Storrs — Some former UConn football teammates gave Brian Cespedes some words of wisdom to carry with him into this season.

Foley Fatukasi and Tre Bell basically told Cespedes, a redshirt junior, that it's time to grow up.

"You're not a kid anymore," Cespedes said of the advice. "You're not that kid that just came in. You're an old-head to these kids now so you've got to start talking and be mature. They really gave me a wake-up call."

Cespedes, a former New London High School standout, has come light years from his freshman year. He's gone from scout team regular to contender for a starting job as offensive guard. He's also had a growth spurt in the maturity department.

But he can't afford to get too comfortable.

After spending most of preseason practice working with the starters, Cespedes saw a lot of action with the second team during Monday's workout inside the Shenkman Training Center. Freshman Christian Haynes filled the first team spot.

"His camp has gone OK," coach Randy Edsall said of Cespedes. "But we have competition there. Sometimes you don't know what you have until some of the freshmen get here and you see what they can do and you give everybody a chance. Or a guy from the year before has a great summer and really gets better.

"He's in competition, just like everybody else. There's some really good competition at that spot right now."

Cespedes took the change in stride.

"I like that moving around," Cespedes said. "You've always got to stay on our toes. There's always somebody behind you trying to take your spot, so that competitive edge just makes everybody better.

"Even if they put you on the second team, as long as you don't pout and you just keep working on your craft, coach is going to see you working hard no matter where he put you and that you're devoted to make the team better. I'm devoted to make the team better and help in any way I can."

It's too early to read too much into his shift to second team. The season opener against Central Florida is over two weeks away on Aug. 30.

Cespedes says he didn't perform up to his expectations during Thursday's scrimmage, a valuable evaluation tool for the UConn coaching staff.

"It went not as well as I expected," Cespedes said. "I feel like I was thinking a lot out there. I wasn't moving like I usually move. I wasn't moving my fastest. After dissecting the film, I went and talked to my coach and asked him what can I do better. He helped me see all the plays that I did wrong. We just got back in the lab the next day and fixed everything and kept trying to move forward."

Cespedes also frequently talks football with his roommate and fellow offensive lineman Matt Peart, a redshirt junior.

Both players check in at 6-foot-7, with Peart holding a two-pound edge in weight at 301 pounds. Cespedes' goal is to start alongside his good friend in the season opener. It would be his first career start.

"Since we came here our freshman year, we always had this thing that by the end of college careers the twin towers are going to play next to each other," Cespedes said. "When we came in, we were the tallest guys. Our junior year we were rooming together in an apartment.

"In the spring, I was the second string and then I got moved up and we were playing right next to each other. He's helped me a lot. Him and Ryan Crozier, they taught me the plays and how to go about actually playing with the first team. I owe a lot to those guys."

• In other news, UConn announced that it has postponed the addition of the Coors Light End Zone Club to Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field this season. Fans expressed concerns about moving the Jasper Howard Memorial from the west end of the stadium to near the Gate C entrance. 

g.keefe@theday.com