Spring Break
'Difton'ately making it official
Four star receiver 20 others sign letters of intent
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Sports
Dwayne Difton verbally committed to UConn two and a half weeks ago.
On Wednesday, he made it official.
Difton, a four-star wide receiver from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was the most heralded of 21 recruits to sign a National Letter of Intent to UConn during Wednesday's National Signing Day.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Difton is rated the No. 39 wide receiver in the class by Rivals.Com and is just the second four-star recruit to ever sign with UConn out of high school (the first was linebacker Jarrell Miller, who is no longer with the program).
Difton caught 25 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns last season and was a key contributor on a St. Thomas Aquinas team that finished the season ranked as the No. 1 team in the country by USA Today.
"He's a guy who's fast, who's quick," said coach Randy Edsall. "He's not as big as some other guys, but he can make plays and he's got tremendous speed."
Edsall also added that the UConn staff felt Difton was extremely well-disciplined. Edsall has known Difton's high school coach, George Smith, for over 20 years and it certainly doesn't hurt that ex-Minnesota Vikings All-Pro receiver Cris Carter served as the receivers coach for St. Thomas Aquinas this past season.
The Huskies also signed three other wide recievers to help bolster a passing attack that ranked last in the Big East last season. Marcus Aiken, a 6-foot-1 wideout from St. Paul High (Bristol), will give UConn some much-needed speed at the position - he set the Connecticut State high school record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 39.15 seconds.
UConn also added some size to the position by signing Malik Generett, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound reciever out of York, Pa. Aside from his height and athleticism - something UConn desperately lacked at reciever last season - Generett has already shown the ability to be a leader. He captained the William Penn High football team, which went 9-1 in the regular season, and is also the captain of the basketball team, which currently holds a 22-0 record.
On Wednesday, he made it official.
Difton, a four-star wide receiver from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was the most heralded of 21 recruits to sign a National Letter of Intent to UConn during Wednesday's National Signing Day.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Difton is rated the No. 39 wide receiver in the class by Rivals.Com and is just the second four-star recruit to ever sign with UConn out of high school (the first was linebacker Jarrell Miller, who is no longer with the program).
Difton caught 25 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns last season and was a key contributor on a St. Thomas Aquinas team that finished the season ranked as the No. 1 team in the country by USA Today.
"He's a guy who's fast, who's quick," said coach Randy Edsall. "He's not as big as some other guys, but he can make plays and he's got tremendous speed."
Edsall also added that the UConn staff felt Difton was extremely well-disciplined. Edsall has known Difton's high school coach, George Smith, for over 20 years and it certainly doesn't hurt that ex-Minnesota Vikings All-Pro receiver Cris Carter served as the receivers coach for St. Thomas Aquinas this past season.
The Huskies also signed three other wide recievers to help bolster a passing attack that ranked last in the Big East last season. Marcus Aiken, a 6-foot-1 wideout from St. Paul High (Bristol), will give UConn some much-needed speed at the position - he set the Connecticut State high school record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 39.15 seconds.
UConn also added some size to the position by signing Malik Generett, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound reciever out of York, Pa. Aside from his height and athleticism - something UConn desperately lacked at reciever last season - Generett has already shown the ability to be a leader. He captained the William Penn High football team, which went 9-1 in the regular season, and is also the captain of the basketball team, which currently holds a 22-0 record.
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