John Silver on UConn football

It’s been rumored for some time and now it’s complete — WVU is out of the Big East after 21 years for $20 million. This leaves the Big East at seven teams and blows a hole in UConn’s home schedule.

The conference has to find an 8th member and if it’s not Boise State, then there is going to be big problem. No other school can bring the national brand that West Virginia has. Boise State’s run is a decade long, and that should help sell some tickets. I am not sure what way the Big East goes, but 7 is not an option. And for UConn, losing West Virginia on the home schedule is devastating. Pitt and Cincinnati are the only home Big East games, a 2-4 home-road split. NC State, UMass,  Buffalo are the other home games.  Filling in with a FCS team is a last resort. The Huskies’ need to sell tickets and the loss of its marquee game isn’t going to help.

Where do you find a game at this late a juncture? I doubt there are any open dates left in the FBS.

As far as what the Big East means for the future, John Marinatto has come out and said that the Big East is willing to let Syracuse our in 2013 instead of 2014.  With WVU accepting a judgment that the Big East is right in its suit (that the league rules are enforceable), the leverage for exit is in the Big East’s hands. They can extract a premium ($$$$) from Pittsburgh and Syracuse to get out early.

I am down on the Memphis deal. It was a hoops decision and doesn’t help the football league at all. Memphis has been one of the most downtrodden football teams in a talent-rich area for a long-time. Good hoops school though.

I am not dwelling on ranking.  the absurdity in parsing the difference between a 2-3 star player is silly.  I don’t think it’s material.

Here’s the Huskies list and here are some initial thoughts I have.

Here’s the question for the Huskies — Did they get what they needed?

To a certain extent. The Huskies are shaping up great at quarterback as they have Casey Cochran and Chandler Whitmer in the fold. That’s two nice additions after the previous regime bungled the QB position for a long time get added to incumbent John McEntee (he’s a less strong incumbent than Obama) and sophomores Scott McCummings and Michael Nebrich and the future doesn’t look so desolate. All but McEntee have at least three years of eligibility remaining.

As far as the pieces that go with the QB, Coach Paul Pasqualoni raved about RB Joe Williams’ speed. The kid has 10.6, 10.7 100 dash speed, that’s explosive fast.  He also loved WR Ricky Gutierez — the son of former baseball player — at wideout. Gutierez was somewhat off the radar after breaking his collarbone and missing seven games. When he came back, that staff love what he brought to the table. Sounds like they may have stole him out of South Florida.  JOhn Green is a kind of kick returner and explosive athlete.

Those are skill position players that the Huskies went after and that’s what this team needs. WR Neally Cunningham is headed the JUCO route, but he remains on the Huskies’ target list and may very well be a part of next year’s class.

To me, QB and explosive skill position players are what this team needs and they started to resurrect the WR corps.  Add in transfers Shakim Phillips, the return of Mike Smith, and the addition of Bryce McNeal this summer from Clemson to go with Geremy Davis, Tebucky Jones and Nick Williams and suddenly I see size, strength and explosion from the position. Joe Williams figures to be a guy who can play right away too coming off a PG year.

Now, the Huskies also added 0-linemen and got a ton of size and added two LB-FBs in Jazzmar Clax and Wyatt Vinci.

The defense is shaping up great at LB. I love what they did last year, and like the guys they got this year. I don’t know where all are going to play, but Jason Sylva and Jon Hicks and EJ Norris all were highly sought after. The position is loaded for the future with Jefferson Ashiru and Morgan Vann coming off a redshirt year to go with Yawin Smallwood, who started as a redshirt freshman. That goes with holdover Sio Moore and transfer Ryan Donahue. The position is loaded.

Of there is a concern in the class it’s interior d-line with only Mikal Myers coming, 6-0 300 lbs,  in and of course at defensive back where the Huskies lost Chauncey Lanier to Memphis  (Huskies encouraged a post grad year).

When you factor this class in with the transfers coming in it’s over a third of a new team from last year. That’s a lot of change.

That’s a quick run down. Plenty to digest here. Be back and parse it all done.

But, my initial reaction is they seem to have addressed the weaknesses at WR with some Florida speed and athleticism and some high profile transfers and also got a big-play RB, o-linemen and 2 QBs.

I am not sure much more you would. The recruiting is better than before, the Huskies’ class came from Florida and New Jersey not a small slice of central PA and New England. They are competing with other major schools for players and are at least competitive in recruiting. Storrs is an outpost, and it’s difficult to get people to commit to a rural school when there are urban choices so close.

That’s the difficulty.

Gotta pay the bills.

Navy is coming to the Big east, the conference will hold a call today to announce the move.  This is a major move for the Big East and it’s going to trigger the increased exit fee out of the Big East.  I imagine that happens now, but I am sure we will get a clarification.

As far as the conference going forward, Navy, as an east coast team should help with TV contract and also bring a sense of history to the vagabond football conference.

So, where are we at with the New Big East-West football arrangement?

The East is

East Division: UConn, Rutgers, South Florida, Central Florida, Navy

West Division: Louisville, Cincinnati, SMU, Boise, Houston, San Diego State

That leaves 11, with one more team needed. Temple seems like the leader in the clubhouse. I know Nova wants in, but, I don’t think it’s feasible and the league needs a basketball school anyway. Jim Calhoun and Rick Pitino are strongly in favor of Temple.

Do I like it? It’s growing on me. If the league does do the divisional breakdown above the west is tougher than the east. I also wonder if a title game is worth it and what if the BCS auto bid goes away? IF that happens, there is no purpose to have this huge conglomerate.

UConn still would jump at an ACC invite. Maybe I am skeptical of this configuration ever getting off the ground in 2015 anyway.

UConn released a list of five spring enrolees headlined by quarterbacks Chandler Whitmer from Butler CC and in-state recruit Casey Cochran from Masuk. The one surprise is center Kyle Bockeloh (Houston, Texas, 6-2, 286),  who wasn’t in school last semester after graduating high school.

The Huskies took the unusual tact of announcing a walk-on,  Bristol native Drew Ghio. Ghio’s name has been rumored, but as a walk-on they must think highly of him to include him in the spring.

Huskies are targeting depth on the o-line, and have brought in several players. It’s clear this is a point of emphasis.

Here is the UConn release.

UConn Athletic Communications – January 17, 2012 – Football Enrollees

 

STORRS, Conn. (Jan. 17, 2012) – Five student-athletes have enrolled at the University of Connecticut for the spring 2012 semester and have become members of the University of Connecticut football program.

The six are: center Kyle Bockeloh (Houston, Texas, 6-2, 286), quarterback Casey Cochran (Monroe, Conn., 6-0, 216), offensive guard Drew Ghio (Bristol, Conn., 6-1, 297), quarterback Chandler Whitmer (Newnan, Ga., 6-1, 188) and tailback Joseph Williams (Allentown, Pa., 5-11, 197).

Bockeloh played at Cypress Creek High School in Houston and graduated in the spring of 2011. He delayed his enrollment to college until this semester. He earned Greater Houston Academic All-State honors and also participated in track and field.

Cochran has been the Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut for each of the past two seasons at Masuk High School in Monroe, Conn. He holds the Connecticut high school career records for passing yards and completions. He played his final two years of high school at Masuk and led the team to the Connecticut Class L title in 2010. He started his scholastic career at New London HS and led the team to the state class SS title in 2008.

Ghio comes to UConn as a walk-on member of the team. He is a graduate of Bristol Eastern High School and spent the fall 2011 semester at the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn. A team captain at Bristol Central, he earned team MVP honors and was an all-city and first team all-conference pick. Ghio was an honor roll student at both Bristol Eastern and Loomis. He played for the Connecticut team in the 2010 Governors’ Cup All-Star Game. He also participated in track and basketball.

Whitmer originally enrolled at Illinois in the fall of 2010 and was a redshirt.  He was named to The Champaign News-Gazette’s All-State team following his senior year of high school at Downers Grove (Ill.) South. He earned all state and all-area honors. Whitmer, who will have three years of eligibility at Connecticut, spent the 2011 fall semester at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. Whitmer was 180 for 316 in the air for 3,022 yards this past season with 25 TDs and 14 interceptions. Butler was the second-ranked junior college team nationally this past season.

Williams spent the fall 2011 semester at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy after graduating from Emmaus High School in the spring of 2011. At Emmaus, he rushed for 1,243 yards as a senior and was a second team all-area pick. He was a first team All-Lehigh Valley Conference selection. Williams was a track standout as he won the LVC outdoor track titles in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.

Little late coming here, but the Huskies did officially add QB Chandler Whitmer to the fold according to the UConn athletic department on Wednesday.

He committed the second week of December after spending a year at Butler Community College after leaving Illinois.He threw for 25 touchdowns this past season and was an honorable mention All-American at Butler.

Whitmer was offered by Stanford and Arizona coming out of high school, but was an early commit to Illinois. Whitmer is an accurate passer and was highly -recruited out of high school and wanted to get into a pro-style offense, which the Huskies run.

Whitmer is a pro-syle quarterback and will come in and compete for the starting job right away with incumbent Johnny McEntee, Wildcat QB Scott McCummings and Michale Nebrich. The Huskies also have a commitment from Masuk-Monroe quarterback Casey Cochran, who is slated to arrive on campus for the spring semester.

That would bring 5 quarterbacks into the mix this spring for the Huskies and it’s something that UConn sorely needs — competition.

“We are turning the page,” UConn offensive coordinator George DeLeone said. “The best way is to start over. We have a clean slate right now. We are going to have competion for positions on this football team. Quarterback is no different.

“What’s on film is on film. We are not going to hold that against anyone. We have to have a clean slate this spring and have competition for all positions.”

McEntee had an up and down year as a starter and threw for 2,110 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was sacked an inordinate amount of times and didn’t always make his reads and deliver the ball as needed. He had some moments this past season, but he also made mistakes that put UConn in too big of a hole.

DeLeone did like McCummings’ production as the Wildcat quarterback and that’s an element that the Huskies are going to work into the gameplan regardless of who wins the job, which is going to go in even at this point.