The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
UConn’s defense has New Jersey connection
New Jersey high school stars starters in Huskies’ secondary
STORRS » Well wishers began coming out of the woodwork as Jamar Summers piled up interceptions as a dizzying pace during the UConn cornerback’s sophomore season.
Among those who reached out to encourage Summers was another former New Jersey high school star who was playing major-college football. Little did Summers realize that Tre Bell would go from admiring Summers’ game from a distance to becoming his teammate at UConn.
“We knew of each other going through the process,” said Bell, who played for two seasons at Vanderbilt before transferring to UConn. “The season when he had an amazing All-American season, I talked to him pretty often. Being from Jersey, it is a great football state. You see somebody close to you doing well and you want to show them some love.”
There could be five defensive players born and raised in New Jersey who see action when the Huskies plays host to Holy Cross in Thursday’s season opener (7:30 p.m., SNY). Bell and Summers will man the starting cornerback positions, Marche Terry is pushing Brice McAllister for a starting safety spot, Eddie Hahn came to UConn as a defensive back but is now listed as a second-string linebacker while reserve defensive back John Robinson had seven tackles in the final seven games of the 2016 season.
“We have some good athletes who come out of New Jersey so we definitely want to represent in the right way,” said Summers, who grew up less than 10 miles from Bell. “I knew Tre Bell, I was always competing when he was competing, we would
hear about each other and had the competitive nature to reach the top level and hopefully meet one day. Fortunately we met here on the collegiate level.”
A year ago, Bell was forced to sit out the season after transferring from Vanderbilt. Bell cut his teeth on UConn’s scout team, but now he has emerged as one of the leaders of a veteran UConn defense which could start at least eight seniors against Holy Cross.
“He is going to do a lot,” Summers said. “He has a lot of knowledge for the game so guys feed off of him and on top of that, he is a very humble kid so that definitely humbles me. I definitely feed off of all of that. We just go hand in hand, him being on the opposite side of me.”
Bell had some connections to the UConn program even before he arrived. His father was the former coach at East Orange High School where UConn starting receiver Tyraiq Beals was one of his top players. One of Bell’s cousins played with true freshman quarterback Jordan McAfee at Everett (Mass.) High School.
“It’s very challenging,” Bell said. “I have a great support system. My family has been there from the start, my girlfriend has been there from the start. With them behind me, my father, sister, my brother, my mother, my grandmother, now that I am here in Connecticut, I have family in Boston so any time they need to reach out to me or I can get to them. Coming here was big for me especially when it comes to family. I get a chance to see my little brother more. When I was down south, I couldn’t reach out to them or see them as much as I wanted to.”
Diggs to miss opener
Senior linebacker Vontae Diggs, UConn’s top returning tackler, was hopeful of playing in the season opener even after undergoing knee surgery during preseason camp. At Sunday’s press conference, UConn coach Randy Edsall said there is a chance that Diggs could return in time for the Sept. 9 American Athletic Conference opener against South Florida. Edsall also said the decision whether to have Brett Graham or Luke Magliozzi handle the punting duties might not be made until game day.