The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Huskies bulk up for new season
STORRS — In a different generation, a 208-pound pass-rushing specialist and 264-pound offensive tackle might not have made an impact in the college game.
Yet, Darrian Beavers broke through for a pair of sacks in a late September game at SMU, and on the same day, fellow true freshman Ryan Van Demark made the first of his nine starts at right tackle, proving that playmakers can come in all sizes.
When UConn plays host to No. 21 UCF on Thursday (7 p.m., ESPNU), Beavers and Van Demark will once again be playing significant roles but will be doing so with about an extra 30 pounds of muscle on their collective frames.
“I feel like I play faster, a lot more athletic than I did last year, even gaining 30plus pounds,” Beavers said. “I can tell when I hit people.”
Beavers went from being a
situational pass rusher as a true freshman to an everydown starting linebacker as a sophomore. He could also be the starting linebacker with the most collegiate snaps in the opener as true freshman Kevon Jones and juniorcollege transfer Eli Thomas — who has been limited to four games in the last four seasons due to a series of knee injuries — are expected to join Beavers in the starting lineup.
Beavers could still be utilized to bring pressure off the edge as he did when he was a freshman but he’ll be asked to be more than a one-dimensional player this season.
“He’s a much more complete player,” UConn sophomore safety Tyler Coyle said. “Last year he was 208 pounds, now he’s (238) pounds. He’s definitely put the work in, in the offseason.”
Following his two sacks in the loss at SMU, things got to be a little more challenging for Beavers as he was no longer flying under the radar. His lone sack the rest of the season came against none other than McKenzie Milton, UCF’s Heisman Trophy candidate.
“They really keyed me, I could tell because I’ll be out there and they’ll be like, ‘Watch 43,’ ” Beavers said. “I could really tell that, I have to keep trying to learn new moves and stuff like that.”
Things are also changing for Van Demark, now the starting left tackle who checks in around 290 pounds.
“Seeing that 30 extra pounds of weight on you and see that he can still move at the same speed that he did at 260 is a testament to how much work he put in during the offseason,” said fellow starting offensive tackle Matt Peart. “You can definitely see that aspect, he’s always been a physical kid, that’s why he started as a freshman.”
Peart has been known to throw an extra sandwich or protein bar on Van Demark’s tray in an attempt to help his teammate bulk up. The 6foot-7 Van Demark is not done adding the weight just yet, as he wants to hit the 300-pound mark sooner rather than later.
“I’d say 285-290, that’s where I am right now but I want to be closer to 300, still put on some of that good muscle weight,” Van Demark said.
Van Demark will be joined on the left side of the offensive line by redshirt sophomore guard Cam DeGeorge, who started all 12 games at right guard a season ago. While he didn’t have as much weight to put on as Van Demark, they’ve helped each other getting bigger, stronger and faster since breaking into the starting lineup last season.
“We definitely have that chemistry and just putting on that weight, doing the good stuff right now is definitely going to help us out,” Van Demark said. “We have the chemistry from last year so this year I can’t wait to get on the field in a game with him.”
Speaking of promising linemen, more than a few eyes will be on true freshman starters Christian Haynes and Travis Jones.
The 295-pound Haynes is set to become the first true freshman offensive lineman to start in a season opener since UConn began playing at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Haynes will play at right guard between Peart and center Ryan Crozier, the team’s two most experienced linemen.
“Offensive line, we’re in the trenches all day,” Peart said. “Games are won and lost in the trenches, so you have to have that mindset that ‘I’m going to physically dominate that 1-on-1,’ no matter what. Him coming out as a freshman and showing that he can compete at this level, that’s definitely a testament to him and his mental focus.”
Jones checks in somewhere between 350-360 pounds. He has seen time at every defensive line position in preseason camp but is projected to be the starting nose tackle against UCF. Jones will line up next to 280-pound redshirt freshman Caleb Thomas, the team leader in both the bench press and squat.
“He’s hard to move off the ball and he has that strength too,” Thomas said of Jones. “I feel like our strengths complement each other, I feel like we’re strong enough on the line to hold up (against) double teams. We need to keep on working and I feel like we’ll be a good duo.”