Wednesday was a special one for former UConn kicker Bobby Puyol as scouts and/or assistant coaches from 20 NFL teams were on campus for UConn's pro days. Puyol was given a few minutes to hit some field goals and also take some kickoffs.

"Coach Baylock was helping me out, letting me go first so no teams could leave afer watching Obi (Melifonwu)," Puyol said. "There was a little adversity there, I want you to kick for five minutes and let's go. I did all right on kickoffs, a little inconsistent but I thnk my tape proves I can hit a good kickoff."

Puyol has hired the agent who represents New Orleans kicker Will Lutz. He said he will take part in a local workout with the Miami Dolphins (Puyol grew up in southern Florida) and a couple of others teams have shown interest in one of the most accurate kickers in UConn history.

Puyol was flying a little under the radar at the pro day with the NFL reps there to check out Melifonwu and see some of the other prospects  but that won't be the case this weekend. He is going to have the microphone to introduce his older brother Eddy, a Grammy-recognized artist and speaker at a concert at Laurel Hall on Saturday at 7 p.m. The concert is sponsored by Athletes in Action, an organization Puyol has been very involved with during his five years at UConn.

"We did it two years ago so it is a little event for the students here that want to come out especially the athletes," Puyol said. "It is going to be fun. A lot of athletes are excited so it is going to be fun, a good little event to hang out and have fun."

So does Puyol have any of his brother's musical gifts?

"I don't have the musical gifts, he took them all," Puyol said. "OK, a little."

Unlike two years ago there weren't any current NFL coaches taking in the pro day event at UConn but a total of 20 teams were represented.

There was nothing earth shattering to report. Getting results from these things is no easy task especially this year when we weren't allowed in to watch the bench press, vertical or broad jumps as we have been in previous years. NFL scouts aren't in the habit of giving results out to the media at these sort of events.

The door was cracked open when I got there this morning so I did hear that Mikal Myers had 29 reps at 225 pound in the bench press followed by Matt Walsh topping him with 30.

Noel Thomas, who ran in the 4.63/4.64 range in the 40 at the NFL scouting combine believes he easily topped that mark today but I never got a time on his run or anybody else's.

"I definitely got a little bit of redemption in the 40-yard dash," Thomas said. "I have never seen a 4.6. I wanted to come out here and get that taste out of my mouth and I don't know the exact time but it definitely wasn't 4.6."

Obviously Obi Melifonwu, coming off a jaw-dropping showing at the NFL scouting combine, was the one former Husky the scouts were there to see. He stood on his efforts at the combine (why wouldn't he?) but did both shuttles and the 3-cone drill. His times in the 20 and 60-yard shuttles would rank nearly the top of the defensive back group who did those events at the combine.

Eric Edholm

@Eric_Edholm

results from UConn DB Obi Melifonwu's pro day:

4.09 short shuttle
10.69 long shuttle
7.05 L drill

NFL Draft Bible

@NFLDraftBible

obi melifonwu unofficial 10.95 unofficial sixty-yard shuttle!

Walsh was especially busy today as he did all the running and agility drills and he was among the final ones there to do run pass patterns for a couple of scouts who wanted to see him as a fullback, He made some pretty impressive catches 30-40 yards down field on some nice throws from Garrett Anderson

"Just like every other level of football, the more you can do, the more valuable you are," Walsh said. "I played a little bit of fullback here my first two years and got some linebacker stuff the last two years. I kind of mixed it up today and whatever a team needs me to be, that is what I am going to be.

"My agent is talking to everybody, he is the third party in the middle of everything so I wanted to stay out of it and all I focus on is putting up the best numbers I could, I am pretty happy with everything that happened today."

A couple years ago Reuben Frank did what Walsh did today working out on both sides of the ball during pro day. It worked out well for him as he got into NFL and CFL training camps. We'll see if Walsh is as fortunate.

Walsh said he could do 17 or 18 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press when he was at Hand High School and his max was 23 while at UConn but his work with Frank Quido at BreakOut Athletes pushed that number to 30.

"That was definitely one of my stronger events, all the events you can turn a head on are kind of the most important things," Walsh said. "That was one thing that had to stand out and get the ball rolling and start the day off with a bang."

Both Thomas and Andreas Knappe (probably generating the most buzz among the UConn products not named Obi Melifonwu) both had their days cut short due to their hamstrings tightening up when they ran the 40 which is unfortunate.

"It is the name of the game," Knappe said. "When you go all out and do whatever you can do, sometimes you get bruised and bumped a little bit so that is what happened.

"After I did my 40 so I didn't want to make it any worse so I am calling it a day."

Knappe was able to play in the NFL Collegiate Bowl which could prove beneficial moving forward.

"The NFLPA Bowl was awesome, it was nice to get to know some scouts and let them get to know you so they know what kind of guy you are," Knappe said.

Jhavon Williams is the UConn player who I think should be getting more buzz than he is in the pre-draft process and he said he was pretty happy with his performance today.

"You never know," Williams said "A lot of people told me I looked good today, I ran well but you never know. I am working hard and keeping it in God's hands."

Bobby Puyol was there to kick some long field goals and he was on target with all of them while also doing some kickoffs. He said he will be taking part in a workout run by the Miami Dolphins on April 7 and has heard from some other teams as well.

Garrett Anderson, John Green, Brian Lemelle, Richard Levy and Sean Marinan also took part in today's festivities.

Atlanta, Arizona, Baltimore, Carolina, Cleveland, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami, New England (with multiple scouts including Brian Smith who ran the show at both pro days), New Orleans, New York Giants, New York Jets, Oakland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay were teams represented at UConn's pro day. I'm missing three teams but I saw reps from Atlanta, Arizona, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, New England, New York Giants and Philadelphia at the event in Tolland so special kudos to those teams  (and others who were there) for going the extra mile. What is interesting is that two of the teams missing today were Minnesota (who had head coach Mike Zimmer at the event two years ago to see Byron Jones) and Dallas (the team which drafted Jones).

After the UConn event was over I headed over to Tolland for a regional pro day coordinated by agent Joe Linta. With NFL teams coming to UConn in large numbers and UConn not being receptive to players from other programs taking part in the UConn event, Linta has been holding events the same day in Tolland to check out other prospects.  Yale great Tyler Varga and New Haven's Mike Flacco are among clients of Linta's who landed on NFL rosters. Today Linta set the event up to showcase New Haven's All-American offensive tackle Zach Voytek of Trumbull. Voytek measured in at 6-4 1/2 and 313 pounds, ran a 5.37 in  the 40, 4.60 in the 20-yard shuttle and 7.90 in the 3-cone drill. All of those numbers would hold up favorably after offensive linemen at the NFL scouting combine. Scouts from 10 teams were there (the Patriots and Giants had two reps each while the scout from the Colts seemed especially chummy with Voytek).

Former Yale running back Dale Harris ran a 4.5 in the 40 and had a vertical jump 35 1/2, Southern Connecticut State receiver Devante Jenkins had a 33-inch vertical and New Haven defensive lineman Dean Tsopanides from Orange had 31 reps in the bench press.

Current NFL players Andrew Adams and Geremy Davis were at the UConn event as were Dan Orlovsky (who thinks he could be signed by an NFL team in the next week or two) and Yawin Smallwood. The current UConn team came out for the end of the event. I spoke to Davis and Orlovsky and at some point will get around to sharing stuff from those interviews. UConn will have its second spring practice tomorrow, sorry but after driving to UConn for six straight days and looking at as many as four drives to Bridgeport and back beginning on Friday due to my women's basketball coverage responsibilities, I am taking tomorrow to be UConn free but I believe one of my colleagues will be writing a story off tomorrow's practice.

It all began with a phone call from a fellow college specialist who just a few days ago wished Sam Foltz and Mike Sadler well.

UConn senior kicker Bobby Puyol could barely believe his ears when he was told that Foltz, a highly-decorated punter at Nebraska and former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler lost their lives in a one-car accident as they returned from a kicking camp in Wisconsin.

"It was crazy because I saw both of them on Saturday before I came back to UConn," Puyol said. "I was shocked, it was crazy.

"Football brings everybody together but it is so fragile, life is so much bigger. Just take a hold of every second you have and don't take anything for granted. I didn't know Sam very well, just met him this past weekend but he was a guy who did a lot more than just play football and did (so much) in the community at Nebraska. (Sadler) was more than just a football player, he was an academic All-American, it just shows that there is so much more than football.

Puyol had worked camps with Sadler in the past and like so many others who expressed their thoughts about the passing of the former academic All-American, Sadler's quest for life and desire to make a difference is what he has been reflecting on since he received the tragic news.

"I had a picture of Mike, his laugh, his smile, just everything and his spirit," Puyol said. "I saw him on the last day of the camp. He was the guy with the brightest light, the brightest guy in the room and when I heard that, it was all I could think about."

Puyol has worked in camps before and it is not unusual for a handful of kickers and punters to climb into a car and head back to either their hometowns or college they are attending. Puyol knows what took place over the weekend in Wisconsin could have happened to anybody.

Puyol has been a regular attendee at Sunday morning bible studies inside the Burton Family Football Complex since arriving in Storrs. His faith is something he is relying on to help him overcome the loss of Foltz and Sadler.

"It is huge," Puyol said. "His way is perfect, sometimes it is hard to grasp that. He is a guy who created this world, gave us all life, it is something I can hold onto. It is something I have been able to (draw) comfort (from) through all of this."

Puyol didn't know Foltz as well as Sadler. However, seeing how the Nebraska football community and those outside the program have reacted to the death of Foltz gave Puyol an indication of how special of a person Foltz was.

"I sent my condolences to the Nebraska kicker (Drew Brown), he seemed really upset," Puyol said. "It would be like if (UConn punter) Justin (Wain) got into a car accident."

There have been phone calls exchanged with other punters and kickers who worked camps with Foltz and Sadler in the past as well as plenty of interaction on social media.

"When we were there, the Baylor kicker (Chris Callahan) talked about specialists being a fraternity, a bunch of guys that went to camp I knew them throughout high school and my college career so I feel like we get to hang out and talk about more than just football," Puyol said.

"The craziest thing to me is just the amount of people that the specialists know and it is crazy to see the reaction of everybody."

Foltz and Sadler did much more during their college days than merely punt a football. Both were very involved in the community and top-notch student-athletes. Puyol has blazed a similar path. He was recently named to the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy which is presented annually to the college football player who gives back to the community and contributes athletically and academically. Puyol won the Don Ruck Award at UConn, an honor open to all student-athletes at UConn and with a criteria similar to the Wuerffel Trophy.

Puyol said he doesn't seek out accolades and recognition for his good works but it is gratifying to use his platform to make a difference.

"I think it is who do I want to be?" Puyol said. "I know my platform is so much bigger because I play football so if I want to help people out and be somebody who shares more than football but who shares life with people, I think that is probably the most important thing to do."

KNAPPE, MELIFONWU, THOMAS AND WALSH HEADED TO NEWPORT
The American Athletic Conference announced the players who will be heading to Newport, R.I. for next week's football media day.

UConn will be represented by safety Obi Melifonwu, linebacker Matt Walsh, offensive tackle Andreas Knappe and receiver Noel Thomas.

It will be the second straight year Knappe will take part in AAC media day while the four-member UConn contingent includes a pair of state natives as Thomas hails from Norwalk and Walsh is from Madison. Media day is set for Aug. 2 although some events will also take place on the 1st.

UConn senior Bobby Puyol is one of candidates on the watch list for the Lou Groza Award, annually presented to the nation's best kicker while Justin Wain is one of the 28 punters on the Ray Guy Award watch list.

UConn joins Alabama, Arizona State, Idaho, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska and Oklahoma as the only programs with candidates for both the Lou Groza and Ray Guy Awards.

Puyol was 16 for 18 on field goals as a junior with one of the misses from 49 yards. He booted a career-long 52 yarder in the St. Petersburg Bowl loss to Marshall. He ranks eighth in program history with 26 field goals and needs 10 FGs to move into the top three.  He needs 44 points to move into the top 10 on UConn's career scoring list.

Puyol, a Groza semifinalist as a junior, is also a decorated student-athlete and was honored for his work in the classroom and in the community when he was named the winner of the Don Ruck Award, an honor open to all UConn student-athletes and which recognizes commitment to community service and leadership.

Wain, who multiple times has attained a 4.0 grade-point average at UConn, averaged 38.2 yards per punt as a junior. He averaged a season-high 44 yards per punt in the season opener against Villanova and averaged 43 yards per kick in the bowl game. His most impressive statistic might be the 13 returned punts considering that the Huskies allowed an average of 29.8 punts to be returned in the previous five seasons. UConn allowed only 71 punt return yards in 13 games which ranked 22nd nationally.

Semifinalists for the Groza Award will be announced on Nov. 3 with the Ray Guy Award semifinalists being revealed on Nov. 11. Finalists for both awards will be announced on Nov. 22 with the winners being honored on Dec. 8 at the College Football Awards airing live on ESPN.

Puyol and Waine join Jamar Summers (Bednarik Award) and Ryan Crozier (Rimington Trophy) are UConn players named to national watch lists with six of the 16 national watch lists having been released.

TICKET PACAKGES ON SALE
UConn announced that ticket mini-plans are now on sale for the 2016 UConn football season.

There are options for three-game plans starting at $72 with fans able to choose to attend either the Virginia or Syracuse games and then two games between Maine, Cincinnati, Central Florida, Temple and Tulane.

Prices start at $86 for a four-game plan with fans able to choose any of the four home games.

For more information, call 877-AT-UCONN or visit www.UConnTickets.com.

It had to go down as one of the most important under the radar plays of the 31-13 win over East Carolina if not the season.

UConn was leading 17-6 when Nick Vitale fumbled a punt near the Huskies' 10. If East Carolina recovered the Pirates had a glorious chance to make it a one-score game. However, even though there were plenty of bodies on the ground in pursuit of the loose football by the time Josh Marriner arrived on the scene, he was the one to come up with the ball.

"I saw the ball, the whistle hadn't blown and that is what we are taught to do - keep playing until the whistle is blown," Marriner said. "It felt great because the next play was a touchdown, it could have changed the game and it is did change the game. We recovered it and we scored. If we didn't recover it, we wouldn't have known what would have happened."

The next play was the electrifying 90-yard touchdown run by Arkeel Newsome. Rather than East Carolina being down perhaps only by four points, suddenly it was a 24-6 game.

Normally special teams the best way for Marriner to get his hands on the ball as he is a starting kickoff return man as well as playing on the punt-return unit. Marriner did get five carries in the game with three coming on UConn' first two touchdown-scoring drives of the game.

It's been an interesting season for Marriner. At the 2014 American Athletic Conference media day, the way UConn coach Bob Diaco raved about Marriner I went out and did a feature on him because I expected him to be a featured part of the running game. He had 24 carries in the first four games of the 2014 campaign but had 12 the rest of the way while this season three of his four carries coming into the East Carolina game came in garbage time against Central Florida. Despite a lack of touches, Marriner's enthusiasm for playing has not waned.

"I am able to play football," Marriner said. "A lot of my friends back home wish they were in the spot I am in. I just love it every day I am out there, this is a blessing to be here and a blessing to be a part of this team and play football."

Much of Marriner's playing time has come as an h-back providing blocking for quarterback Bryant Shirreffs or fellow running backs Arkeel Newsome or Ron Johnson.

"Anytime they call my name to do my job, I am ready to do it," Marriner said. "It is different for me but I love my brothers so I made sure I got better at it and when they call my name, I could do it."

PUYOL A SEMIFINALIST FOR LOU GROZA AWARD
UConn junior kicker Bobby Puyol is one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, presented annually to the nation's top kicker.

Puyol is 12 of 13 on field goals this season with a long of 45 coming in last week's win over East Carolina.

Among players who have attempted at least 10 field goals, only Oregon's Aidan Schneider and UCLA's Ka'imi Fairbaim have made a higher percentage of field goals than Puyol this season at the FBS level as both are 13 for 14.

As a soccer player growing up, Bobby Puyol had the skills necessary to be a standout kicker long before he arrived at UConn. However, the pressure attached to the role is truly what drew Puyol to the football field.
Puyol loved the staredowns between batters when he was a pitcher for various baseball teams he was a member of growing up and few things excite him more than being called upon in a clutch situation.
Need any proof? Well, here's Puyol's take on kicking away from the friendly confines of Rentschler Field.
"I think the away games are the most fun, they are yelling at you and they want you to miss so when you make it and there is a hush from the crowd," Puyol said. I think that is the most exciting part of away games."
Being placed in pressure-packed situations, however, can have a down side.
The aftermath of the Michigan State/Michigan game is something no college player should have to
encounter.
Basically, short of a punt return being brought for a touchdown, the Michigan squad was guaranteed victory if punter Blake O'Neill merely got the punt off in the final 10 seconds. What happened has been played over and over again. O'Neill struggled to handle the snap and rather than falling on the ball and forcing the Spartans to have to throw the ball to the end zone, he attempted to make a play resulting in the ball landing in the hands of Michigan State's Jalen Watts-Jackson who ran the final 38 yards for a touchdown to give the Spartans a stunning win. O'Neill ended up with the most talked about ball-handling miscue by a kicking specialist since Garo Yepremian handed the Washington Redskins a touchdown in Super Bowl VII.

A vocal minority took to social media to express their disgust and it was not pretty. Some Michigan fans went as far as wishing that O'Neill life would come to an end or as it was put by one individual "jump into a pool of spikes and cyanide."
A situation like that struck close to Puyol's heart.  There was criticism when a couple of his extra points were blocked earlier in the season but nothing close to what O'Neill had to endure.
"My heart goes out to that dude," Puyol said. "I saw the thing on SportsCenter, I don't know the guy personally but one of the anchors was saying that he is from Australia, he came into the states, got an undergrad (degree), got a Masters and came to Michigan and got another Masters. People can say whatever they want but a guy like that, at the end of the day he has accomplished so much that it helps him and won't define his life, he'll be able to do whatever he wants to do in life."
What would Puyol do if he made a mistake that drew a frighteningly hostile reaction from the UConn fan base?
"It would be hard but I am blessed to have a great foundation, just my faith, my family, all my friends, all my teammates to have my back," Puyol said. "The beauty of being here is that the team has your back and whatever people on the outside say, it doesn't matter."
Puyol's competitive fire has never been more evident than during this season.
UConn brought in Canadian Michael Tarbutt, who starred for undefeated Canisius High School in Buffalo as a senior highlighted by his 60-yard field goal in the state final. Tarbutt has taken over the kickoff duties and is listed as the long-distance field goal kicker although he has not been utilized in that capacity yet this year. Rather than be offended by the recruitment and arrival of Tarbutt, he welcomed him the same way that Chad Christen supported Puyol a couple years back.

"Coach (Diaco) always talks about competitive greatness, being good when your best is needed and so I feel like Mike came in and it has been fun because being a young guy when Chad was here, it has flipped and it is cool for me and him," Puyol said. "We hang out to really connect and say I can help him out here and he helps me out, it has been a good time."
Diaco said that if a long-distance field goal (likely in the 50-yard range) were needed to win a game that Tarbutt could get the call but otherwise Puyol would be the one taking the kicks or the Huskies would opt to go for it on fourth down.
"I feel comfortable," Puyol said. "In the beginning of the season I wouldn't have said that but I am really just being smooth right now  and any place 50 and in, I feel all right."

Making my way to the press box, I walked by plenty of folks heading to yesterday's UConn/Central Florida game but it seemed like I couldn't walk more than 10 feet without seeing friends or family members of the 11 Florida-born players for the Huskies.

Whether it was a couple of people wearing the No. 17 Puyol jerseys or even a couple of family members of injured offensive lineman Ryan Crozier proudly wearing his number 63, it figured to be a day those Sunshine State natives won't soon forget. If that was the mood before the game just imagine what it must have been like when the Huskies, behind stellar play from so many of the hometown products, raced off to a 40-3 lead en route to a 27-point victory.

Whether it was Jhavon Williams coming up with a crucial interception, Ron Johnson scoring a touchdown, Ellis Marder returning a muffed punt or Puyol going 5 for 5 on extra points and booting a 21-yard field goal, this had to feel like a walk into paradise for the former Florida high school football stars who made the difficult decision to head all the way up to Connecticut for college.

"They had a lot of fans down here," UConn junior safety Obi Melifonwu said. "I know Jhavon Williams' family came down, Bobby Puyol's family came down, Ellis Marder's family came down so it was great to see a lot of fans out here that support UConn football and will continue to support UConn football."

Williams, who intercepted a pass for the second game in a row and third straight road game, said he had 47 family members or friends in attendance.

"That was phenomenal to come here and be able to make a play in front of my parents, my godparents, my grandmother, it just feels so good, so surreal," said Williams, whose four career interceptions have come against Michigan, Missouri, BYU and now UCF. "It is a great feeling to know that something you worked so hard for all season came true tonight. They were running around with the trophy, celebrating, doing a song and dance in the locker room. It is so surreal feeling to be successful on the road."

If Williams was giddy about Saturday's festivities, imagine the emotions Johnson was feeling as his family had a chance to be reunited.

"I got to play in front of my brother who never got to see me play before," Johnson said. "It was a special moment for my mother having all of her kids together (for the first time) in almost 10 years, it was an amazing feeling.

"We wanted to come home in front of our family an put on a show and that is what we did."

Puyol said he felt as much joy seeing Williams or Marder make a game-changing play as he did when all six of his kicks went through the uprights.

"Today was for our team, our brothers and it was cool to see guys, especially Jhavon," Puyol said. "Jhavon lives 10 miles down the road from me so it was awesome seeing him do well, it was awesome seeing Ellis grab a fumble, he's my roommate. Ron, (Javon) Hadley it was great to see all of these guys perform because that is the greatest thing.

"In the beginning Coach Diaco said the swirl of game day but when we are going home, it is the swirl of game day. My mom telling me 'I've got this (number of) people coming' and she is saying 'oh, they are putting this on Facebook' and I said 'well, I might not get enough tickets' but I think the coolest thing about it is that we get to play in front of our families and our friends.

"We have been through a lot of ups and downs and to beat UCF, one of the top teams in our conference every single year, it was special and everybody sees you on ESPN. These are my guys, we are a brotherhood so it was cool to do."

Eight of the 11 Florida natives got into the game. Here is the breakdown

John Green, cornerback from Miami: One tackle and one pass breakup
Javon Hadley, cornerback from Miami: One tackle and one pass breakup
Ellis Marder, safety from Windermere: Had two tackles and a fumble recovery
Ron Johnson, running back from Naples: Ran for 21 yards including 12-yard TD and had two catches
Dan Oak, center from Fort Myers: Saw first action of career in the fourth quarter
Dallas Parker, tight end/h-back from Ponta Vedra Beach: Saw perhaps his most extended duty of the season
Bobby Puyol, kicker from North Palm Beach: Was 5 for 5 on extra points and had a 21-yard field goal
Jhavon Williams, cornerback from Delray Beach: Had three tackles and an interception

BIG GAME FOR UCONN COMMIT
Plenty has been written about the early success enjoyed by in-state UConn commits Keyion Dixon and Jasen Rose but other future Huskies are also having impactful senior seasons.

Donovan Williams was 11 of 13 passing for 190 yards and four touchdowns in less than two quarters as Hylton High defeated Gar-Field 61-20.

Something tells me that the race to get to teammates with no family members coming to tomorrow's game could have been rather interesting this week.

Perhaps nowhere are the need for tickets more pronounced for the Central Florida game than from UConn's defensive backs as four of the eight players on the two-deep chart hail from the Sunshine State.

Starting cornerback Jhavon Williams, a Delray Beach resident, estimated that he needed 40 tickets.

"I don't think I am going to get them all but my parents, they understand and will do their best," Williams said.

Reserve safety Ellis Marder from nearby Windermere couldn't even come up with a number.

"No counting" is how Marder responded when I asked him after Tuesday's practice how many tickets he was hoping to secure for friends and family.

Marder played at Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, just about two miles from the UCF campus.

Lake Highland Prep receiver Hayden Jones is a member of the UCF team and Marder remains in touch with him. Defensive back Drico Johnson, who is considered doubtful to play, is another UCF player that he knows very well.

"Drico played on my 7 on 7 team in high school so we have been close," Marder said. "I haven't talked to him in a little while. I talked to Hayden Jones a little bit, he played on my high school team and he is a great receiver."

The focus of my advance for tomorrow's game is on the quartet of Florid-raised defensive backs expected to see time for the Huskies (reserve cornerbacks Javon Hadley and John Green are both from Miami).

Maybe it's a coincidence that four defensive backs from Florida were not only recruited to UConn but play key roles for the Huskies or maybe not.

"You are going to go up against quick receivers, there is a lot of passing down there and it all about football down there," Hadley said. "Coming up here, we are going against faster receivers at the next level, it is top-level guys I have been playing since I was little."

There are 11 Florida natives on the UConn roster but only seven have made it onto the field this season with kicker Bobby Puyol, tailback Ron Johnson and tight end/h-back Dallas Parker joining the four aforementioned defensive backs. Ryan Crozier, who would have been the starting center had he not been sidelined for the season with a knee injury, reserve offensive linemen Dan Oak and Kyle Schafenacker and freshman receiver Frank Battle (who is redshirting) are the other Sunshine State products on the roster.