Huskies ‘amped’ for spring season
UConn looks to make up for lost time after opting out of fall
It’s been 452 days since the UConn football team last played a game. The Huskies were one of the few teams to their 2020 spring session before the COVID19 pandemic shut down sports across the country. Months later, they were one of three FBS teams to opt out of the season. In exchange for competition, the fall was spent practicing, conditioning and lifting.
It’s been a while since the Huskies have seen something that resembles real football.
“If you really think of it, we haven’t really put on the pads in a while,” senior offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark said. “I’m pretty sure the whole team is just amped to just get out there with some shoulder pads and starting hitting each other. I miss playing, but it’s definitely going to help us this season in terms of wins.”
UConn will begin its spring practice session on Monday as the Huskies — after months of development and film consumption — will see the football calendar return to something more normal.
Van Demark, a member of the team’s leadership committee, said the team is the most dialed in he’s seen in his four years in Storrs.
“I can just see a glaring difference this year, rather than the last three years,” he said. “We have more kids bought in. We have more kids definitely trying to get after it every day trying to get a ring. That’s our main mentality now. Our main mentality is to get a ring, to win no matter what. I think everybody had that shared mentality.
“The sky is the limit for us. I’m super excited for this year. Everybody is motivated, you can see it.”
Head coach Randy Edsall said he’ll approach this spring the same as he would any other, with the focus on seeing players continue to improve.
“Guys are walking around with more confidence,” Edsall said. “Everything is trending in the right direction. Now what we have to do is go out and take advantage of these 15 practices.”
Edsall sees a change in lead back Kevin Mensah: By the numbers, senior Kevin Mensah has been UConn’s best running back in over a decade. In 2019, he became the first to rush for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since future NFL player Jordan Todmandid so in 2010. In 2018, he became the first Husky to eclipse 1,000 yards since Lyle McCombs did so in 2011.
Edsall said he thinks Mensah, who rushed for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns in 2019, can be a better player than he was in prior years.
The biggest change? Maturity, according to Edsall.
“I see a guy that came back and he’s more mature right now, and working very hard, and doing the things you would expect of a young man to do in his role, his position,” said Edsall. “He’s going about his business the way he should be doing it.”
Edsall said they had to have some “discussions” with Mensah, one of which included removing him from the team’s leadership committee. Van Demark said Mensah struggled academically, but is on the right track now.
“You have those discussions and you see a change in him,” Edsall said. “That’s what’s encouraging.”
Who will start behind center? The jury is still out: UConn’s starting quarterback position was a revolving door in 2019, with redshirt sophomore Steve Krajewski, sophomore Jack Zergiotis and Mike Beaudry (who transferred to Idaho in the offseason) all taking turns behind center.
Krajewski, Zergioitis and N.C. State transfer Micah Leone are competing for that spot now, as is incoming freshman Tyler Phommachanh of Avon Old Farms. Edsall said each player will get their opportunity, but added they’ll wait to find their starter in the fall if there isn’t a clear top option in March.
“I want to see somebody take it over,” said Edsall. “I want to see somebody take charge ... I want to see the guy that’s going to grab the bull by the horn and be able to be the guy that can run our offense.”
Notes: Redshirt sophomore linebacker Terrance Ganyi and freshman receiver Darius Bush are both rehabbing torn Achilles’, and will be out for the foreseeable future. ... Senior tight end Jay Rose, a Southington native, is doing “real well” with the rehab of his torn pectoral, per Edsall. ... Redshirt sophomore defensive back Jalon Ferrell drew praise from Van Demark as one of the players who’s made the biggest jump since last year: “Kid’s been insane, he’s been working in the weight room. You can see his body change. He’s very smart, he’s changed his whole attitude for the game.”... Redshirt junior linebacker Ian Swenson also took a leap: “You can see it in his confidence, and the way he runs on the field,” Van Demark said.