Tinker Loves Connecticut

A trio of talented prospects from Pittsburgh visited Storrs last weekend to see what the Husky program had to offer. All three left impressed, but the most heralded of the three recruits in wide receiver Ed Tinker was the one who gave the highest praise to the experience he had on campus.

Pittsburgh, West Virginia and most recently Iowa have already offered Brashear High School wide receiver Ed Tinker. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound athlete joined teammates Quamane Bryant and Jermaine Robinson last weekend on a 450 mile journey that culminated with a visit to Storrs. While Connecticut has yet to offer the Pittsburgh, Pa., native, he did give the highest praise to the time he spent on campus.

“The stadium was the best I’ve seen yet and the facilities were really nice,” Tinker said. “I loved the weight room because they have it set up where you can do your entire workout from one station which is something I’ve never seen before. I’ve been to West Virginia and Pittsburgh and Connecticut’s weight room was much nicer then both of those schools.”

“I was able to speak with an academic advisor who talked to me a lot about what is made available to the football players,” Tinker stated. “I learned that there is certainly a lot of support given to the football team in terms of tutoring for those that need it and what not. They also have a very good business management program which is what I think I want to major in. One of the things that really set Connecticut apart was how much focus is put on academics. Coach (Todd) Orlando told us straight up that if you don’t hit the books up there they’ll kick you right off the team. Whenever I get text messages from the staff they’re always telling me to stay on top of grades and I appreciate that focus.”

Facilities and academics are obviously two big parts of the recruiting picture for any school, but rarely is a decision made to attend a school where a recruit is not comfortable. The phrases “felt comfortable” or “was at home” are often the most important you can here from a player when quoted and Tinker talked a bit about whether he felt he could fit in at Storrs.

“Coach Orlando was a good guy and straight forward which I liked and when I was talking to some of the players on the team I really felt as though I would fit in well there if I chose to attend Connecticut. I loved the campus and everything was very close together which is another thing that set them apart and I just sent them up my film to review, so hopefully I get an offer then. If not, I’m thinking about heading up for camp there. I’d give the visit a 10 out of 10 though, I just loved it there.”

As a junior at Brashear High School, Tinker caught 36 passes for 516 yards and three touchdowns. He will be participating in the Scout.com Combine in Pittsburgh, Pa., in May and has set no time frame for a decision.