The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
UConn football looking for linebackers
When UConn football coach Randy Edsall met with the media to discuss the early signees last December, there was a sense that many of the defensive players signing with the Huskies could get onto the field during the 2018 season.
However, it was highly unlikely that not even Edsall could have envisioned that all 12 defensive recruits would see playing time with nine of the new Huskies starting games.
While much of the focus was on adding size to the defensive line and speed in the secondary, there was a different focus during this recruiting cycle. The Huskies will be adding multiple linebackers to the class in an attempt to shore up what was arguably the team’s biggest weakness during a nightmarish 2018 season.
Bloomfield’s Dillon Harris originally committed to UConn in 2017 when he was enrolled at Cheshire Academy. After two seasons at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., Harris has a chance to give the program something that Edsall said was lacking, a true linebacker instead of relying on converted defensive backs to play linebacker. It was the position he played when he racked up 131 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four interceptions as a freshman and sophomore at Bloomfield High. In the last two seasons Harris added 73 tackles, 8 1⁄2 sacks and three interceptions in 15 games at Lackawanna, one of the most successful junior college programs in the East.
Harris could be joined in the linebacking group by recent commitment Eric Watts from Sumter, S.C. although the 6-foot-6, 230pound Watts, who had 15 1⁄2 tackles for loss and 8 1⁄2 sacks as a senior at Sumter High School, could also be asked to add weight to his frame and play defensive end.
Another player with position versatility who could figure into the picture at linebacker is Ridgefield all-stater Jackson Mitchell.
When Mitchell committed, there was a thought that he could see time at either receiver or tight end, two other positions of need in this recruiting cycle. While Mitchell led Ridgefield with 36 receptions as a senior, his true impact came on the other side of the ball as he had 51 tackles including 13 1⁄2 tackles for loss as a senior. Proving that he played his best against the top competition, three of his 9 1⁄2 sacks came in games against Class M champion St. Joseph and Greenwich, winners of the Class LL title and the No. 1 ranked team in the GameTimeCT final top 10 poll.
UConn loses Santana Sterling, the team leader with seven tackles for loss. Eddie Hahn returns after recording 59 tackles as does Kevon Jones, who had 52 stops in nine games as a true freshman. Former starting safety Marshe’ Terry moved to linebacker late in the season and if he stays there, he will add athleticism to the linebacking position. Ryan Gilmartin, T.J. Gardner and Hunter Webb combined for 17 tackles in limited duty while the status of Eli Thomas, who suffered a stroke in October, is up in the air.
The Huskies will announce its first batch of recruits on Wednesday morning. It’s a foregone conclusion that UConn will look to add to its linebacker candidates whether it is high school, junior college or graduate transfer prospects.
WALKING THE WALK
Former UConn defensive lineman Kevin Murphy and receiver T.J. Vernieri were among 14 UConn studentathletes who took part in graduation ceremonies earlier this month. Defensive lineman James Atkins and offensive lineman Ryan Crozier also graduated from UConn at the end of the fall semester.
Receiver Hergy Mayala is the No. 6 prospect in the Canadian Football League Scouting Service’s most recent ranking of players eligible for the 2019 CFL Draft. Mayala, who led UConn with 40 receptions during the 2018 season, has a chance to become the third former Husky to be taken in the first round of the CFL Draft since 2015 joining offensive linemen Alex Mateas and Trey Rutherford, who were taken first overall in 2015 and second overall in 2017, respectively.