This QB had UConn Interest

[FAIRTIDES]

It seems like yesterday that this kid from Brunswick (Greenwich) was one of the possible QB recruits being discussed on the old site. I don’t know how his ability/numbers translate, but he is doing a hell of a job at the 1AA level.


Per the “Greenwich Time”


“Brunswick School graduate Kevin Decker entered his senior season with high expectations for himself as the starting quarterback of the University of New Hampshire football team. The strong-armed Decker has indeed, met those expectations.
Decker was recently named the Colonial Athletic Association Football Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the fourth student-athlete in school history to earn the prestigious award. Eclipsing the 300-yard passing mark five times this season, Decker leads the CAA in total offense per game (317.2 yards), passing yards per game (279.3 yards), points responsible per game (17.09), and touchdown passes (20).
A first-year starter, Decker has completed 244-of-350 passes (69.7 percent) for 3,072 yards while rushing for 417 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns.
Just the fourth quarterback in New Hampshire history to surpass 3,000 passing yards in a season, Decker’s 3,072 yards rank fifth in UNH single-season history. He is within 246 passing yards of reaching the No. 2 spot. Decker’s 3,951 career passing yards is 10th all-time at the school.
In addition, Decker, a co-captain, was named to the All-CAA Football First Team. Behind Decker, the UNH has produced another winning season, earning a trip to the postseason for the eighth consecutive year. Decker, who led the CAA in pass efficiency (154.3), has helped power New Hampshire past five nationally ranked opponents, the latest being the University of Maine. An Armonk, N.Y., native, Decker is on the 2011 Walter Payton Award Watch List for the most outstanding player in the FCS.”

 

[noeynox]

Wasn't this kid HuskyNans nephew? Congrats to him. If you can pass the ball at FCS level u can do it at this level also. Add him to the Drew Willy's that we passed on. Hope this staff evaluates Qbs better than the last one.

 

[businesslawyer]

So a kid has an outstanding senior year in the Colonial, having sat on the bench until his senior year at a lower level, and you know that he would have been an improvement? Yeah, o.k.

Congrats to the young man on a good season.

 

[noeynox]

I don't know. I do know that a kid that throws for 3000yds in FCS is probably better than a kid like casey turner, who never saw the field here or at western Carolina.

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't know. I do know that a kid that throws for 3000yds in FCS is probably better than a kid like casey turner, who never saw the field here or at western Carolina.

So he's better than a young man who came here and left shortly because he saw he wasn't good enough. O.K., he probably is.

 

[Fishy]

He's the nephew of one of the Syracuse board admins.

I think UConn blew that one, but so did Syracuse and a few other DI schools who were recruiting him - they were worried about his height.

He played behind some people at UNH for a couple of years, but whenever he got a chance, he produced. He's just good.

 

[noeynox]

The last staff hadthe more misses than hits at QB. Drew Willy wanted to come to UConn as well. UConn passed and all that kid ever did was impress while at buffalo. Same for a kid out of Rhode island named Liam Cohen. He went to UMass and looked real good including when they played fbs opponents.

The last staff excelled at finding high level talent that was "under the radar" at practically every position except QB AND WR. Don't think its even debatable to be honest.

 

[businesslawyer]

The last staff hadthe more misses than hits at QB. Drew Willy wanted to come to UConn as well. UConn passed and all that kid ever did was impress while at buffalo. Same for a kid out of Rhode island named Liam Cohen. He went to UMass and looked real good including when they played fbs opponents.

The last staff excelled at finding high level talent that was "under the radar" at practically every position except QB AND WR. Don't think its even debatable to be honest.

No, I don't think it is. But one successful year at a lower level does not make this young man Drew Willy, and you can't act like a staff did something wrong any time that someone they don't take ends up being better than someone they did. You make the best decision you can at the time, not knowing what the future will hold, and you don't worry if Ryan Gomes has a nice career elsewhere.

I just don't think that any time a QB has any success anywhere it's necessarily relevant to our problems. That's all. But if I came off snippy, sorry.

 

[noeynox]

No problems didn't sound snippy at all. I never understood why we had such trouble landing qbs. You see high level passers in the FCS every Saturday. We've recruited kids who had a hard time hitting a stationary target, let alone a wr instride. Hope that's not too harsh.

As for not playing till his sr year, he has obviously played behind some good guys ad they have been in the playoffs for seven straight years. Sometimes notdon't playing istill not indicative of ability see Dixon, Andre or Easly, Marcus. Drew Willy still burns me. Kid practically begged for an offer through the recruiting sites.

 

[uconnbaseball]

I've seen the kid, and while I have questions about his arm strength, he is better than anything we currently have. Then again, UNH is loaded at WR (yes, compared to us) and has some very talented freshman on that team. McDonnell is a ridiculously good coach.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

So a kid has an outstanding senior year in the Colonial, having sat on the bench until his senior year at a lower level, and you know that he would have been an improvement? Yeah, o.k.

Congrats to the young man on a good season.

Actually, I think the commentary was referencing the absolutely deplorable state of the QB position at UConn since Dan O left. UConn has had a number of abysmal QB performances that have left many people convinced that Trinity, Amherst, Central, Coast Guard, and several area high schools may have had better choices under center.

Don't know whether Decker would or would not be an improvement over what was here, but the bar was set awfully low ("Can you hand the ball off going both to your right & left?). Maybe the more salient point is UConn should have and should continue to bring in 2 or 3 QBs a year until the situation gets fixed. Cut down on one or two of the many, many LBs & DB's recruiting and get a quality QB.

 

[tduconn]

Over the years I was fortunate to observe many fine QB's and WR's at the 1-aa, or FCS level.....and there is no doubt in my mind that some could have been successful at the 1-a level. FCS quarterbacks and WR's aren't necessarily too shabby.......and its possible they were just overlooked by 1-a staffs.

Being a Giants fan, I could point to Phil Simms as a successful QB coming from the 1-aa level. Baltimores QB is from Delaware, who have successfully landed other QB's in the NFL.

As I've suggested before, I'd gladly take Tom Jackson's and Skip Holtz's (1-aa) QB's and WR's from 1985 to UConns entry into the 1-a level over any of the respective positions, with few exceptions, on UConns teams the last 5 years.

There is some good talent at the 1-aa level that maybe is overlooked by many. Anyone ever hear of Jerry Rice as a WR?

 

[TouchdownHusky]

As I've suggested before, I'd gladly take Tom Jackson's and Skip Holtz's (1-aa) QB's and WR's from 1985 to UConns entry into the 1-a level over any of the respective positions, with few exceptions, on UConns teams the last 5 years.

Totally agree. The problem was always Randy. We didn't favor the run, he couldn't recruit for the passing game, WRs were "hood ornaments" in his offenses and he would adapt. Randy went to Syracuse under old school Ben Schwartzwalter (Jimmy Brown, Earnie Davis, Floyd Little, Larry Czonka, etc). It was vintage 50s & 60s football - ground and pound. The game changed: in how it's played and how coaches handle today's college athlete - but not Randy.