Coach Candle Introductory Press Conference 12/8/25 @1230. Streamed live on UConn+ | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Coach Candle Introductory Press Conference 12/8/25 @1230. Streamed live on UConn+

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watching the press conference rn... i like candle so far.
for those of you who know his track record better... do you guys see him as a guy purely using UConn as a quick, 2-year stepping stone to his P4 gig? or does he seem to be someone who may desire to have (and sustain) success here with us?

I know he did many years at toledo, which I like.
 
He spoke graciously of our ex-coach, our program, and gave gratitude to Toledo for the opportunities they afforded him. Seems humble, a good man. I do wish him much (and looong) success with us. Welcome Coach Candle.
 
DB mentioning that he showed the family all around because they "want someone who wants to be in Connecticut" didn't seem accidental.

His ability to retain players is a big deal. We're still gonna be a breeding ground for P2/4 talent, but if we can even just get a couple guys a year to stay that would otherwise leave, we're going to be a lot better team for it.

He talked about building community... not sure that's something Mora could ever do. It would be great to see us doing a ton of summer events, camps, etc.
 
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Jetskies said:
watching the press conference rn... i like candle so far.
for those of you who know his track record better... do you guys see him as a guy purely using UConn as a quick, 2-year stepping stone to his P4 gig? or does he seem to be someone who may desire to have (and sustain) success here with us?

I know he did many years at toledo, which I like.
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Not sure there's an answer to that unless you're in Candle's inner-circle. 16 years at Toledo with plenty of opportunities to leave is a good sign though. And if he leaves in 4 years after some 8, 9, 10 win seasons? Hard to complain about that.
 
Jetskies said:
watching the press conference rn... i like candle so far.
for those of you who know his track record better... do you guys see him as a guy purely using UConn as a quick, 2-year stepping stone to his P4 gig? or does he seem to be someone who may desire to have (and sustain) success here with us?

I know he did many years at toledo, which I like.
Expand ...
I can't say I know better than anyone else, but from what I have read and heard about him he is extremely loyal including keeping his staff together. Hard to draw conclusions on his stay in Toledo or Mount Union as he was coaching in his home state which no doubt influenced his decision; however, he did turn down high end P4 OC jobs while at Toledo. In reality, assuming he is successful, UConn really only needs to hold their breath for 4 years for the 2030 realignment everyone has been banking on. At that point UConn will either find itself in a major conference and should be able to hold onto him for a longer term vision or have been snubbed once again and there likely would be pretty significant changes to the AD as a whole. Hoping this is the start of a long and illustrious career.
 
Liked the quiet confidence of being able to sign kids in multiple eras of recruiting (and calling out the "traditionalists" who think its "the kids" that have changed). That said, he made special emphasis about how he's been successful of retaining kids and filling in with new high school grads. I sometimes wonder if NFL experience (like Mora had) with managing a salary cap, is a skill/experience set that is uniquely suited to thrive in the portal era, rather than the traditional high school recruiting philosophy. Hoping Candle succeeds in both.
 
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What a refreshing and believably honest guy.
I said in another post that I was shocked (with Diaco's insincerity) when I watched "red pants" remarks at his press conference and now have to say how impressive Candle is.
He had no hints of BS in his remarks and exudes knowledge of how to do what must be done to continue the rise in fortunes of UConn football AND do it the right way.
Hallelujah!
Great Christmas present for all Huskies fans!
 
Jetskies said:
watching the press conference rn... i like candle so far.
for those of you who know his track record better... do you guys see him as a guy purely using UConn as a quick, 2-year stepping stone to his P4 gig? or does he seem to be someone who may desire to have (and sustain) success here with us?

I know he did many years at toledo, which I like.
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I don't believe he's a two to three year then move on guy. If he was he wouldn't have spent ten years at Toledo.

Will he remain here forever? Only if the program can be built to something far greater than what it currently is. If it can't, I still believe six to eight years minimum before he decides to move on, unless for example Michigan wants him. Then it would need to be the right school.
 
My take is that he had no unforced errors. He said all the things you would expect him to and made no mistakes. He seemed a little more nervous than I would have expected. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I read that as this job being important to him.
 
I appreciate the professionalism and the program building that Mora accomplished. This is a continuation of that. Candle exuded quiet, calm strength. I think that demeaner will really keep the program at this level, and hopefully a long tenure into a power conference. A+ again DB.

Benedict is seriously one of the best in the biz. He outperformed getting Mora, and nailed this. In addition to the HOF hire of Danny.
 
I think he answered competently and maturely, but they were softballs.

Nobody asked about Sammis or other coaches.

Nobody asked if he plans on bringing Toledo players/recruits with.

And shockingly, nobody asked if he'd had pizza yet.
 
Scrutineer said:
What a refreshing and believably honest guy.
I said in another post that I was shocked (with Diaco's insincerity) when I watched "red pants" remarks at his press conference and now have to say how impressive Candle is.
He had no hints of BS in his remarks and exudes knowledge of how to do what must be done to continue the rise in fortunes of UConn football AND do it the right way.
Hallelujah!
Great Christmas present for all Huskies fans!
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His style is definitely much more in the Penders/Cavanaugh realm then it is in the Hurley/Auriemma realm. Probably a good thing. 😀
 
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