Marquel Blackwell is on the move again - and this time, he’s heading north to take on a new role at UConn.
After being let go by South Carolina earlier this month, Blackwell has landed a fresh opportunity as the Huskies’ new passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The hire reunites him with Jason Candle, UConn’s newly appointed head coach, and a familiar face from Blackwell’s coaching past. Candle and Blackwell worked together at Toledo from 2016 to 2017, when Blackwell served as the Rockets’ running backs coach.
Now, they’re teaming up again in Storrs, where UConn is looking to build on back-to-back nine-win seasons under former head coach Jim Mora. Mora left the program to take over at Colorado State, and Candle - a decade-long veteran at Toledo - was tapped to keep the momentum going.
For Blackwell, this marks a return to the quarterback room, a space he knows well. While he’s been coaching running backs in recent years - with stints at South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss - he also has experience as a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from his time at Houston in 2019. And let’s not forget his playing days: Blackwell was a four-year starter at quarterback for South Florida from 1999 to 2002, a tenure that earned him plenty of respect in college football circles.
His coaching résumé is a winding one, with stops at West Virginia, Toledo, Houston, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and most recently, South Carolina. He joined the Gamecocks in 2023 but was dismissed on December 4 after the team wrapped up a disappointing 4-8 season.
South Carolina struggled to get anything going on the ground, finishing near the bottom of the SEC in rushing offense. Head coach Shane Beamer made several changes in response, parting ways with three offensive assistants: Blackwell, offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley, and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Shula.
Teasley and Shula were both let go during the season, while Blackwell's exit came shortly after its conclusion.
Blackwell’s replacement at South Carolina is Stan Drayton, formerly the running backs coach at Penn State. Meanwhile, Teasley has already landed on his feet, joining Matt Rhule’s staff at Nebraska as the Cornhuskers’ new run game coordinator.
That move also reunites Teasley with former Gamecocks OC Marcus Satterfield, who’s now coaching tight ends in Lincoln. As for Shula, his next destination hasn’t been announced yet.
UConn, one of only two FBS independents alongside Notre Dame, is looking to solidify its offensive identity under Candle. Bringing in a coach like Blackwell - with experience developing both quarterbacks and running backs, and a background as a play-caller - gives the Huskies a versatile, battle-tested voice in the room.
For Blackwell, it’s a chance to reset, refocus, and get back to coaching the position he once played at a high level. And for UConn, it’s another step toward building a staff capable of sustaining the success Mora started.