University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Football Is Back as Team Begins Camp
7/29/2021 10:11:00 PM | Football
STORRS – Once the decision was made to cancel UConn's 2020 football season amid COVID-19 concerns, head coach Randy Edsall knew the Huskies would have a span of free time like never before.
"Yeah, you can have the time, but what do you do with the time?" Edsall asked rhetorically.
Edsall was sure of one thing the Huskies would not do with the time --- waste it.
"That's where I think the credit goes to the kids, and to (strength coach) Matt King, and all the coaches, because the time that we had, we took advantage of it and we utilized it for us to improve mentally, for us to improve physically," Edsall said. "You can see it, just being around it. It's a whole different feel. It's a whole different vibe. It's been that way basically since January."
The Huskies are a clearly bigger, stronger, faster, and more confident group than the team that last played a game on Nov. 30, 2019. As the team begins preseason practice, Edsall knows they are also a team over-eager to get back on the field for the 2021 season opener on Aug. 28 at Fresno State.
"These guys are so much better off now than they would have been last year," the coach said. "I just hope they don't jump out of the gate before it's open."
Edsall gave much of the credit for the team's improvement to the leadership of team captains – seniors Brian Keating and Ryan Van Demark and junior Travis Jones.
"The guys didn't sit back and say 'Woe is me,' " Edsall said. "And the way things turned out, most of them say, 'I'm glad we didn't play.' When we made that decision, our players embraced it. I think it helped all of us – offense, defense, special teams and coaches."
It will now be full steam ahead to the 2021 season – UConn's first since becoming an independent officially on July 1, 2020. For the next month, the Huskies will be battling for starting spots.
"This is far and away the most competitive training camp we'll have," Edsall said. "If somebody wants to take a day off (from practicing hard), somebody is going to goby them."
There is plenty of competition at quarterback, where junior Micah Leon, sophomores Jack Zergiotis and Steven Krajewski, and freshmen Tyler Phommachanh and Miles Foerster are all in the running.
"We have a process that we're going to go through starting tomorrow," Edsall explained. "We'll go out there and practice for five days, and then we'll have a film review day and after that, we'll take a look and maybe two guys will emerge and those guys will get the majority of the reps and the other guys will fight to see who the number three guy is. As soon as we can make a determination, then we will. I do think it's important for whoever is going to be the starter to have as much time working with the rest of the offensive players on that first unit."
At running back, returning senior starter Kevin Mensah will be challenged by grad transfer (Miami) Robert Burns and freshman Nate Carter.
"Kevin has matured and is still maturing," Edsall said. "He has proven he can run the ball really well, this year he has to take his pass-catching and blocking to another level."
Because of the time off, UConn may be a little ahead of where the team would normally be in terms of development, but once training camp begins, it will be business as usual – albeit with a better team with a stronger mental outlook.
"When it's player-driven, you've got a great chance – and it's player-driven," Edsall said. "These kids are much more confident. They are much more ready to win."
