Edsall welcomes 20 recruits
Huskies beef up with 12 on offense, 8 on defense
Asked Wednesday what sort of players he has looked for during the current recruiting cycle, UConn football coach Randy Edsall told a story about Savannah, Ga., native Darius Bush.
Bush played both receiver and defensive back in high school, and Edsall spent time on a recent recruiting visit quizzing his coach about where he would fit best in college, and whether he could even contribute on both sides of the ball. Then Bush entered the room and, without having heard the previous conversation, asked Edsall exactly the question he wanted to hear: “Hey coach, can I play both?”
Those are the types of kids, Edsall said, that he wants to bring to Storrs. Kids who want to do as much as they possibly can.
“These kids have personality, they have confidence,” Edsall said as he introduced 20 new Huskies commits, including Bush. “That’s the thing with a lot of these kids that you sit down with and you talk to: [They] get you energized; get you juiced up.”
UConn’s latest recruiting class, ranked No. 90 nationally by Rivals.com, features 12 offensive players and eight defensive players. There’s a quarterback, two running backs, two receivers, a whole lot of linemen and enough talent overall that Edsall sounds satisfied.
“It’s a really good group,” the coach said. “I like what they bring to the table in terms of their athleticism, their versatility. We got a lot better today.”
Ten of UConn’s signees will enroll early and participate in spring practice beginning Feb. 3, Edsall said. Those players are junior college offensive linemen Sidney Walker and Alexander Wyant, fellow O-lineman Zachary
Early, defensive lineman Marques Alexander, running back Nate Carter, defensive back Alfred Chea, tight end Brendan Heatherman, defensive lineman Carter Hooper, receiver Keelan Marion and quarterback Jonathan Sénécal.
The other 10 commits — Bush, running back Brian Brewton, O-linemen Robby Rochester and Chris Fortin, linebacker Desmond Fogle, defensive linemen Quay Evans, Nick Harris and Collin McCarthy, tight end Brandon Niemenski and defensive back Reyan Blake — will enroll in June.
With these players onboard, Edsall said, the program is close to where it should be in terms of players at each position.
“There’s a lot that goes into roster management,” Edsall said. “It’s a lot harder than what some of you guys think, in terms of putting a roster together and changing a roster and developing a roster. It takes time to do that. And when you get guys that are versatile and athletic and have the ability to do certain things, it helps you.
With this recruiting class, UConn again showed a fondness for Canadian players, signing Sénécal from Montreal; Fortin from Beauceville, Quebec; and Hooper from Carlisle, Ontario.
The Huskies have now brought in at least two Canadians in each of its past three classes, and Edsall said the staff’s focus north of the border will only increase moving forward.
“We’re going to probably even devote more time there and have a guy that’s there pretty much full time all the time,” Edsall said. “Because there are good players, and the guys that we have gotten from there we think are going to do well here.”
UConn signed players from” 10 different states, including multiple from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, but not a single one from the state of Connecticut.
Asked about the lack of in-state commits, Edsall said top local players had simply chosen to play elsewhere.
“We just want the kids that want to be here,” Edsall said. “There were some kids that we tried to recruit. They decided they didn’t want to be here, and that’s fine with me.”
UConn has five spots open in this recruiting class, and Edsall has a precise wish list. He wants another offensive lineman, a running back, a linebacker and two cornerbacks, though he said that plan could change in the coming months.
Though the Huskies seem focused on high school prospects, Edsall said his staff continues to monitor the transfer portal for veteran options as well.
The early signing period lasts through Friday.