With last week being my first week of vacation in 2014 I guess it's time to catch up on what I missed during the week off.

The biggest news was that UConn, which had no Class of 2015 commitments, received pledges from four rising high school seniors during the week.

Kevin Murphy, a defensive tackle who had 88 tackles including a team-high six sacks as a junior at East High in West Chester, Pa., was the first one to commit. Next up was 6-foot-4 quarterback Tyler Davis and that was quickly followed by commitments from New Jersey tight end Ben Hartwick and New Hampshire defensive end Phillippe Okounam.

The 6-foot-5 Davis ran and passed for more than 1,000 yards and had a combined total of 27 touchdowns as a junior. Hartwick will add more size to the tight end position at UConn while Okounam is originally from Montreal and plays at St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H.

PAIR OF SIGNEES SHINE IN BIG 33 CLASSIC
Both of UConn's incoming freshmen made an impact for the losing Pennsylvania team in Saturday's Big 33 Classic.

Luke Carrezola, a defensive end/tight end out of Neshaminy, had a pair of quarterback sacks in a game won by Maryland 31-24 in double overtime. Tight end Alex Bloom had two catches for 18 yards and was the intended receiver on the game-ending interception by Rasheed Gillis. Pennsylvania quarterback Mark Pyles, who is headed to Bucknell, spoke highly on Bloom when he discussed the interception after the game when he said "I saw a 6-7 tight end who’s very athletic and catches everything, against a cornerback. I tried to get him to make a play. It’s not his fault. It wasn’t the best ball."

The duo should be on campus in about two weeks.

ANOTHER SACK FOR JENNINGS
Former UConn defensive end Teddy Jennings continued his impressive rookie season with the Arena Football League's Philadelphia Soul as he had a quarterback sack in yesterday's 57-56 loss to Pittsburgh.

Jennings, who had two solo tackles and an assist against Pittsburgh, has taken over the team lead with five sacks despite missing three of the first 13 games.

DIACO HAS ROLE IN HEARTWARMING FATHER'S DAY STORY
ESPN has a  blog about the strong bond Atlanta Falcons rookie linebacker Prince Shembo has with his father, a connection which was only strengthened when the elder Shembo suffered a brain aneurysm the night before Notre Dame was set to play Michigan State during Shembo's sophomore season. In the blog Shembo mentioned that Diaco, Notre Dame's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the time, drove him to the hospital so Shembo could see his father.

BEATTY SET TO RETURN BY TRAINING CAMP
Former UConn offensive tackle Will Beatty is still sidelined after suffering a serious leg injury in the 2013 regular-season finale against Washington. Beatty wasn't able to do anything during organized team activities of OTAs but Giants coach Tom Coughlin has gone on the record as saying that he is hopeful that Beatty can return to the field by the start of training camp.