Priorities in order for kickoff returner

STORRS — A year earlier Kyle Buss had made it a habit of torching even the most experienced of secondaries in the Northeast Conference. But with one phone call, the reigning NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year bid a temporary adieu to football to begin to tackle a game with much more significance.

When Buss received a phone call that his mother was terminally ill, Buss never hesitated in leaving Robert Morris University and headed back home to Mechanicville, N.Y. Buss wasn’t merely going to be there to support his ailing mother, but to serve as her caretaker.

“It is not something that anybody wants to decide at 20, 21 years old, but looking back I don’t have any regrets,” said Buss, who is now a junior receiver on the UConn football team. “It wasn’t a terribly hard decision, my mother’s health and my family would come first before anything, so looking back I don’t have any regrets.”

Buss headed to Milford Academy after graduating from Shenendehowa High in Clifton Park, N.Y. He had 37 catches for 700 yards and nine touchdowns and was ranked among the top 30 prep school recruits in his class.

“He never dropped a ball for us and he was hard to cover and nobody was able to stop him,” Milford Academy coach Bill Chaplick said.

“When he played for us, he was a solid I-AA guy who could have gone I-A talent wise. He was a good kid, did everything right, got a scholarship, but the whole time he was here, he was definitely tight with his family, it doesn’t surprise me.”

The move likely didn’t surprise those that knew him. However, Buss wasn’t exactly calling attention to the situation either. A couple of months ago, a photo of Buss holding his letter of acceptance from UConn along with his mother in her hospital room began to make the rounds.

“Not many people knew, I am kind of an introvert,” Buss said. “I kept a situation like that (quiet) because things change. I wasn’t looking for any sympathy or any special treatment, it was a special moment for me and my mother to find out

where I was going to be going for school and football. We have been talking about it since the day it happened. It was a special moment. I think spirits wise, hopefully health wise, it definitely lifted her up.”

His mother encouraged Buss not to give up on his football dream. He started the process of looking for a school, but it had to be close enough to his home so he could apply for a hardship waiver making him immediately eligible. Since he redshirted at Robert Morris in 2014, not getting a waiver would have meant he had one more season of eligibility. However, last week word came that the NCAA granted Buss the waiver and he played in the Huskies’ 41-38 home loss to East Carolina.

“In my mind it was the right decision,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said. “I would have been extremely disappointed if that didn’t happen.

“I know he is looking for the opportunity to play more this week than last week, which is going to happen. I would take a hundred of those guys in terms of his attitude, his work ethic, the pride that he has, being a team guy.”

All of which made the announcement of his eligibility that much more special.

“It’s been a long road,” Buss said. “When Coach (Edsall) pulled me in and told me, it was like Christmas. Through all of camp. I was just coming out every day and wondering what the answer is going to be.”

Buss saw time at receiver, often working in the slot during preseason camp, but when there was no ruling on the waiver until the Huskies were preparing for their third game of the season, other receivers got to work with the first and second team offenses.

Twice Buss was named UConn’s special teams scout player of the week and before the winner of the most recent award was announced, his teammates playfully blurted out “Kyle Buss” when Edsall was ready to reveal the most recent recipient.

Buss played on the special teams coverage units. With top kickoff returner Jordan Swann questionable to play against SMU on Saturday, Buss is expected to handle those duties.

It isn’t lost on Buss that a year ago at this time he was in his mother’s hospital room watching college football games on Saturday afternoons.

“It was different,” Buss said. “Most of the time I was watching the games in the hospital, or any place I could watch the game, whether it was in a restaurant or wherever. I was trying to get that feeling again. It was tough for however long I was playing. It is definitely different seeing it from the couch, it is definitely special to be here and I am going to take advantage of every moment.” EXTRA POINTS: Edsall said he was skeptical that former starting long snapper Nick Zecchino, who is dealing with a medical issue, will be able to return to the team this season, meaning Darien’s Brian Keating

will be the long snapper for the third straight game. Speaking of snappers, starting center Ryan Crozier

tore his ACL and MCL in the ECU loss. He will have surgery on Friday with redshirt junior Dan Oak

taking over as the starting center.