CBS National Recruiting Analyst Tom Lemming Breaks Down UConn Recruiting Class So Far

Thanks to CBS national recruiting analyst and our good friend  Tom Lemming for taking time out to hook us up here.

Below are Tom’s thoughts on UConn 16-member recruiting class so far, a process still in the early stages for next season. UConn coaches are on the road today and have been most of the week during the evaluation period. I’m working on a recruiting piece for tomorrow but I can leave this here for you all.

From Lemming…

“I think Connecticut is doing a good job.

I went and saw Richard Lagow, the quarterback out of Plano, Tx., this past winter. Liked him. He’s got good arm strength and a lot of potential, sort of the like the kid from BC that’s with the Falcons now (Matt Ryan) when he came out of high school-type potential.

Running Back-wise, the [Josh] Marriner is a kid I really liked in the Tidewater area, from Chesapeake, he’s a really good running back, quick, darting and productive. He was all-area last year in the Chesapeake area.

Matt Walsh I think is a good steady fullback/linebacker-type of kid out of Connecticut. It’s a real weak year in Connecticut as you know I’m sure and they got everybody was in it just about. There wasn’t much. It was one of the weakest years I ever seen.

Wide receivers-wise I really like the Jamar Summers kid from New Jersey. I had him at my big get-together and I had Noel Thomas (New Canaan], also. Those are two, good solid but not spectacular wide receivers.

The kid from Eastern Christian Academy, DB Dhameer Bradley was one of the few left. All the guys came from Delaware and played there. He’s a very fast player. The coaches have been swearing, they swear by him as big-time player.

The tight end is a very good one, one of the best in the East. Quinn Thompson out of Edinboro, Pa., is a very good tight end. And Tommy Myers, another guy who came out to the thing I did in New Jersey, is an athlete and one of the better players in Connecticut. He’s got good size and good potential but not a great player yet.

Offensive-line wise Tommy Hopkins is one of two of the best offensive linemen in New York at 6-6, 305. He’s a very good and earned some honors last year.

Kyle Schafenacker came up to my thing and his AD, George Smith, used to be the coach from Aquinas, sent him out and the coaches just love him. Schafenacker is potentially a 310-pound guard at about 6-4. He weighs about 290 right now, out of St. Thomas Aquinas, very good player.

They got a real good JC [transfer] on the defensive side of the ball, Lance Burlingame, one of the better junior college players in the East. They expect him to play right away.

The kid out of the Brooklyn area Forlorunso Fatukasi, the defensive tackle, is really good, one of the most underrated players in New York. Thomas Lucas out of Maryland is a very solid player with good size.

Sha-ki Holines is one of the top seven players from Mass. He’s a good solid player, having a good senior year. Then the DB Javon Hadley from Palmetto High School down in South Florida. He’s a good cover corner who can run a legit 4.5.

The kid from Brooklyn Cameron Stapleton is a good tight end defensive end is a good prospect.

- “I think overall when you compare it to other Connecticut classes it’s right there with them. There’s no knockout guy in this group that I’ve noticed. There’s a lot of solid three-star players but not a lot of knockout guys so they’re hoping they maybe get a centerpiece guy for the group.”