Advertisement
football Edit

UConn Football 2017 National Signing Day Primer: Part II

Check out Part 1 here!

Please consider joining Storrs Central membership to support our thorough coverage of UConn Football recruiting. Click here to join!


David Benedict shocked, but certainly did not disappoint, UConn fans across the board when he relieved Bob Diaco of his duties as UConn head coach. There may have been some anger and confusion when he quickly hired Randy Edsall to fill the vacancy, but given what has transpired in just over a month since, the program is clearly in a better place.

Part of that is the assembly of a very high-quality coaching staff, the other is the job the new staff did on the recruiting trail.

Edsall added eight freshman verbals and also two transfers, a junior college quarterback and a graduate transfer running back from South Carolina.

Garrison Burnett, an athlete from Maret High in Washington DC, where he played quarterback and defensive back, will be joining the Huskies as a wide receiver. He was the first commitment to the new staff after attending an official visit weekend that led to six commitments. The next day, two defensive backs pledged to join the Husky defense under Billy Crocker in Brayden Brown and Darrian Beavers.

Brown, an offensive and defensive standout from Cumberland, Maryland, is a three-star safety recruit who received praise from the Rivals scouts as a rising player in the class of 2017 after a strong senior season:

"Listed as a three-star safety...Brown has been the most electric as a senior, averaging better than 15 yards per carry and more than 20 yards per reception. His versatility and performance this season could make him a candidate for a late scholarship offer from a Power Five program."

Advertisement


Beavers, a 6-foot-4 safety from Ohio, chose UConn over offers from Army, Ball State, Bowling Green, and Miami (OH). He was recruited by the previous staff and renewed interest after the coaching change. The aspiring criminal justice major saw great potential in UConn's success with placing defensive backs in the NFL.

Two days later, the Huskies added another player who the previous staff unsuccessfully recruited in Philadelphia athlete Rob King. It would be a three-commitment day as Texas defensive back Caleb Thomas also announced his verbal commitment along with graduate transfer David Williams.

King, who starred as a quarterback and defensive back at Father Judge (PA) High, flipped his commitment from Temple to UConn. The promising speedster could play safety, corner, or wide receiver for the Huskies and also had offers from Coastal Carolina, Army, Buffalo, and Kent State.

Thomas is the only defensive lineman committed to the Huskies, choosing UConn over Army and Nevada. He projects as a nose guard at the next level and would be just the second Texan on the roster along with running back Nate Hopkins.

That evening, the Huskies also earned a verbal commitment from David Williams, a running back who will be eligible immediately after graduating from South Carolina. In three years, he ran the ball 187 times for 794 yards (4.2 ypc) and five touchdowns. Williams also caught 27 passes for 264 yards, an average of 9.8 yards per reception. He'll likely be in line for a lot more playing time with the Huskies and pair nicely with the shifty Arkeel Newsome.


One day later, three-star offensive lineman Robert Holmes announced his commitment to the Huskies. The Florida native who played for Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, alma mater of current Husky A.J. Garson, was previously committed to FAU and had offers from Auburn, Miami (FL), and Auburn.

Edsall and his staff unearthed a potential diamond in the rough in Missouri wide receiver Cameron Hairston, a 6-foot-3 pass-catcher who was previously committed to North Dakota State.

UConn added another three-star recruit, making a big wave when Windsor (CT) High's TJ Gardner flipped his commitment from Boston College to UConn. Gardner is a big, strong athlete who was a star running back and linebacker. He'll be playing defense in Billy Crocker's new scheme and it is great for UConn to be getting wins like this with in-state recruits. Like King and Beavers, Gardner was unsuccessfully targeted by the previous staff.

The quarterback position has been a major weakness for UConn over the years. While there is young talent on the roster, the stability at the position remains uncertain. Bryant Shirreffs and Donovan Williams will have competition in freshman Jordan McAfee, but also from junior college transfer David Pindell.

Pindell was a 2015 high school graduate out of Oakland Hills High in Columbia, Maryland. As a sophomore at Lackawanna Community College, he threw for over 2,400 yards and 31 touchdowns while rushing for 459 yards and adding eight touchdowns on the ground.

As the most experienced quarterback recruited by the new staff, Pindell will have an inside track to the starting job in 2017. Shirreffs will not go down without a fight, but one would have to like his chances.

Advertisement