GROWING THE PACK
GameTimeCT Player of the Year Danny Shaban of Barlow one of several state players committing to UConn
As the second national signing day started on Wednesday, UConn football had a relatively quiet day, officially announcing just two transfers.
But while Jim Mora and his coaching staff’s first independently recruited class is relatively small with limited scholarships, the program has still managed to keep some of the state’s top talent in Connecticut.
UConn’s list of preferred walk-ons keeps growing. Last week Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year, John Neider, announced his commitment to play for the Huskies. UConn has now recruited back-to-back CT Gatorade Players of the Year after Victor Rosa committed in the previous class.
On Wednesday, it was announced that the program has now landed back-to-back New
Haven Register Players of the Year, with Joel Barlow’s tripleoption quarterback Danny Shaban following in the footsteps of Norwalk’s Cam Edwards, who committed a season ago.
“The last year has been real slow, my whole life I haven’t really gotten the kind of looks that I thought I would at least,” Shaban said. “But it picked up at the end of my senior season and I am glad it did. UConn came in there at the end and it has always been where I wanted to go.”
Shaban led Joel Barlow to its first ever state championship, scoring five touchdowns himself as Barlow defeated Valley Regional/Old Lyme 61-6 in the Class SS final. Shaban rushed for 2,067 yards and a state leading 35 touchdowns on 219 carries this past season. He completed 25 of 44 passes for 721 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a defensive
end, Shaban made 41 solo tackles and 27 assisted, with 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks while forcing four fumbles.
While Neider and Shaban were both quarterbacks as seniors, they will likely be shifting positions at the next level, similar to the path Victor Rosa took in his impressive freshman season at UConn, in which he led the team with 11 touchdowns.
“I think UConn is trying to build a family setting over there, really trying to get Connecticut back into the mix and keep kids in the program,” Shaban said. “I think a lot of us are underrated, you saw what John Neider did this year and he was a great player who I met on my visit. I am just excited to get to work with all of them.”
Neider was a wide receiver before his high school team, Jonathan Law, asked him to fill the quarterback role entering his junior season. Shaban could be moved to running back or linebacker as a Husky.
Before him, it was 2021 New Haven Register 1st Team All-State selection (along with Edwards of Norwalk and Rosa of Bristol Central) Teddy Williams who made his commitment back in midDecember.
“I am really excited. I have been watching UConn since I was like five years old,” Williams said in December. “Seeing them have some off years in the past and now starting to really turn it around with Coach Mora gets me really excited.”
Williams was a Class S State Champion with Cromwell/Portland in 2021, scoring all three of his team’s touchdowns (Fumble recovery, 46-yard receiving touchdown, and a pick-six) in the 21-6 victory over Bloomfield. This past season he attended Salisbury Prep, where he saw time at receiver, runningback and linebacker.
New Haven Register Third Team AllState
selection from Bloomfield, Howard Simpson, a 6-foot-5, 220 pound defensive lineman helped lead Bloomfield to backto-back Class S state championship games (one of which he lost to his future teammate, Williams).
Also announcing his commitment on Wednesday was former Hillhouse running back Frank Daniley, who played the last season at New Hampton School in New Hampshire.
And joining the parade of Connecticut commitments is Kingswood-Oxford standout, Chase Fountain, who formerly attended Conard in the 2019 season. The 5-10, 175 pound corner back/athlete was an All-NEPSAC selection.
The six preffered walk-on in-state commits will be joining the 13 scholarship commitments from the first signing day window, including two more Connecticut athletes.
Cameron Chadwick, a safety from Plainville who attended Immaculata High School in New Jersey, is a three-star recruit and Jackson Harper, a wide receiver from Simsbury who spent the last four years at Avon Old Farms, is a twostar recruit.
“I am excited to be joining (Rosa and Edwards),” Williams said. “It is always good to go to a big D-I school and see other kids from your state and being able to play on the same team with them. It is going to be really fun.”