who crossed my mind and had the potential to be up there. A lot like Caulley in that respect, though Caulley was better IMO
 

CL82

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Lists like this are tough for me to compile--I'm 24, so I've seen everything at the Rent but was super young. Honestly, I don't know that I'd put Yawin Smallwood on the list. He was good, but I don't know that he was THAT good. Frankly, Noel Thomas might crack the top ten for me just because of his senior season. He gave us so much last year on a team that was totally lost. Who else...Lutrus' first couple of years were as good as anyone.
I'd also have to put Donald Brown ahead of Caulley, and maybe ahead of Orlovsky. His junior year was just so darn good and I dont think we've ever seen anything like that. Over 2,200 yards from scrimmage and 18 TDs. Unreal.
24? You write much older. (That's a complement, just in case you were wondering.)
 

huskypantz

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Alfred Fincher - 6th on the career tackles list. All big east senior season. 3rd round draft pick.

There has to be an OL or two that belongs up there too.

Will Beatty? Donald Thomas?

Noel Thomas deserves a spot before Larry Taylor, IMO. Thomas broke records, it's not his fault the team was an abomination during his time.
I agree about giving the OL some love. Mo Petrus was a rock for us at center for 4 years, my vote.
 
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Offense- Left out Andre Dixon, Ryan Griffin, Petrus,
1 Donald Brown
2 Dan Orlovsky
3 Terry Caulley
4Will Beatty
5 Jordan Todman
6 Geremy Davis
7 Noel Thomas
8 Zach Hurd
9 Donald Thomas
10 Anthony Sherman

Defense - much more difficult than offense. Left out Moore, Gratz, several interior linemen, Smallwood, Lutrus, Whitten, and Obi.
1 Tyvon Branch
2 Darius Butler
3 Byron Jones
4 Cody Brown
5 Trevardo Williams
6 Alfred Fincher
7 Danny Lansanah
8 Lawrence Wilson
9 Kendall Reyes
10 Jasper Howard (better than Blidi)
 
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This list is definitely debatable. I'm sure someone great slipped my mind. Go ahead. Who is in your top ten?

1. Dan Orlovsky. Although he only played two years in the Rent, he lit the place up. Great size. Great arm. Great leader. Very heady, smart QB. Threw the first TD in a stomping of Indiana. Holds a basket full of passing records and represented the university with humility and class. A deserving #1.

2. Terry Caulley. The best running back to ever list suit up for the Huskies. Yep, I said that. His quickness, acceleration, top speed, vision were all at A+ level. His strength was tremendous for such a small guy, he broke tackle after tackle, carried a high load and ran between the tackles as often as he ran outside. A freak accidence at Virginia Tech where he was untouched diminished a career headed for the stratosphere.

3. Donald Brown. His two thousand yard rushing season is the benchmark for the Huskies.

4. Darius Butler. He did everything. He scored a TD rushing, receiving, on a kickoff return and INT return. Closest to a lock down CB at the Rent. Had a 42 inch vertical leap.

5. Larry Taylor. He of the unfair fair catch. The best return man of, perhaps, any era. A threat every time he touched the ball.

6. Trevardo Williams. He was a terror off the edge where few OTs could deal with his speed.

7. Marcus Easley. Lightly used in Huskies career, he was a rare combination of size and speed. Caught everything especially big third downs.

8. Tyvon Branch. Prototype cornerback. Big. Fast. He is the best run stopping corner the Huskies have had.

9. Yawin Smallwood. The Huskies have had a lot of great LBs. He was a monster in the idle with the brain and leadership qualities to match.

10. Lawrence Wilson. Two times all Big East first team. Leading tackler in BE in 2010. Huge INTs versus Louisville and USF were game changers.

Taylor, Williams, and Smallwood out.

Fincher, Beatty, and Reyes in.
 
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Hard but I'd put Julius Williams in. Donald Thomas and Beatty. Smallwood, Wilson Easley out.
 

Uconnalliance

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On Sunday( Assunde?)lol great linebacker!, didn't see enough of Geremy Davis, Kashif Moore or Griffin
 

UConnDan97

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Offense- Left out Andre Dixon, Ryan Griffin, Petrus,
1 Donald Brown
2 Dan Orlovsky
3 Terry Caulley
4Will Beatty
5 Jordan Todman
6 Geremy Davis
7 Noel Thomas
8 Zach Hurd
9 Donald Thomas
10 Anthony Sherman

Defense - much more difficult than offense. Left out Moore, Gratz, several interior linemen, Smallwood, Lutrus, Whitten, and Obi.
1 Tyvon Branch
2 Darius Butler
3 Byron Jones
4 Cody Brown
5 Trevardo Williams
6 Alfred Fincher
7 Danny Lansanah
8 Lawrence Wilson
9 Kendall Reyes
10 Jasper Howard (better than Blidi)

I like your inclusion of the Shermanator. I'm trying to find a way to get Deon Anderson on that list, too (Swap out Hurd). He was a fantastic fullback and just as good on special teams...
 
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Guys I found hard to keep off:

Todman
Petrus
Osunde
Sherman
D. Thomas
B. Jones
Blidi

I'm not sure Smallwood or Larry Taylor make my top 20.
 

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