Thomas enrolled at UConn

Beavers transferring to Cincy

A pair of players who were among the starting linebackers in the UConn football team’s 2018 season opener are making news in different ways.

Eli Thomas, who suffered a stroke before a scheduled weightlifting session in 2018, has enrolled in the spring semester although he has not yet been cleared for football activities. Those closest to him, including the ones who turned out at an event held in his honor in Elmira, N.Y., in November, said returning to UConn was a priority for Thomas.

Darrian Beavers, who led the Huskies with four sacks a season ago, is transferring to Cincinnati.

Beavers — a Cincinnati native who was among the first recruits to commit to UConn in 2017 after Randy Edsall returned to take over the program — burst onto the scene when he had two sacks in a 2017 game against SMU. He began the 2018 season as a linebacker but was moved to defensive end and finished with 23 tackles as a sophomore, with five coming against South Florida. This is UConn Country was the first to report Beaver’s decision to transfer.

Freshmen defensive linemen Eric Watts and Jeff Woods have also enrolled in classes, as has running back Art Thompkins, a graduate transfer who rushed for 1,427 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons at Toledo.

Thompkins, Watts and Woods will be able to take part in spring practice since they are currently enrolled in school.