New England isn’t known as one of the powerhouses regions for football, let alone Connecticut; but this past weekend, multiple college football players with ties to the Constitution State found themselves selected to be on NFL rosters. Some heard their name called on day two and others had to wait until the end of the draft to sign with NFL teams. Overall, it was an exciting weekend for the “860” and “203”.
Travis Jones
UConn’s steady decline as a program has left in-state players with more room to stay home and play for the Huskies. When I was in high school I began to notice the state’s top talent typically commit to Michigan, Penn State, and Boston College. It was disappointing to see. But some of the players that flew under the radar during recruitment stayed home; one of those players was Travis Jones.
Jones was born and raised in the Pizza Capitol of the world, New Haven, CT. He played high school ball at Wilbur Cross High School and received minimal interest from schools. He held five total offers (Boston College, Buffalo, Temple, Rutgers, and UConn) and decided to stay in state and play for the Huskies. Unfortunately, Jones played under disgraced dirtbag Randy Edsall and missed the upcoming Mora years.
This past season for the dismal, 1-11, Huskies, Jones balled out. He recorded 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks, but the reason he rocketed up draft boards was his performance at the Senior Bowl. He displaced first rounder Cole Strange on multiple plays. Because of his effort at the Senior Bowl, he was selected by Baltimore with the 76th pick of the draft. I’m so fired up to see him get drafted and I may even buy a Jones jersey.. Even though I hate Baltimore.
Andrew Stueber
Andrew Stueber has a bit of a different story than Travis Jones. He grew up in Darien, the very affluent Gold Coast of Connecticut. He played high school ball at Darien High for the Blue Wave; a notorious powerhouse program that has a knack for making the state playoffs. His gigantic frame and mean play style made him a four star recruit. Stueber committed to play for Michigan over Penn State, Harvard, North Carolina, and UConn.
Stueber became a contributor on the Wolverines his sophomore season when he saw action on special teams and at right tackle. Unfortunately as a junior in camp, Stueber tore his ACL and was sidelined for the whole season. In his final two years in blue and maize, Stueber started 20 games at guard and tackle. In 2021, the Darien alum was named to the All Big Ten Team and was named Second Team AFCA All American.
The Patriots selected Stueber in the 7th round this year with the 245th pick. Hopefully Billy B keeps Stueber on the 53 man roster as a tackle or guard backup.
Ryan Van Demark
When the draft ends, GMs keep calling. While only two players with ties to Connecticut heard their name called, many got called when the draft concluded. One of those players was UConn offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark. While Van Demark isn’t from Connecticut, he played for the Huskies from 2017 to 2021. The Wayne, NJ native wasn’t a ranked recruit but held several FCS and lower FBS offers; he ended up signing with UConn over Richmond, Villanova, and Liberty.
Van Demark made an immediate impact as a Husky. From day one he was a starter at offensive tackle and over four season started 48 games. I believe the reason the Colts took a flyer on Van Demark was because of his extensive amount of experience. Indianapolis signed him on a deal with 175,000 dollars guaranteed.
Josh Jobe
Another player that got a call when the draft ended was Alabama defensive back Josh Jobe. Now Jobe isn’t from Connecticut, nor did he play college ball in CT, but he did play his final year of high school at powerhouse prep school Cheshire Academy. Jobe is a Miami native that was touted as a four star recruit while playing at Christopher Columbus High School; he initially gave a verbal commitment to Miami tp stay home. He transferred from CCHS to Cheshire Academy after he was deemed too old to play his final season in Florida. After balling out for the Cats at CA, Jobe flipped his commitment from Miami to Alabama.
Jobe saw action immediately in 2018 and was a staple on the Crimson Tide defense for four years. In his final two years, Jobe made 93 tackles, 15 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. I for sure thought I’d be hearing Jobes name called over the weekend, but when the 7th round concluded, Jobe hadn’t landed on a roster. The Eagles ended up signing Jobe and they are a team that could really use help on the back end of their defense.
Brandon Sebastian
Now Brandon Sebastian is a homegrown player right out of Connecticut. Sebastian grew up in West Haven, CT but played his high school football at Cheshire Academy. The only difference between Jobe and Sebastian is that Jobe only played a year at CA, Sebastian played his entire career there. Sebastian was a three star recruit out and left CT for Boston College to play defensive back; he held offers from Temple, Rutgers, UConn, and Syracuse as well.
After redshirting his freshman year, Sebastian became an immediate impact player. From 2018 to 2021, Sebastian made 141 tackles, 8 interceptions, and broke up 28 passes. After he didn’t hear his name called in the NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers signed him.
Overall, it was a great weekend for players with ties to Connecticut and the Connecticut football community. I’m so excited to see these guys, hopefully, play on Sundays.
