The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
JEFF JACOBS
Dunn’s departure a bad look for UConn
John Dunn made Randy Edsall look foolish.
John Dunn made David Benedict and his athletic department look pathetic.
John Dunn made UConn, with its new president, look desperate at a desperate time in its athletic history.
Spin it as you will, coach and apologists, and, yes, you will spin … Hey, the man is only following his NFL dream … It’s the price of doing business in today’s world of major college football … Hey, by elevating offensive line coach Frank Giufre to offensive coordinator there is systematic continuity.
The hard truth is Dunn bolted only weeks after Edsall decided to famously reach into his own pocket to give him a $150,000 raise in each of the next two years. Edsall added associate head coach to Dunn’s responsibilities and the $450,000 salary stood among the highest for assistants in the AAC. A report, citing several sources, said Edsall’s vision was to hand over the reins to Dunn in two or three years.
The thought that a coach who once abandoned the program in the middle of the Arizona night — one with a 4-20 record upon his return — would have any say on a successor was audacious.
Yet here we were with Edsall painted as a man of extraordinary philanthropy and vision. Here we were with the 35-year-old Dunn, whose offense was 88th of 129 schools in his first season at UConn, painted as indispensable. And here we were with an athletic department and director, facing a $42 million athletic deficit, looking cheap and cash-strapped by allowing a coach to give his assistant a raise out of his own bank account.
John Dunn bolted to become tight end coach of the Jets a few weeks later anyway.
It is an embarrassing look for a program that has become an embarrassment for the school and the state. After an 1-11 season with the only victory over an
FCS school, after a season where UConn made a damn near foolproof argument for being the worst defensive team in NCAA history, after securing its eighth successive losing record, after struggling mightily to get 10,000 actual fannies in the seats, yes, embarrassment seems the appropriate word.
So do we go metaphysical snark with John Donne on John Dunn and play the “Death Be Not Proud” card? Do we play to the growing legion of UConn fans who would argue that football should die to save basketball? Or should we play to the dwindling football crowd and break out the flaming gif and proclaim this one episode is only, “A Dunn-ster Fire?” The heck with it. We’ll go with both. Just when you think UConn football has hit bottom along comes a trap door.
The idea that Dunn felt immediately compelled to be a Jets position coach for roughly the same pay tells you plenty. Dunn spelled it out in a Hartford Courant report where he said he had NFL aspirations. Fine. This is something Edsall, supposedly close to Dunn, should have been readily aware of before he decided to play Santa Claus and leave UConn open to looking weak and cheap.
UConn almost seems oblivious to its standing these days. Those piddly in-game bonuses Edsall negotiated for himself and his coordinators have turned into a national punchline. A grand or two for scoring first or thirddown conversions? Good grief. And national media about the potential need to drop sports isn’t a look of strength.
New school president Thomas C. Katsouleas said he is committed to football and the AAC. Fine. I would have said the same predictable thing.
Katsouleas also has to realize it means he is committed to a sport that lost upward of $9 million last year and needs more financial support to pay coaches, improve facilities, to be a real player — not less. Without the great treasure chest currently enjoyed by the Power 5 conferences, if his commitment is anything more than provisional beyond the next round of television contracts starting in 2023, well, he ought to have his head examined. These are scary financial times and vigilance over the next handful of years is vital.
In the meantime, Edsall turned to his third offensive coordinator in three seasons. Benedict is the one who ushered in Rhett Lashlee in 2017. The thought was Lashlee was so good — and, yes, he is good — that UConn would hold on as long as possible before he became a head coach or return to the SEC as coordinator. Instead, Lashlee bolted after one year to be OC at AAC-competitor Southern Methodist. Officially, returning his family closer to Arkansas roots was given, but I never bought that as the full reason. Lashlee got a lot of praise and this is Edsall’s show. That relationship was said to never have been particularly comfortable. So in came Dunn, who Edsall first gave a chance to at Maryland, and fans saw a mixed bag of improved running and decreased passing numbers with quarterback David Pindell. Dunn showed his eternal gratitude to Edsall by answering the call of new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who worked with Dunn in Chicago, and the rest of the story was J-E-T-S.
Edsall also has his second defensive coordinator in three years. Billy Crocker was brought in by Edsall from Villanova as a 3-3-5 defensive savant, yet after one year a four-man front was installed. Edsall talked endlessly about going with so many freshmen on defense because they
were clearly the best available. It was easy to throw Bob Diaco’s recruiting under the bus. Edsall talked about his elaborate plan that could take five years. He talked constantly about how those players would become more mature and get stronger under his staff ’s tutelage. He fired the beleaguered Crocker and the training staff anyway. He brought in the quick fix of a handful of graduate transfers anyway. Not that they were bad moves — they were necessary — but Edsall’s endless spiels sometimes are nothing more than buying time and deflecting blame. He needs to start winning. Period.
So now the pitch is Giufre brings systematic continuity. OK, fine. Pindell is also gone. And chances are graduate transfer Mike Beaudry will be UConn’s quarterback. There will be a number of new receivers. So last year’s system might not mean as much as you’d think. Lashlee and Dunn did OK in transitional first years. Giufre has been an offensive line coach and his resume, which includes a number of years with the Colts, indicates he hasn’t done much, if any, real play-calling. That doesn’t mean he can’t be successful, but it does mitigate against the thought that system continuity is automatically terrific.
There also was no apparent outside search for an offensive coordinator. Dunn out. Giufre in. Bang. Spring football practice starts next week. At least on paper, the offense could take a step back.
The 2019 schedule does have some potential wins on it, but there’s precious little optimism these days. John Dunn certainly didn’t help. When a coach tries to play Santa Claus and the kid goes, no thanks, I’d rather have the presents next door, it’s a terrible look for a program that can’t seem to get anything right.