2008 Woodie Awards
Following the off-season transfer of Terrence Jeffers, UConn football was left very thin at wide receiver.
Now the Huskies are even thinner.
When it seemed two-sport stud Ellis Gaulden, the Big East high jump champion, had finally overcome a long history of injuries—he tore both ACLs and fractured his foot earlier in his career—Gaulden was once again reserved to watching from the sidelines in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. He tore a tendon in his foot during last Thursday’s practice that could potentially end his college football career before it ever really got started.
To make matters worse, rising senior captain DJ Hernandez suffered an ankle sprain that is likely to keep him out the rest of spring. Brad Kanuch, who aggravated a quadriceps injury on Tuesday, did some light running drills but otherwise was held out of his second consecutive practice.
The storm of injuries leaves coach Randy Edsall with an unproven group that includes redshirt freshmen Isaiah Moore and Kashif Moore and two big, physical veterans—Marcus Easley, a 6-foot-3 212 pound walk-on, and 6-foot-4 220 pound redshirt senior Robert Theoudele
“Those guys coming into the spring were going to be evaluated and have the opportunity to come in and fill some kind of role in the offense,” Edsall said. “Now what happens is they move into the situation where they have to come in and prove themselves because they are going to get a lot of reps.”
The Huskies also have three freshman wideouts, Brian Parker, Gerrard Sheppard, and Michael Smith arriving in the summer. Parker and Sheppard stand 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-3, respectively, and when teamed with Easley and Theoudele, would give quarterback Tyler Lorenzen an array of vertical threats.
Even with the influx of the freshman class, Edsall said he was considering moving a defensive back to the offensive side of the ball.
“We’ll be looking at guys who are athletic and guys who may have played [wide receiver] in high school,” Edsall said. “I don’t know if I will do anything but it’s something I have to take a look at because you always have to have plans in case these situations arise.”
Edsall would not finalize anything, but he did say there were a few candidates for the switch.
“I have a guy in my mind but its something that I’ve got to get all the information about and see where we’re at and make sure we can still be productive,” he said.
When asked if the candidate was the Huskies top corner Darius Butler, a wiry athlete with the speed and leaping ability to be a playmaker on both sides, Edsall laughed.
“Darius is probably up in my office waiting to campaign right now,” he joked.
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