Another day, another reserve UConn receiver has transferred. At this rate, we'll be able to stop writing these "and this WR has left the program" stories by the end of next week. By then the roster should be depleted of wideouts altogether, the Huskies will be a run-only offense, and it will solve the biggest issue facing head coach Paul Pasqualoni heading into the season: finding a quarterback.
We're joking, of course, but Malik Generett, a 6-4 wide receiver from York, Penn., is leaving the program. He's the fourth WR to transfer since the summer, and the third to pack his bags since last week. Generett follows Gerrard Sheppard and Leon Kinnard -- who both transferred to Division I-AA Towson -- out of Storrs, and he will likely end up at a D-IAA school in the south.
In May, former Huskies wideout Dwayne Difton also headed south looking for more playing time.
While you generally don't like to see players leave in droves (especially at one position), the Huskies still have plenty of depth at wide receiver.
They return Kashif and Isiah Moore, and young wideouts Tebucky Jones Jr. and Geremy Davis are making the most of their opportunities. The biggest loss, WR Michael Smith, will return to the playing field in 2012 after being declared academically ineligible for 2011.
As for Generett, he tells the Hartford Courant's Desmond Conner that his decision was "a combination of things. ...One of the big reasons is my daughter [Jaz'Mya, 5 months old]. I miss her while I'm here. I'm looking to bring her closer to me. Opportunity has something to do with it but I want to say I have no issues at all — none — with Coach Sos [receivers coach Matt Cersosimo] or any of the coaches or anybody. I still love UConn but I think this is best for me."
Conner notes that while Generett had the physical skills coaches look for in a pass catcher, he was raw and needed to be developed. But as was the case for Sheppard, Kinnard and Difton, it came down to opportunity. They weren't getting them in Storrs so they looked elsewhere. It happens (clearly) all the time, and it's the nature of college sports. Luckily, Pasqualoni has one of the deepest recruiting classes in team history headed to Storrs for 2012.
