There were few positives in Bob Diaco's first season -- at least in terms of wins and losses -- but as UConn's football coach has preached on what seems like a weekly basis, turning around this program is a process. It started last year and continues through the incoming class into 2015.
But if you're looking for a bright spot from 2014's two-win effort, here you go: Wide receiver Geremy Davis and defensive back Byron Jones have earned invitations to the NFL Combine, which begins later this month. It will be a chance for both players to showcase their talents along with some of the country's best players.
Davis caught 165 posses for 2,292 yards in 46 career games, despite playing in some of lowest-ranked FBS offenses in recent years. At 6-3, 216 pounds, he's has the physical attributes NFL teams are looking for in pass catchers.
"God has given me an opportunity to perform in front of all 32 teams and scouts, doing something that you love and feel blessed to do," Davis told the Hartford Courant's Desmond Conner.
"I just want to take everything event by event, so if it starts with the bench press, I want to have my mind-set to where all I'm doing is focusing on bench press, on to the 40, shuttle, so forth and so on. I don't want to think big picture. I want to think of each individual one as I'm competing in the drills."
Jones, meanwhile, played in just seven games last season after suffering a shoulder injury. He's not sure if he'll be healthy enough to take part in all the combine drills but he will likely remain on the radar of NFL teams looking for help in the secondary because he can be a special player. Here's how Diaco described him this summer:
"I think he will be one of the best players in the country,” the coach said before the 2014 season. “Everyone will see it eventually when they put him in those compression shorts (at combines). You will see a tall, long, lean and fast and explosive and athletic player. His numbers, with our developmental process, you are going to see at the end of the day one of the best tangibly gifted cornerback players in the country."
And while Jones didn't get a chance to showcase his talents for the entire season, he still has plenty of football in front of him.
