Story by
UConn Football Preview 2026: Different Team, Same Standard
- Story by
- UConn Football Preview 2026: Different Team, Same Standard
UConn continues to be a fascinating football program.
It was a big deal in the Big East until 2012, moved into the American, and then in 2020 it went off on its own as an independent.
But it's been hard to be nationally relevant without a conference.
Jason Candle Inherits a Winner
Sep 20, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Huskies wide receiver Shamar Porter (5) runs the ball against the Ball State Cardinals in the second half at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.
© David Butler II-Imagn Images
UConn has revenue, it's coming off two nine-win seasons, and it was able to replace head coach Jim Mora (he left for Colorado State) with Jason Candle from Toledo.
Now it's up to Candle to keep on winning at a place that turns most of the focus to the monster basketball teams.
Advertisement
Football has held its own - UConn was top five in our annual Hoops and Helmets rankings
- but this year won't be easy.
Mora built this up, and then took it with him to Fort Collins. Candle brought Toledo with him to Storrs.
UConn Quick Hits
-
Head Coach:Jason Candle (1st year; 11th year overall: 81-44)
-
Best Case / Worst Case:Push for a third straight nine-win season/Come up with the first losing season in Jason Candle's head coaching career
-
Key Player: K'Von Sherman, LB Jr.
-
2025 Record:9-4
-
Biggest Question:Can UConn change styles and still produce the same winning results?
UConn Key 2025 Stats
-
Turnovers: Opponents 17, UConn 2
-
1st Quarter Scoring: UConn 116, Opponents 54
-
Tackles For Loss: UConn 79 for 361 yards, Opponents 49 for 196 yards
Offense
Everything about the UConn offense will be new.
After winning big by going safe and sane, here comes Nunzio Campanile in from Syracuse to be the new offensive coordinator, and out will pop the passing game.
Toledo will have a major influence, but there are transfers all across the board about to do big things.
What's Working
Who's Campanile's quarterback going to be?Tucker McDonald is still around and looks good, but Toledo's Kalieb Osborne fits, and Tennessee's Jake Merklinger is a nice option. No matter who the passer is, the stats will be there. But ...
Advertisement
The running backs should be one of the team's deepest areas early on.Kenji Christian was a strong back for Toledo, Cyncir Bowers is a quick option from West Virginia, and Trey Cornist is a tough runner from Central Michigan. The rotation will be terrific.
Turnovers weren't a problem at Toledo.UConn lost one fumble and gave away one interception. That's it.
This year's UConn team will probably give away that before the season gets started, but there will still be a big emphasis on ball control and not giving the ball away.
For all the good things UConn did, Toledo was far better at controlling the time of possession battle.
What Needs Work
It's never easy to put together an offensive line with all transfers.Deron McLaughlin should be ready to take over at center, and Ty Chan is back at right guard. Those two are good holdovers, but the other three spots have to be set right away.
Tackle Christian Richter saw plenty of time at Marshall, and Houston Christian's Ben Mullholland was a nice get for the inside. In all, though, six transfers will play roles.
Advertisement
Are the receivers there to make this work?UConn will want to crank up more through the air, but losing Skyler Bell - 101 catches last year - is big.
Emanuel Ross comes over from Syracuse to be a big target, Shamar Porter is a 6-3 veteran who caught 18 passes for the Huskies, and Ky Wilson is a quick threat from Youngstown State.
There really are all new parts just about everywhere.It shouldn't matter with a new coaching staff coming in, but everything is starting from scratch.
Candle and the staff did a great job through the portal, but - especially for the offensive line - the talent drain is big.
Player to Watch
Kenji Christian, RB Jr.
There will be a rotation of backs, but Christian might be the most reliable option early on.
He ran for 528 yards and four scores with 17 catches last year for Toledo, and in this offense, he'll need at least ten touches per game.
Advertisement
Defense
There's a lot for Ryan Manalac to live up to.
The former Pitt assistant will be Jason Candle's defensive coordinator. Last year, Toledo finished second in the nation in total defense and was fourth in scoring D.
Candle might not get that out of his UConn defense, but that's where the bar is set.
What's Working
When you have a defense as good as Toledo's was, you can get transfers to play for you.And here they come for the new UConn defense.
Five defenders off the Rocket defense will make an impact, starting with linebacker K'Von Sherman, a big banger who was a star for Toledo. He and John Lista - who made 78 tackles last season for Penn - form a terrific 1-2 punch.
Advertisement
There might not be any elite defensive backs coming in,but there are plenty of options to play around with. Safety Jaden Price is coming in from Toledo, but four of the other key transfers are from Power Four schools.
Stop the run.This will apply with all the new parts around. UConn was 1-3 when giving up more than 205 rushing yards, and 8-1 when allowing fewer.
This coaching staff will crank up the run defense hard - only Kentucky got more than 180 rushing yards on Toledo last year.
What Needs Work
The defense needs to be tighter.For all of the good things UConn did defensively, it got ripped up against the run. The defense allowed 199.5 rushing yards per game, and overall, went 1-4 when giving up 405 total yards or more.
Of course, most of the main men of last year are gone, and ...
Advertisement
There are plenty of good ideas and options,but there aren't enough sure-thing stars. Most times when a new coach brings over a slew of his guys, they're all the good ones. There's still talent evaluation to do.
Can the defensive line get into the backfield?The linebackers made most of the big plays last year on the UConn D, and there aren't sure-thing defensive line pass rushers coming in from Toledo, or anywhere else.
Player to Watch
K'Von Sherman, LB Jr.No offense to UConn, but Sherman should be at a Power Four school. He's a 6-2, 240ish-pound thumper who made 94 tackles with 4.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. He doesn't miss stops.
Advertisement
Keys to the Season
-
Can Jason Candle take the good things that are in place and make it all better?
-
Can the offense efficiently open it up more than the preview version?
-
Penalties. This was a monster problem last year under Candle at Toledo.
Player Who Needs To Shine
Ky Wilson, WR Jr.
"Flash" gives UConn something that's missing from the team that appears to be in place going into the season - a proven offensive playmaker for the passing game.
The 5-9, 180-pounder caught 57 passes last year for Youngstown State, ran a little bit, and was great on kickoff returns. He needs to be a big-play performer from the start.
Biggest Concern
Can the offensive system work?
UConn being good on offense is a relatively new thing. It was 106th in the country in 2023, and it took 2024 to build into what it was in 2025.
Now it's being scuttled and starting over. There are plenty of known unknowns.
Advertisement
Biggest Game
Maryland, September 12
Not to be harsh, but if UConn wants to matter, it needs to win something big right away.
If it can somehow pull off a win over the Terps - the 2024 team lost 50-7 in College Park - all of a sudden, someone somewhere will start wondering whether or not the team might be good enough to push for ten wins.
Transfer Portal
This whole thing has been about the transfer portal, and Toledo, and more Toledo, but that's the deal.
Overall, the transfer portal was crushing. The top 15 guys who left were almost all big signings for their respective new teams, and then throw in all the players who went with Jim Mora to Colorado State.
Advertisement
Best Signing
Esean Carter, DT (Toledo)
Fine, so the best signing is K'Von Sherman from Toledo, but we already dove into him.
The 6-2, 275-pound Carter is a quick tackle with five years of experience at Toledo. He might not be a stat-sheet filler, but he's a reliable part for the UConn interior who can start right away.
Biggest Loss
Ben Murawski, OT (Michigan State)Throw in 1,240-yard, 15-touchdown rusher Cam Edwards - who also went off to Michigan State - too. However, losing a 6-6, 337-pound left tackle with the tools and skills of Murawski is harder to replace.
Other Names to Know
-
Shamar Riser-Pressley, EDGE (Buffalo)
-
Joshua Mickens, EDGE (Ohio State)
-
Emmanuel Ross, WR (Syracuse)
CFN Season Prediction
UConn last year had an interesting mix of the right guys who were ready to shine after time logged in under the former coaching staff, and the right schemes to make it all work.
Not joking, UConn was 13 points away from really and truly being in the College Football Playoff discussion. It lost to Syracuse by seven, and inexcusably lost to Delaware and Rice by three points each.
Advertisement
Remember, it beat Duke, and Boston College, and ...
CFN Prediction: 6-6
This year's team won't have the same sort of perfect blend of things happening.
It'll be tough for this bunch to beat Maryland, Syracuse, North Carolina, James Madison, or Old Dominion, but here's the weird thing about that - they're all home games.
Set the bar at getting into a bowl game with six wins, and give Candle a year to show what he can do.
In ten full seasons at Toledo he never had a losing season. It doesn't seem likely that he's about to start now.
