2008 Woodie Awards
Nothing Comes 'Easley' For Former Walk-On
Football
Justin Verrier
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Sports
If assistant coach Matt Cersosimo didn't know Marcus Easley, he would never guess that the junior from Stratford was a wide receiver.
Cersosimo, who oversees the wideouts and is also the recruiting coordinator, said that Easley is usually quiet and reserved - nothing like what you would expect from one of the preserved glamour positions.
But while he may not fit the mold of a stereotypical wide receiver or even a Division I athlete, Cersosimo knew one thing about Easley when he first saw him two years ago during walk-on tryouts - he's a football player.
"The first thing we saw was just how hard he worked," Cersosimo said. "He shut his mouth, he didn't say a word, he got the job done and it was important to him.
"He's a throwback football player … If you were an innocent bystander coming out here to practice, you wouldn't guess that he played that position. You'd just say, 'Wow, No. 12's a football player."
Easley continued to work his way up the depth chart, and after challenging for a starter's spot this past season, injuries to the Huskies' top three receivers have left him as the primary target in tomorrow's spring game.
Through his hard work, Easley is now seen as one of the team leaders, but when he arrived at UConn in the summer of 2005, he wasn't even a member.
Easley finished his football career at Bunnell High School with a long list of accomplishments. Along with guiding his school to its first two state playoff berths ever in 2003 and 2004, Easley was selected as a first-team All-Conference selection in his senior year.
But his achievements weren't enough to pique the interest of D-I scouts. Easley said that he received some interest from DI-AA and Division II schools, but ultimately chose a scholarship from UConn - just a different one than he had hoped.
"I got into UConn on academics and got a couple academic scholarships," he said. "I didn't think I could handle the schoolwork and playing football at the same time."
Cersosimo, who oversees the wideouts and is also the recruiting coordinator, said that Easley is usually quiet and reserved - nothing like what you would expect from one of the preserved glamour positions.
But while he may not fit the mold of a stereotypical wide receiver or even a Division I athlete, Cersosimo knew one thing about Easley when he first saw him two years ago during walk-on tryouts - he's a football player.
"The first thing we saw was just how hard he worked," Cersosimo said. "He shut his mouth, he didn't say a word, he got the job done and it was important to him.
"He's a throwback football player … If you were an innocent bystander coming out here to practice, you wouldn't guess that he played that position. You'd just say, 'Wow, No. 12's a football player."
Easley continued to work his way up the depth chart, and after challenging for a starter's spot this past season, injuries to the Huskies' top three receivers have left him as the primary target in tomorrow's spring game.
Through his hard work, Easley is now seen as one of the team leaders, but when he arrived at UConn in the summer of 2005, he wasn't even a member.
Easley finished his football career at Bunnell High School with a long list of accomplishments. Along with guiding his school to its first two state playoff berths ever in 2003 and 2004, Easley was selected as a first-team All-Conference selection in his senior year.
But his achievements weren't enough to pique the interest of D-I scouts. Easley said that he received some interest from DI-AA and Division II schools, but ultimately chose a scholarship from UConn - just a different one than he had hoped.
"I got into UConn on academics and got a couple academic scholarships," he said. "I didn't think I could handle the schoolwork and playing football at the same time."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Dr. Bob Kravecs
posted 4/18/08 @ 12:18 PM EST
A very nice story about what sounds like a great kid. I am really looking forward to watching him play tomorrow at "The Rent". Hopefully, he will get an opportunity to play more this season. (Continued…)
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