UConn in the NFL

[UCan3]

Glad to hear about Nate Carter. But the other part of me is that instead of staying at UConn he transfers to a bigger and better program for what?

He was undrafted…

Nice…

Had he stayed at UConn and made a legacy and maybe more national exposure in that he would have been a small fish / little pond instead of option 2/3 .

I think Sky Bell figured it out.

If your goal is NFL, there is absolutely no reason you can’t do everything you want to do here at UConn.

 

[Husky25]

Glad to hear about Nate Carter. But the other part of me is that instead of staying at UConn he transfers to a bigger and better program for what?

He was undrafted…

Nice…

Had he stayed at UConn and made a legacy and maybe more national exposure in that he would have been a small fish / little pond instead of option 2/3 .

I think Sky Bell figured it out.

If your goal is NFL, there is absolutely no reason you can’t do everything you want to do here at UConn.

Sure, if all things were equal, but I don't think they were.

Carter's NIL Income is undisclosed, but that doesn't mean it was nothing. I love UConn, but doubt very much that UConn drew more eyeballs than MSU football, simply by virtue of who they play, week in & week out.

Carter wasn't just a JAG either. He was MSU's feature back in 2023 with >900 all-purpose yards against Big Ten competition. No other player was close. He was a captain in 2024 and led the Spartans with 5 Rushing TDs.

At the end of the day, he bet on himself and won. Multiple times over.

 

[UCan3]

Sure, if all things were equal, but I don't think they were.

Carter's NIL Income is undisclosed, but that doesn't mean it was nothing. I love UConn, but doubt very much that UConn drew more eyeballs than MSU football, simply by virtue of who they play, week in & week out.

Carter wasn't just a JAG either. He was MSU's feature back in 2023 with >900 all-purpose yards against Big Ten competition. No other player was close. He was a captain in 2024 and led the Spartans with 5 Rushing TDs.

At the end of the day, he bet on himself and won. Multiple times over.

All good points and much more informed than my original post

But to me, the best you get is undrafted? Really?

Look what Donald Brown did with us - staying the course in blue.

I still think NIL being the wildcard that there is a great case for players staying - UConn is televised each week, we get quite a bit of media coverage and it is perfectly good spot to have NFL scouts get a good look at you!

 

[Scrutineer]

Glad to hear about Nate Carter. But the other part of me is that instead of staying at UConn he transfers to a bigger and better program for what?

He was undrafted…

Nice…

Had he stayed at UConn and made a legacy and maybe more national exposure in that he would have been a small fish / little pond instead of option 2/3 .

I think Sky Bell figured it out.

If your goal is NFL, there is absolutely no reason you can’t do everything you want to do here at UConn.

There's tons of examples of guys who make your point. I don't pay attention to the NFL like I once did, but Carson Wentz is one great example of a player from a lowered level making his mark.

 

[UCan3]

There's tons of examples of guys who make your point. I don't pay attention to the NFL like I once did, but Carson Wentz is one great example of a player from a lowered level making his mark.

There’s something about UConn football that doesn’t get talked about enough which is the exposure that these players get nationally. I know we’re not a top-tier program by any means but we’re always on TV and NFL scouts are always checking out our players. And these players get a chance to shine while here and pursue their NFL dreams.

Good players don’t get buried in lineups and they get a chance to show what they’ve got every week!

Again, Skyler is such a great example and I think he made a tremendously good decision staying with us.

When he gets drafted next year and goes on to have a good NFL career - I think this decision may have helped him!

 

[Husky25]

There are always exceptions, but all things being equal (including kick off time), more eyeballs will be on MSU/Northwestern than UConn/FIU.

Regarding Donald Brown, he ran for 2,000 yards in a major conference and no NIL. He probably would have missed his window if he transferred and had to sit out a year. I don't think the two situations are really comparable.