STORRS – University football visited Morrone Stadium on campus Sunday for its Spring Fan Fest, hosting an open practice for fans, parents and a handful of new recruits, and unveiling some shiny new pieces. Showed off.
The Huskies are expected to look a little different as head coach Jim Mora, who is in his third year, is supported by a new assistant and will look to improve on their 3-9 record in the fall. He said the offseason was challenging “in a good way” after Mora's worst performance in his 12th year as head coach.
“We have to attack every day because we have a lot to accomplish,” he said. “For me, it's kind of energizing, it's a challenge, and I like challenges. This year has been very, very positive, especially since it's been a disappointing year on record for us. We've been able to build on things, wash away the negativity and hopefully grow from it. We're excited about where we're at, really excited… We have so much more to improve. There is much to be done – One million There are things we need to improve on, but we are encouraged by the direction we are heading. ”
Mora and his staff brought in a number of high-level transfers to compensate for the wave of departures that followed the season. They will continue shopping until the period closes on April 30th, with the aim of continuing to add depth and potentially some starters.
New players who arrived early showed outstanding performance on Sunday, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Freshman Cole Welliver, a 6-foot-6 gunslinger who just graduated from Liberty Christian High School in Texas, plays for Dallas Cowboys legend Jason Witten and is the third-stringer. As a quarterback, he showed his play that day near the end of the 11-on. -11 drills.
Welliver threw a perfect spiral about 40 yards down the left sideline, connected with receiver Jackson Harper, a Simsbury native, and limped enough to make the catch on the field. The offense simulated what would happen in a real game, getting to the line before anyone called for a challenge and fumbled the rushing snap.
It was a glimpse of the bright future the team hopes for. Welliver will start his career behind seniors Joe Fagnano and Taquan Roberson, who will compete again for the starting spot Fagnano took after last year's camp. He started two games before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury against Georgia State.
The rest of the offensive line featured running backs Jayden “Mel” Brown and Durrell Robinson, who stood out alongside former Wisconsin receiver Skylar Bell.
Described as a “jitterbug” by new offensive coordinator and former offensive line coach Gordon Sammis, Brown has played in a similar offensive system during his two seasons at Gardner-Webb and brings speed and variety to the backfield. . Robinson, a Charlotte native, brings extra power, as does returner Cam Edwards, who missed Sunday's practice with turf toe. Mora feels the running back room is one of the team's strongest areas, as he feels Rosa has speed and is poised to develop as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
Bell, who had more than 30 catches in each of the last two seasons at Wisconsin, joins a receiver room that has Brett Bachman, a second-year Husky out of Delaware, poised to take the starring role.
The Huskies will be hitting the portal for more depth in that area and on the offensive line after losing NFL draft pick Christian Haynes and center Noel Ofori Nyadu (who went to Colorado).
Right tackle Chase Lunt, who is preparing for his fifth season with the Huskies, said, “We're going to practice ourselves as leaders and grow our room and not just our room but the team as a whole.” I think we did a good job of keeping it going.” “Because we've instilled a really good mentality in our O-line and we're trying to bring that to the whole team.”
Defensively, the University, with a new look under coordinator Matt Bullock, returns the big three of Darmon Grudin, Jelani Stafford and Price Yates to the line despite losing Eric Watts. . At linebacker without Jackson Mitchell, returners Tui Faumina-Brown, Donovan Branch and Amir Renwick will be on Sunday, along with returning defensive backs Malcolm Bell, Damon Brinson, Malik Dixon and Durante Jones. Looks like he's in the top team.
“I’m really happy with the guys that came back on defense,” Mora said. “We have a really good nucleus in the middle that helps us and they're all really good players, they're all really good people, they're all really good leaders, so there's some comfort there. There's 'talent, we have to continue to add talent, we have to continue to develop talent. Defensively, I have a relatively good feel for it. ”
The team will return to campus for summer training on May 28th and begin the season on August 31st at the University of Maryland. UW will play six consecutive home games from September 21st to November 2nd, starting with a game against Florida Atlantic.
