Football Recruiting: UConn Offers Decorated Pair From St. Louis
Drop down and get your Husky on. Storrs could be in for some Midwest flavor. According to their Twitter accounts, CB/WR Jacobi Oliphant (Class of 2024) and TE/DE Landon Pace (Class of 2025) have been offered scholarships by the UConn Football team.
Huskies head coach Jim L. Mora may need to lean on some of his NFL ties in order to lure Pace, who is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Orlando Pace. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he is lean, limber and sprout. Pace was selected as an All-American at linebacker but his most recent online highlight film showcases him primarily at tight end, where he demonstrates a tenacious demeanor as a blocker but is also athletic enough to line up as a receiver on the perimeter. It is worth noting that West Virginia was the first school to offer Pace, whose brother Jalen, is a walk-on at Ohio State football.
A dual-standout in football and track, Oliphant owns towering length at 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds. Based on his most recent online highlight film, this is a defensive back at heart. Oliphant brings the juice as a defender, swarms to the football against the run and serves as an aggressive, physical, instinctual cover man in pass coverage. He is quick to close and shows great anticipation—his first play on the highlight package shows him being used as a blitzer, while another play on offense displays his body balance, as he makes an impressive acrobatic catch. At his size, Oliphant could even be viewed as a potential safety at the college ranks.
Only time will tell, as both players have several years remaining on their high school eligibility. Having either recruit make a commitment to the Huskies would break down barriers in the ‘Show Me State,’ as the UConn football program currently does not list a single player from Missouri.
Just another indication that this staff will comb the country in search of the top scholarship players.
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