UConn’s roster looks nothing like the one that rode back-to-back nine-win seasons and reached the Fenway Bowl twice. Jim Mora is gone to Colorado State.
Gordon Sammis is at TCU. Matt Brock is back at Mississippi State.
And 32 Huskies hit the transfer portal.
Jason Candle walked into that reset with a rebuilt group, signing 57 players from the portal and seven freshmen. That kind of turnover brings a simple problem with it: new faces have to become a team fast, and the next wave of leaders has to emerge just as quickly.
“I think they identify themselves,” Candle said when discussing 2026 position leaders. “If they have the respect of their teammates, I think that part of it will sort itself out.”
One of the players expected to help steer that process is offensive lineman Ty Chan. The senior chose to stay in Connecticut rather than move on, finishing his college career at UConn and taking on a bigger voice in the locker room. The Massachusetts native is part of a 15-player leadership council, a group meant to keep the program pointed in the right direction and show the newcomers what UConn football is supposed to look like.
Chan said the message from the staff has made that responsibility clearer.
“Coach has definitely made the facet on that,” he said. “The development of those upper guys, but also the guys that people cherish, is powerful because our message gets displayed in a better way.”
For Chan, part of learning how to lead came from watching players like Skyler Bell and Cam Edwards work. The example they set, he said, made the standard obvious.
“It’s not just a gimmick, it’s good players putting in hard work and good things happen for them,” said Chan.
The chemistry piece has been just as important as the leadership piece. UConn has spent the summer finding ways to build that bond away from the field, whether that meant hanging out by the pool after practice or trying new activities together.
About one-third of the team spent part of the summer with defensive back Braedyn Moore fishing for bass in the ponds around Storrs. More recently, the group went paintballing, a trip that turned into a competitive bonding session.
“Everything football players do is competitive,” wide receiver Ryder Treadway said. “Just being around the guys is something I always love to do. Just being in the locker room, messing around, is just something I enjoy a lot.”
With just under 45 days left before the 2026 season begins, Candle believes the team has the kind of energy that can carry over if it stays intact.
“I think that’s a quality we naturally gravitate towards; that’s just competitive spirit,” said Candle. “I don’t necessarily single anybody out when it comes to that and it doesn’t mean that we don’t have any, I feel like we have a lot of them.”
“Let’s see if we can have that same energy and that same steam, that same mentality [from the summer] in August, September.”