Storrs — When Mikal Myers recently needed some advice, he sought out a respected UConn football teammate.

He talked to Marquise Vann, a defensive standout and emerging team leader.

"Marquise is great, on and off the field," said Myers, a redshirt sophomore. "Just the other day I went to him for advice, nothing that pertained to football. He really helped me out. Then, on the field, he's an animal, so you tend to listen to him when he talks."

In his first full season as a starter, Vann's role on the team is expanding.

An active 6-foot, 225-pound redshirt junior linebacker, he's become a major defensive presence, ranking fifth in the American Athletic Conference in tackles and first on the team with 56 for an average of 9.3 per game.

Defense is the strength of the developing Huskies, who rank 20th in the country in total defense at 325 yards per game. Last-place UConn (1-5, 0-3) is coming off a bye week and preparing for Thursday night's game at AAC co-leader East Carolina (5-1, 2-0).

Despite the team's dismal record, Vann remains upbeat. You could clearly hear the passion in his voice Sunday when responding to a question about his leadership role.

"As far as leadership-wise, I just try to be a vocal guy," Vann said. "When the team needs energy, I just try to give the team energy. I try to bring respect, bring love and try to get people to do better. I try to get people to realize that they can play football at a very high level. They just have to have that confidence to be able to do it.

"And I believe in my team so much that I want them to believe in themselves as well."

Vann is just the type of impact player and positive personality that head coach Bob Diaco needs to rebuild a struggling program.

Diaco spoke about Vann's contribution during his weekly press conference on Sunday.

"He's starting to become a better leader," Diaco said. "He's working on the small things with his game more. He's spending more time studying on his own, the game, which is important. So he's got a higher level of understanding of the things that are gong to attack him specifically.

"He's been a good run-fit player and he's starting now to understand where he fits in the pass game a little bit better. So I'd say his leadership is improving, his ability to study and the professionalism of becoming a productive inside linebacker has improved."

It's been a gradual progression for Vann, who's from Cincinnati where he was a team captain and All-Greater Miami Conference first team standout at Fairfield Senior High School.

Vann sat out his first season as a redshirt and then saw action mostly on special teams in 2012. His playing time increased last season, as he appeared the first eight games, starting three, before an injury ended his season.

This fall, he's experienced a growth spurt. In the season opener against Brigham Young University, he made 11 tackles, six more than he had in any previous game in his career.

Under a new coaching staff's guidance, Vann's whole approach has changed. He's a dedicated student of the game, spending more time than in the past breaking down video.

"I've made a lot of progress," Vann said. "Last year, I really wasn't really too comfortable. I had a lot of things going through my mind linebacker-wise. I was thinking too much. The coaches have helped calm me down and be more confident in myself.

"I'm just more aware of the plays that I'm going to get, and that just comes from film study. I'm not defending every play and every single formation. There's a certain amount of plays that I'm going to see and it helps me narrow everything down so I can become a better football player."

Just as important, Vann's setting a good example for his younger teammates.

"He does everything right," Myers said. "He makes his mistakes, of course. But he never really loafs. He's always hustling to the ball. He's someone you always try to look up to."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe