Huskies Add More P4 Talent Through Portal
UConn football remained busy with transfer portal recruiting, adding S Kobi Albert from Mississippi State, and DL Ben Smiley from Virginia. Each add much needed help at two positions the Husky defense suffered heavy losses so far this offseason. On the offensive side of the ball, UConn added former four star recruit, and former Auburn and Ohio State WR Caleb Burton III.
Albert, a 5’11” 180 safety, who will come to Storrs as a redshirt junior, played in four games this past season with the Bulldogs, the first four games against Eastern Kentucky, Toledo, Florida, and Texas. Albert totaled four tackles, one for loss in those games. Albert began his career out of HS in Fairfield, AL at Kentucky, where he played in ten games as a true freshman, notching three tackles and a TFL. Albert will compete for a starting spot with Wisconsin transfer Kamo’i Latu, and anyone else the Huskies may add to the secondary, as they are undoubtedly not done yet.
Check out behind the scenes of his visit:
Smiley, committed to UVA in the Class of 2019, believe it or not, gaining an extra year of eligibility after the tragic UVA shooting in November of 2022. Out of HS, he chose the Cavaliers over offers from Purdue, Alabama, App State, Duke, Kentucky, Marshall, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, MTSU, Missouri, NC State, Nebraska, UNC, Oklahoma, ODU, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF, USF, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. Over his career in Charlottesville, Smiley has totaled 50 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks, and a PBU. The Huskies need to remake their entire DL, with only rotational pieces Kervins Choute and Matt Hoffman returning, so there should be plenty of opportunity to win a starting job for Smiley.
Burton, a four star recruit out of HS in Austin, TX, comes to Storrs after playing two seasons at Auburn. He saw no game action for the Buckeyes, and saw action immediately in 2023 for the Tigers, playing in nine games, starting five, and catching 16 passes for 226 yards. He led Auburn in receiving in the Music City Bowl, catching five passes for 78 yards. That did not translate to 2024, however, as Burton played in just three games in 2024, catching two passes for 49 yards in Auburn’s opening season win against Alabama A&M. As a HS phenom, he caught 82 passes for 1,515 yards and 18 TDs as a sophomore, but he missed his entire junior season with a knee injury. As a senior, he would catch 49 passes for 845 yards. He will hope to capture some of that magic again, perhaps in Storrs.