'09 CT LB Mike Osiecki (UConn Verbal)

[GoRU]

'09 CT LB Mike Osiecki

Outside linebacker
Seymour (CT) Seymour

Ht: 6-foot-2
Wt: 195 lbs
Forty: 4.8 secs
Class: 2009 (High School)

Seymour's Osiecki Makes An Early Commitment -- Courant.com

UConn coach Randy Edsall got a start on next year's recruiting class in a big way.

Before leaving campus Saturday, Seymour linebacker Mike Osiecki left Edsall with a surprise: an oral commitment to UConn.

"As soon as I saw everything they had to offer I knew it was the place for me to be," said Osiecki, considered one of the state's top recruits for next season. "UConn has everything that I need to become a better player and I don't have to go far to do that."

Osiecki (6 feet 2, 212 pounds) is the son of former Ansonia quarterback Sandy Osiecki, who went to Arizona State and spent one season in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. Mike's brother Ryan, a one-time UConn recruit, played quarterback last season at Milford Academy.

Mike Osiecki, who was on campus for Junior Day, an event in which the Huskies host high school juniors, said he received an offer from UConn about a month ago. Seymour coach Paul Sponheimer said Osiecki has had 22 Division I-A schools call since the end of the 2007 season, including Southern Cal.

"I've been here 30 years and I've only heard from USC one other time," Sponheimer said. "This kid is a special talent."

Osiecki had 164 tackles and two interceptions as a junior for Seymour, including 24 tackles in a loss to Ansonia. Osiecki was a Courant second-team All-State selection on defense in 2007.

"UConn is getting the best football player in the state for 2008," Sponheimer said. "He's a very aggressive, downhill-playing linebacker with a great linebacker mentality."

Osiecki also plays running back, rushing for 759 yards on 97 carries last season with 13 touchdowns.

Sponheimer wasn't surprised when he heard of Osiecki's decision, thinking that UConn offensive lineman Mike Hicks, a former Seymour player, had something to do with it.

"I think [Osiecki's] a homebody," Sponheimer said. "I think Mike Hicks convinced him that a home-cooked meal isn't bad 90 minutes away. UConn's been on him since his sophomore year so it's not a big surprise."

Osiecki said he didn't have any desire to let the recruiting process carry over to his senior year.

"The facilities there were like nothing I'd ever seen, the coaches were fantastic, the team is great to be around, it was everything that I wanted," Osiecki said. "I want to play close to home, have my friends and family be able to see me play on a regular basis and that's the place to do it."

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