Tackling is a natural instinct for UConn 's new star linebacker, K'Von Sherman .
He was signed up for flag football at around six years old , just like most kids picking up the sport for the first time. But he didn't follow the rules. In the first game he played, Sherman was bringing kids to the ground with no regard for the tearaway flags around their waist. He didn't last very long.
But growing up in Pearland, Texas, about 20 minutes south of Houston, where the public high school stadium seats more than 12,000, Sherman's tackling turned from an automatic penalty to a life skill.
A two-star recruit out of Pearland High, he didn't have the grades to attract much Division I attention and landed at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas . There, he shined on the football field, making 77 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss, and realized he had to get his grades right in order to advance his career.
It wasn't long before Sherman was on the radar of Toledo's coaching staff as a potential hidden gem.
He played a limited role in all 13 games during his first year with Jason Candle and the Rockets before breaking out in 2025, landing First Team All-MAC recognition after making a team-high 93 tackles in addition to his 4.5 sacks, a pass defended and a fumble recovery. He could've found a spot on a power conference team out of the transfer portal after Candle left Toledo , but it made too much sense to stick with his head coach.
"I'm really a guy about the process, and I understood (Candle's) process by being in it for the past two years. So I knew I was always going to be in good hands if I came here," Sherman said after serving his role as a disruptor in Saturday's scrimmage.
It helped, too, that the Huskies' independent schedule provides opportunities to get reps on tape against power conference talent, which should help his chances at getting to the next level. UConn is the only Group of Six program to be hosting three Power Four opponents this season, and Sherman has confidence that the team will be ready to compete.
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"I told the guys that we can do something special here because we have so many home games, if we win, good things will happen. We'll have the crowd, we'll have the (state) behind us, we'll have a bunch of support," he said. "That was something I thought about (while in the portal), I was like, man, we play against P4 opponents, I'm looking at the schedule like, 'Okay, I can put together a decent year and hopefully go to the next level."
Sherman has the look, the tone and the respect of both his teammates and coaches to fall in line as the Huskies' next Jackson Mitchell , Jayden McDonald or Bryun Parham – linebackers who led with both their talent on the field but also their presence in the locker room.
"I feel like we're like two missiles just shooting downhill and definitely feeding off of his energy," said Penn transfer John Lista. "He gets pretty loud and excited, I'm more of a quiet, reserved guy. So it's definitely like we're two different players, but we mesh really well on the field and we go out there and just make plays. It's been a blast, he's been great. I'm learning a bunch from him in the film room and also off the field as a person, so it's really cool."
"He brings an emotional piece to the game," Candle said. "He's obviously a really good player statistically and accolades postseason last year would reflect that. I just think that his best football is ahead of him. He's just now scratching the surface of what it could be, so I'm excited to see what it's gonna look like for him."
Sherman – described by defensive coordinator Ryan Manalac as a "physical specimen and an intelligent football player" – lives in the moment, but he can't keep himself from thinking about getting back on the field in a game and competing. He said he thinks about the Sept. 5 season-opener on a daily basis and often struggles to sleep because of the excitement and anticipation.
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When he's not causing problems for the Huskies' offense in practice, the defensive leader focuses his energy on bringing the team together and building bonds across a roster that is mostly full of transfer portal additions like himself.
"It's like going to a new job," he said. "You've got to understand where people come from, you've got to understand their background, got to know what pushes their buttons and you've got to know how to push them so they can get to the level you want them to be, and the level they want themselves to be. You've got to learn about the person and then try to take the steps and figure out how to lead."
UConn's defense still has work to do with players continuing to learn how to play alongside each other, most of them in a brand new system. But with Sherman as the centerpiece of both the defense and the team's culture, the Huskies should be in good hands.
