Hello, friends, and welcome back to the A Dime Back Mailbag. This week, we tackle recruiting, New Jersey and the UConn quarterback situation. Plus, one of our writers announces his/her candidacy for President of the United States. Early polls indicate that he/she is already more popular than Jim Gilmore.
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Brendan Carducci: Is it time we as a country, excommunicate New Jersey? I mean the state is home to Rutgers.
Brendan, I’m so glad you asked this question. The answer, obviously, is yes. The state of New Jersey, being home to Rutgers, Chris Christie and the gaping sore that is Atlantic City clearly needs to leave our great nation. Really, the smell alone is reason enough. And Rutgers is just such an utter and complete embarrassment, we cannot allow them to tar the rest of us with their suckitude. In fact, I feel so strongly about this, that it will be the cornerstone of my platform in my upcoming run for President of these United States. That’s right, kids, I’m so damn old, I can actually run for president in 2016. My first act as president will be to remove New Jersey from the union. My second act will be to issue an executive order replacing Rutgers with UConn in the B1G. My third act will be disbanding the NCAA entirely in favor of a system run by me, in which players can get paid for the use of their names and likenesses, and Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse and BC are banned from all postseason play forever. So remember, vote Bard in 2016. It’ll be good for all of us. But especially for UConn.
Larry: Does Ollie’s recent recruiting successes indicate he will be in Storrs for more than a few years?
Most of the kids that Ollie is convincing to come play for him probably have no intention of staying on campus for more than a season or two anyway — and that’s without considering the success in pulling in fifth-year transfers Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller. I imagine Ollie assured the recent string of recruits that he plans to be at UConn during their tenure — and it was a savvy move to quickly shut down all NBA rumors this offseason — but it’s important to remember the multitude of factors that result in a recruit choosing UConn. Ironically, prime among them is a desire to get to the NBA.
We’re about to enter Ollie’s fourth year as head coach. He really seems to genuinely love his job. His contract both rewards him for his performance, and offers to punish a potential exit. Yet, I’d say the odds of Ollie coaching another five years at UConn are fifty-fifty at best.
Thomas Higgins: I understand it’s hard to predict how a career can go after one game. But, can Bryant Shirreffs be the leader at the quarterback position we’ve been waiting for?
That’d be great, wouldn’t it?
There was a lot to like from Shirreffs in that first game, and logic says he’ll get better as the season goes on and he continues to shake the rust off. His quickness and apparent ability to get out of trouble could make up for a still weak offensive line. It looks like he can throw the ball as well and remains cool under pressure. It also helps that he seems to have a competent receiving corps on the other end. Is he the guy we’ve been waiting for? No idea. But let’s say yes, just to be optimistic and get your hopes up. So which bowl do you think UConn will play in this year?
