Spring Break
Football Welcomes Signees
Zac Boyer
Issue date: 1/22/07 Section: Sports
Randy Edsall was taking part in the local tradition in the town square of his hometown of Glen Rock, Pa. on Christmas Eve when his cell phone rang 10 minutes before midnight.
It was Jarrell Miller, a four-star linebacker who committed to the Huskies earlier in December and became UConn's highest-ranked football recruit ever.
"I'm saying, 'Uh-oh, this can't be good,'" Edsall said.
Miller, who committed to North Carolina last season before leaving and was rumored to have verbally committed to Virginia at one point, wasn't about to ruin the coach's holiday - he was just calling to wish Edsall a Merry Christmas.
"I said, 'Well, thank you,' and told him I was down in my hometown and he was probably thinking he was going to get an answering machine, but he didn't," Edsall said. "He got the real live voice."
It was in that generous mood that Edsall held a press conference Friday afternoon to introduce the football team's four newest players - Miller, junior college quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, safety Aaron Bagsby and linebacker Corey Stringer. The four players will be eligible for spring practice as a result of enrolling early, and all but Lorenzen, who will have two years of eligibility remaining, will be given until December 2011 to finish their four years of school and take a fifth year to redshirt, if necessary.
The head coach and the players discussed their strengths, reasons for committing and what they hoped to accomplish during their time in Storrs for just over an hour, but it was Lorenzen who spelled out his reason for coming to UConn.
"I came here to play, but I also came here to win, and that's what matters," Lorenzen said.
The quarterback, who idolized Brett Favre while growing up, joins the Huskies from Palomar Community College in San Marcos, Calif., where he threw for 2,960 yards and 26 touchdowns against only 3 interceptions. After originally signing with Iowa State, Lorenzen was converted to a receiver and never saw action on the field, leading to his transfer from the program and eventually to UConn, where he will join the mix this spring in the hunt for the starting quarterback position.
It was Jarrell Miller, a four-star linebacker who committed to the Huskies earlier in December and became UConn's highest-ranked football recruit ever.
"I'm saying, 'Uh-oh, this can't be good,'" Edsall said.
Miller, who committed to North Carolina last season before leaving and was rumored to have verbally committed to Virginia at one point, wasn't about to ruin the coach's holiday - he was just calling to wish Edsall a Merry Christmas.
"I said, 'Well, thank you,' and told him I was down in my hometown and he was probably thinking he was going to get an answering machine, but he didn't," Edsall said. "He got the real live voice."
It was in that generous mood that Edsall held a press conference Friday afternoon to introduce the football team's four newest players - Miller, junior college quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, safety Aaron Bagsby and linebacker Corey Stringer. The four players will be eligible for spring practice as a result of enrolling early, and all but Lorenzen, who will have two years of eligibility remaining, will be given until December 2011 to finish their four years of school and take a fifth year to redshirt, if necessary.
The head coach and the players discussed their strengths, reasons for committing and what they hoped to accomplish during their time in Storrs for just over an hour, but it was Lorenzen who spelled out his reason for coming to UConn.
"I came here to play, but I also came here to win, and that's what matters," Lorenzen said.
The quarterback, who idolized Brett Favre while growing up, joins the Huskies from Palomar Community College in San Marcos, Calif., where he threw for 2,960 yards and 26 touchdowns against only 3 interceptions. After originally signing with Iowa State, Lorenzen was converted to a receiver and never saw action on the field, leading to his transfer from the program and eventually to UConn, where he will join the mix this spring in the hunt for the starting quarterback position.
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