Jason Candle’s first game as UConn’s head coach arrives with plenty of buzz and just as much mystery.
The Huskies open Saturday at home against Lafayette at noon at Rentschler Field, and Candle has made it clear he isn’t interested in defining the season any farther than that. After UConn’s run of back-to-back nine-win seasons, the program now faces a massive roster reset after Jim Mora left for Colorado State and 78 players departed through graduation and the transfer portal.
For Candle, the immediate task is simple: get to Saturday and handle the opener.
“My wife asked me the other day, 'Hey are we going to go on vacation anywhere?' ” Candle said.
“I said, 'I don't even know when the hell vacation is. Can we just get to Saturday and play Saturday before we worry about what a successful year looks like, where we are going on vacation and what are all the things that lie ahead?'
“There are so many hurdles in today's landscape of college athletics that you have to jump over that you see down the road, and there are equally as many that you don't even know are coming. What weeks and months look like, honestly, I really don't care. We will worry about how it works this week and getting this week's practice solidified to give our team the best chance to go play well.”
That uncertainty stretches to the field, where Candle still hasn’t named a starting quarterback. Jacob Merklinger, Kalieb Osborne and Tucker McDonald remain in the mix.
“Nobody has eliminated themselves, and that is why it has been going the way it has,” he said. “I'm proud of them for that, and it makes it a hard decision.”
Candle has been careful with details all camp, but he did offer a few clues about what he thinks this team can become. He wants a group that plays fast, physical and clean.
“I hope we see a very fast, physical football team,” Candle said. “I feel we have the people in place to present that. Hopefully they see a football team that doesn't beat itself and comes out very clean.”
The defensive front, in particular, drew praise from the new coach. Without naming names, he said that group has “done a really good job,” and added, “There are 4-5-6 guys on the edge I think can really be solid players. The linebacker room has been really, really solid, and there are young players emerging in other position rooms.”
UConn’s defensive line includes Avery Dunn, who followed Candle from Toledo, along with linebacker K'Von Sherman, who led the Rockets with 94 total tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss last season. Joshua Mickens, who spent the past two years at Ohio State, adds more Big Ten experience to the mix.
“We have a lot of veteran guys on the D-line with a lot of experience,” Dunn said. “A lot of us come from different places, but overall, we have a lot of plays under our belts, and that allows us to play much faster and aggressive. Our biggest thing is to play violent and fast and also be intelligent.”
On offense, Candle pointed to running backs Kenji Christian and Cyncir Bowers as players who have “earned the right” to be expected to produce.
Christian arrives with 1,520 career rushing yards and a 5.6-yard average per carry between North Carolina A&T and Toledo. Bowers averaged 4.0 yards per carry and 14.5 yards per reception at West Virginia last season.
“Kenji is a senior, and this is his time,” Candle said. “He is a very talented player. You can only judge from what you have seen from January to now, and to this point he has done a really, really good job.
“He is one of a couple guys in that (running backs) room who can score a 70- 80-yard touchdown.”
Christian sounded just as confident about the offense’s possibilities.
“I feel like we have a lot of talent,” Christian said of the offense. “We can build our offense off of that talent, and we can do anything we want to do.”
The receiving group also drew praise from the other side of the ball. Saxton Suchanic highlighted Ryder Treadway, JD Willoughby, Julian Allen and Shamar Porter as potential big-play threats.
“The wide receiver room is amazing,” Suchanic said. “I have a lot of respect for those guys.
They push me and our DBs to get better every day. Expect big things out of our receivers.
“Ryder Treadway is really smart, knows how to get to a spot, set up and run very crisp routes. JD Willoughby, too, he is a very big, strong, fast, physical guy, and Julian Allen, as well has elite speed.”
For all that skill-position promise, the line play may determine how quickly this group settles in, especially with a first-year starter at quarterback. Ty Chan, a preseason third-team All-American, anchors the line after starting for UConn last year. Tamarus Walker should be in the mix too, along with Hannes Hammer from Virginia Tech, Christian Richter from Marshall and former Toledo linemen Terrence Moore and Isiah Switzer.
Dunn liked what he has seen up front.
“I think they are great,” Dunn said. “They are very violent, and they are also smart guys.
They don't give away tells that most younger linemen would, and they are competitive and bring it every day. They challenge us as a D-Line, and overall, I think they are going to be a great asset.”
After a long camp, the Huskies are ready for the part that actually counts.
“It is definitely going to feel good to get out there, go against a different opponent and hit somebody that isn't wearing UConn gear,” Suchanic said. “I am really proud of the work these guys put in not only during camp but from January leading up to now.
“We are a very aggressive team that wants to play fast, play physical and dominate whoever is in front of us.”
Candle said the preseason work has gone well, and he sees Saturday as a useful measuring stick for a roster that is still coming together.
“I think we are ready for a checkpoint,” Candle said. “We are not a finished product. There is a lot left in the tank before we become a finished product, but we are ready to see where we are Week 1.”
In Other News...
UConn Built Real Hype Fast But Maryland Will Test Everything
UConn could hardly have scripted a sharper start to the season, rolling past Lafayette in a 56-7 opener that gave the program an immediate jolt of confidence. The Huskies were efficient, explosive and balanced from the jump, with Kalieb Osborne drawing a strong review from Pro Football Focus and a defense that helped keep the Leopards from ever finding much traction.
Now the challenge gets real. Maryland is a far different kind of measuring stick, and the opener did more than pad a scoreline, it put a spotlight on new pieces who already look comfortable in key roles. Among the encouraging signs were linebacker debuts from KVon Sherman and John Lista, who each made an impact in the front seven and helped fuel the kind of fast start UConn will need to sustain once the competition stiffens. [Read more 🡒]