Trevardo Selects UCONN

By NEILL OSTROUTnostrout@ctpost.com When a football player is described as having "sprinter's speed," it can sometimes be a misnomer. But Bridgeport Central defensive end Trevardo Williams really does possess it, having blazed numerous trails as a 100-meter high school star. Williams, a junior, is taking that speed to UConn where the Huskies hope he can chase down a few quarterbacks. He verbally committed to the Huskies Tuesday and became the first player to accept a scholarship offer in UConn's class of 2008. Williams, the runner-up in the 100 meters in the State Open outdoor track championships as a sophomore, will play defensive end or linebacker in Storrs. "His speed is ferocious," Central coach David Cadelina said Wednesday. "If you look at tape, you see him chasing down anybody, anywhere." The 6-foot-3 Williams weighs about 205 pounds — a little heavy for a sprinter, a little light for a defensive end. Expect him to be leaner during the outdoor track season but to bulk up once he gets to UConn. "It was close to my home and I wanted to stay close," Williams said Wednesday about his school choice. Williams admits he's never actually been to a UConn football game in person — though he had attended men's basketball games — but has seen the campus and the football team's new facilities buildings. When he first began playing with Central's varsity as a sophomore, Cadelina wasn't sure if he simply had a fast player on his team or something more. But Williams soon proved he wanted to and could excel at playing football. "He enjoyed the physical aspect of it too," Cadelina said. Cadelina estimated that Williams might have recorded more sacks than anyone else in the state during his junior season. "He just had a phenomenal season," said Cadelina, comparing his star to a young Dwight Freeney, the former Bloomfield High and Syracuse star who plays for the Indianapolis Colts.