Paul Pasqualoni is heading back to the Division I level at 77, and the next stop in his long coaching journey will be Florida State.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the former UConn head coach is set to join the Seminoles as a defensive analyst. Florida State recently fired head coach Mike Norvell, opening up spots on the staff. There’s no certainty Pasqualoni will still be there in 2027, since the next head coach will likely want to build his own staff, but for now it adds another twist to a career that has already covered a lot of ground.
Pasqualoni’s path through football has been anything but ordinary. He began as an assistant at Cheshire High School in 1972, then moved on to Southern Connecticut State as an assistant. From there, he became the head coach at Western Connecticut State from 1982-86 before leaving Connecticut for a linebackers job at Syracuse in 1987.
That move launched the biggest run of his career. Pasqualoni was promoted to head coach at Syracuse in 1991 and stayed there through 2004, leading the Orange to nine bowl games with a 6-3 record in those appearances. He also helped develop 17 NFL players who were drafted in the first three rounds, and his Syracuse teams featured names like Donovan McNabb, Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney.
After Syracuse, Pasqualoni spent time in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, where he served as defensive coordinator in Miami before returning to college football and taking over at UConn from 2011-13.
His coaching stops kept coming after that. Pasqualoni later worked with the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Boston College, Detroit Lions, University of Florida and Carolina Panthers. He also coached in the United Football League in 2024 and returned to high school football in 2025.
At UConn, Pasqualoni followed Randy Edsall, who had guided the Huskies from 2000-2010 with six winning seasons, five bowl trips and a run to the Fiesta Bowl in 2010. Pasqualoni couldn’t match that level of success.
UConn went 5-7 in both 2011 and 2012, then opened 2013 at 0-4 before he was dismissed. That 0-4 start came as the program shifted from the Big East to the American.
The Huskies would not post a winning season from the time Pasqualoni was hired until 2024 under Jim Mora.
UConn is now coached by Jason Candle and sits at 4-4. The Huskies are set to face North Carolina this weekend in East Hartford. That game also marks Bill Belichick’s first return to New England since he was fired by the Patriots after the 2023 NFL season.
In Other News...
Kansas Faces A Troubling QB Question As UCF Gets A Lift
UCF is getting a timely boost at quarterback as it prepares for Kansas, with Alonza Barnett III expected to be back in the mix after working his way through a hamstring injury. The Knights have been piecing things together under center since Keyone Jenkins aggravated an ankle injury against Baylor, and Barnetts return would give the offense a much-needed stabilizing presence heading into a game that suddenly carries more intrigue on both sides.
The roster news is not all positive for UCF, though, with offensive lineman Owen Spell and defensive tackle RJ Jackson Jr. out for the rest of the regular season because of injuries. Even so, the bigger storyline may be on the other sideline, where Kansas is dealing with its own quarterback uncertainty as Isaiah Marshall, Cole Ballard and Chase Jenkins are all listed as questionable. That leaves both teams waiting on answers at the most important position on the field. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Faces A Sneaky Early Test Against A Team Fans Rarely See
Yales visit to Orlando gives UCF an early nonconference test against a program Knights fans almost never see, and it comes with a little extra intrigue because the Bulldogs already have a season-opening win under their belt. Yale is led by longtime coach James Jones and brings a familiar Ivy League profile built around structure, patience and a lineup that can make opponents work for every clean look.
For UCF, the game also arrives with some roster questions still taking shape after the opener, including how the Knights want to line up in the backcourt and who settles into the starting group. Yales core includes transfer Connor May along with forwards Trevor Mullin and Riley Fox, and the matchup carries the feel of a rare intersection between two programs that do not cross paths often, which makes the first meeting in more than three decades worth a closer look. [Read more 🡒]
Dior Johnson Just Gave UCF Fans A Reason To Watch Friday
Johnny Dawkins decision to bring Dior Johnson back for another season already looks like one of the early storylines worth watching around UCF. In the season opener, Johnson delivered a huge night in a 96-95 overtime win over Florida Gulf Coast, giving the Knights exactly the kind of late-game shot creation they were hoping to have back in the rotation.
Johnson did most of his damage after halftime and kept pushing the pace into the extra session, helping UCF survive a tight one on a night when every possession mattered. The Knights needed calm at the line to finish it off, and Johnson was right in the middle of the pressure moments, a reminder that Fridays game could be worth circling if he keeps carrying that load. [Read more 🡒]