Transfers - Outbound (Part Duex)

[Hornet22]

PFF rated Lucien 64.4 last year which basically translates to a backup. Lucien's PFF ratings over the years:

2018: 53.8
2019: 52.4
2021: 64.4
2022: 74.9

With one year of eligibility left and the desire to get a master's in Engineering, it was probably time to move on.

According to PFF (since you brought it up) the UConn CB’s this year….Save for Wortham coming on the last two games what would you say? Mind you Lucien is in the SEC and UConn is an Indy

Wortham- 70.7
Shearin- 57.3
Malcolm Bell- 65.8
Kaleb Anthony- 49.6

I’m not disparaging any of the kids because I always root for them (since I’ve joined the board) just using the tool you decided to reference.

 

[UConnJim]

Anyone have a PFF subscription that can see what the grades are?

UConn's DB grades:

76.0 Dixon
70.7 Wortham
66.0 Jones
65.8 Bell
57.3 Shearin

Shearin is being used in multiple spots. Here are his plays by position:

D-line: 6
Box: 74
Slot CB: 249
Wide CB: 7
FS: 47

Compare with Wortham this year:

D-line: 3
Box: 41
Slot CB: 8
Wide CB: 488
FS: 1

 

[uconnfan68]

Coaches tell people that if they come back they’re not going to play for one reason — to get them to not come back and open up a roster spot. That is almost certainly what happened here.

Had Lucien chose to come back anyway, might Mora have given him a chance to win the position? Possibly but we’ll never know. More would have had to balance helping the team immediately with sending a message to other players that they don’t necessarily have to take his threats seriously.

And coaches can be harsher than Mora was here. They can simply tell the player their schollie isn’t being removed and not give them any choice whatsoever. And yes, of course that’s why players don’t have the loyalty fans wish they had — because they are pawns in coaches chasing raises and career advancement.

But aren’t there actual numerical limits to prevent coaches from doing those wholesale changes? Does having an open roster spot matter?

 

[businesslawyer]

He does. He’s the #1 LCB on every two deep I have seen. Shearin and Wortham are the two starting CBs.

Except that Wortham and Bell have started at the corners for over a month.

 

[businesslawyer]

The truth is that you don’t know. You don’t know what Mora said to Lucien. For all you know he could have left on his own accord.

Agreed. I know what I was told, that it was from a source who would know and in the context of the conversation I have no reason to doubt what I was told. But I wasn’t in the room and this don’t know with metaphysical certainty. Never claimed I was in the room.

 

[NYtoCT]

UConn's DB grades:

76.0 Dixon
70.7 Wortham
66.0 Jones
65.8 Bell
57.3 Shearin

Shearin is being used in multiple spots. Here are his plays by position:

D-line: 6
Box: 74
Slot CB: 249
Wide CB: 7
FS: 47

Compare with Wortham this year:

D-line: 3
Box: 41
Slot CB: 8
Wide CB: 488
FS: 1

Thanks Jim!

 

[ZooCougar]

Agreed. I know what I was told, that it was from a source who would know and in the context of the conversation I have no reason to doubt what I was told. But I wasn’t in the room and this don’t know with metaphysical certainty. Never claimed I was in the room.

He got torched a bunch last year. It wouldn’t surprise me. It seems both parties benefited.

 

[Hornet22]

He got torched a bunch last year. It wouldn’t surprise me. It seems both parties benefited

Well, I’ll end my thought process on this note- everyone here has an opinion on players that come and go from this program. Jim posted some numbers from PFF that indicated Lucien was a backup (64.4 grade) and I saw an article from 247 that stated it was a surprisingly low grade based on their evaluators as they had him graded as an 88 which in their jargon translates to an above average P5/SEC starter. I know most on here follow 247 and get excited over their grades especially when our guys get a 3 star rating. The assumption is they watch all the film and come to a conclusion. All corners give up catches and touchdowns- it’s the nature of the position. Receivers are really good and at this level the timing between QB’s and skill players is off the charts. From your vantage point Lucien got torched a lot so it was better that he left. Fair as you have the right to your opinion on a player (there is an ongoing fight whether Trayvon Diggs sucks or not which kinda mimics this board actually)

Lucien was selected to the 247 top transfer list according to this article and came in at #176. Their evaluators commented on what they saw from watching the same player that you watched. Mind you, they don’t watch with emotions like us fans- therefore giving up a catch doesn’t send them to the crapper like it does on here. And the crazy thing is, according to the original post by Exit 4, he is actually doing in this conference (up to this point) what they projected him to do- yet Biz Lawyer’s take that Mora may have gotten this one wrong was met with the vigor that landed us here.
So far 247, Vanderbilt and every other school that courted him to come saw something which seems to be panning out. All of this leads me to believe that Mora didn’t really watch any film on him and just decided he wanted his scholarship to reshape the program in his image- which as stated multiple times is totally fair and within his right AND he’s doing a great job with the rebuild. I don’t think Lucien being here would have changed the record much so let’s just all move and continue rooting for all these kids to win at life!

I’ll post article separately

 

[Hornet22]

Vanderbilt CB Jeremy Lucien named to Top247 transfer list

...

247sports.com

 

[UConnJim]

Also, I don't think you can directly compare Lucien (wide CB) and Shearin (slot CB) PFF grades as they are different positions. A wide CB covers less ground and can use the sideline. The slot CB has to be able to cover the whole field and be able to make tackles against the run.