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STORRS Ryder Treadway was about 8 when he saw the catch that temporarily sank his heart, thrilled him for a longer period and has inspired him ever since.
For a receiver of a certain age, what else would quality as The Catch? I have to go with the Odell Beckham (Jr.) catch vs.
the Cowboys, Treadway said Thursday, in a fanciful moment during UConn footballs media day.
Man, I wish it wasnt vs.
the Cowboys.
When I was young, me and my Dad would always play catch.
In the living room, get a bean bag, I would jump back, try and catch it one-handed.
Beckham, the former and current Giant, pulled off his acrobatic grab in the Meadowlands in 2014, leaping high, reaching back and upward, stopping Eli Mannings pass with his fingertips and making the grab near the goal line.
It was a crazy catch, to employ what seems to be the engaging Treadways favorite adjective, and it will outlive any of Beckhams stats in NFL lore, much like Dwight Clarks playoff grab , also against Dallas, in 1981.
Dom Amore: Clowns and Party Animals? These CT performers leading Banana Ball back to Dunkin Park Treadway became an all-around athlete, playing soccer and basketball and running track at Wakeland High in Frisco, Texas.
He became an all-district receiver, setting school records in yardage in that ultra-competitive world of Texas Friday Night Lights.
A three-star recruit, he had opportunities to play for Army, Navy, Yale or Brown, but the FBS coach who seemed to believe in him most was Jason Candle, so he signed with Toledo.
And after making a mini-splash as a true freshman, he followed Candle to UConn.
My relationship with Coach Candle is huge, Treadway said.
Out of high school, its huge having someone believe in me, and believe in me from the start.
Its a big thing for me that I was looking for, so obviously I was going to stay with someone who believes in me.
Also, he said, Candle is super smart, crazy smart, its insane how much he knows.
He knows how to get people open.
Said Candle: I go back to high school recruiting on that one.
A worker, a guy that is like us; he puts his energy in the right place every single day.
He played on a good high school team, great family, not a guy you have to consistently remind what a great day should look like.
He has got a great feel for that.
Very talented, highly accountable.
As Candle and his staff amalgamate groups of holdovers from the previous UConn regime, transfers from Toledo, transfers from elsewhere and high school recruits, a roster soaring above 100 players, Treadway is expected to be a standout.
At 6 feet 3 and 193 pounds, he has that hard-to-explain knack for getting open, and going up to get the football in traffic, that certain will.
As a true freshman, he got into 11 games and caught three passes for three touchdowns.
Hes phenomenal, said offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile.
Hes got great size, great ball skills, hard worker, tough.
He can run.
The skys the limit for him, I think hes going to be a great player, You saw a little bit of it in the spring game.
By the middle of the year, I think people are going to see hes a really versatile, dynamic player.
The largest question, this and every summer around UConn football, is who will be throwing the football.
Jake Merklinger, the transfer from Tennessee, Kalieb Osborne, also from Toledo, and Tucker McDonald, holdover from the Jim Mora era, are competing and did most of the throwing in the spring.
Freshman Bo Polston, who decommitted from Toledo and chose UConn, would appear to be in a developmental phase.
All three of em had a crazy good spring, Treadway said.
Think globally, act locally: Jason Candle shares vision for guiding UConn football into the future They all have different skill sets, but could identify a reliable target in Treadway Hes usually on the outside; hes a deep threat, said defensive back Braedyn Moore said.
He has great hands, he can go up and get the ball, hes aggressive, going to get the ball.
Playing where he did, growing up where he did, Treadway learned not only the catch the ball in traffic, but with with large crowds, often 10,000 or more sets of eyeballs, looking on, the intensity off the charts.
(Texas high school football) is definitely crazy, some people say its a little too crazy, Treadway said.
My high school, our home stadium was the (12,000-seat) Dallas Cowboys practice facility.
So we played there, and our second home was MLS, FC Dallas, the pro soccer team, and then our third one was another big stadium.
So it was crazy, to have that big of thing around you.
Its awesome.
With that kind of passion for football, a kid growing up doesnt necessarily choose the game.
It chooses him.
Dom Amore: Maybe all that midsummer smoke covering CT is coming from the blazing Red Sox in Boston My Dad and my friends, at first, you just want to do whatever your friends do, Treadway said.
Theyre going to go play football, youre going to play football.
Having a group thats striving toward the same goal, its awesome to have.
I was a decent quarterback, but I found being receiver more enjoyable, scoring touchdowns, getting to dance.
At quarterback, youve got be more even keel.
The receivers Treadway tries to emulate are Puka Nacua and Davante Adams of the Rams, I like Puka, people say we play a lot alike.
..
I like watching Davante Adams a lot, I think his release package is crazy.
Those two are my favorites.
At UConn, Ryder Treadway will have the opportunity, and the responsibility of filling big receiving shoes in Skyler Bell, who had two highly productive seasons with the Huskies, then was drafted by the Bills.
Its a high standard, but then Treadway sets high goals for himself, like vaulting to the NFL and making one of those high-off-the-ground, back and one-handed fingertip catches, like Odell Beckham Jr.s.
For sure, thats the goal, Treadway said.
Hopefully I get one of those.