2023 DL Cleto Chol details UConn Football commitment
Fresh off an official visit, Proctor Academy's (NH) Cleto Chol committed the Huskies on Monday, choosing the Huskies over offers from UMass, Bryant, Fordham, Lafayette, Yale, URI, and UNH.
Chol will be joining his Proctor Academy teammate, Toryian Johnson, as two of the first commits for first year HC Jim Mora. Chol has been on UConn's radar for some time now, dating back to the previous coaching staff. He also visited last year as a junior, but was told by the staff they wanted to see him develop more before offering.
After adding about 45 pounds and studying film, Chol was ready for this year's Mega Camp on May 29th. There, he and Johnson impressed Mora enough that they became his first two camp offers at UConn.
Once on campus for the official visit, Chol was sold.
"The love I got from the staff was truly unmatched by the other schools recruiting me. After I was offered, every other day there was a different member of the staff checking in on me to see how I was doing. Coach Siriki Diabate (my soon to be position coach) and I had great conversations over the past few days and how quick we were able to connect from our African backgrounds to sense of humor was something I had to incorporate into my decision. Coach Spanos, the DC, and Coach Charlton, the OC were always checking up on me not only over the phone but when they saw me at other camps as well they always made sure to check up on me and tell me they really wanted me on campus soon.
Coach Mora in our 1v1 convo said, “I’ve been doing this a long time and when I saw you moving around at camp with your size and length I instantly thought to myself this kid is probably going to be playing in the NFL in a few years. I see Coach Mora and the rest of UConn’s new staff’s vision with this program and after conversations the past few months leading up to this visit that topped it off, I knew I wanted to help build this program and be a part of the Husky Revolution."
Aside from football, Chol is excited about the academic opportunities afforded by UConn.
"I got a forecast of my education and everything I could accomplish while being at UConn, so if my dream of making the NFL doesn’t come true, I’ll have a degree and hopefully a Master's to fall back on as I look to major in psychology. Football is going to end at some point so I wanted to make sure I’d have a plan for life after it, and UConn truly will provide it if I follow through with what I need to do personally."
Chol also enjoyed spending time with the current players on campus for summer workouts.
"The players were welcoming, fun to be around and they liked having me around. I'm positive that if I didn’t have to be at the hotel that recruits were staying at I would’ve probably stayed the nights in the player's dorms. The recruits I was with loved it as well and I clicked with them immediately too. Five of us committed this weekend within a few hours of each other, that should be enough to speak to how amazing the visit and vibes were."
As is the case with many recruits, Chol is looking forward to the future schedules, specifically the 2025 date with Ohio State.
"But in my experience at high school I learned that I can’t take any game for granted as the years fly by so my true answer is I’m excited for each and every game I get to be a part of."
Chol is especially excited about being able to play with his longtime friend, Toryian Johnson.
"Toriyan and I have been talking about going to the same school together for a while. He’s not just my teammate, he's been my roommate during my time at Proctor as well and I’ve known him since 5th grade. I truly look at him as a brother and no scale can properly represent how excited I am to share this experience with him too."
And as for what UConn can expect from Johnson, from someone who knows him best?
"You can’t teach a lot of the things Toriyan can do at 6’8 320 so UConn fans should know they’re getting a prospect that’s gonna be dangerous in a couple of years of further development."
Chol is fired up to be a Husky and asked what he would say to UConn fans ahead of his arrival, he responded.
"I know how much pride Connecticut and Husky Nation has in UConn sports programs. I’m well aware of my build and athleticism and understand that I can be a superstar if I listen during my development process AND I WILL. I wanna be a huge reason why UConn Football turned around and you best believe I’m gonna do everything in my power to be the best I can be and help the program and teammates around me develop too. This it right here the start of the Revolution and we’re gonna get it done, if you believe in us Husky Nation."