Coach Candle Introductory Press Conference 12/8/25 @1230. Streamed live on UConn+ | Page 3 | The Boneyard

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

storrsroars said:
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.
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The media was embarrasing with those questions. But overall first impression of coach is positive.
 
HuskyFan16 said:
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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I wouldn't worry about him not being prepared for the portal. If DB didn't make him aware the bulk of our recruiting comes from hte portal he should be fired. Our portal budget probably dwarfs Toledo's.

It's not like he is averse to the portal either. His 2025 class had 17 portal players (11 from P5 teams). Includes Trayvon Rudolf who had 38 receptions this year, Kenji Christian a 500 yard RB, Chip Trayanum a 1000 yard RB, Jacob Peterson a tight end who had 22 receptions. Not sure about the defensive side of the ball.
 
The host was Adam Giardino, a broadcaster. You can click the link to watch the video again

You guys are brutal. The guy just got here today. He probably doesn't know the exact answer to a lot of questions yet, such as recruiting vs portal and coaches. This was in introduction, not a deep dive into what will happen in 2 months

 
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I didn't hear any mention about retaining any members of the current staff, but I did miss a portion of it. Any word on that or the contract details?
 
CL82 said:
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.
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Agreed on the no-errors part. I was able to attend in person and my impression is that that specific form of public speaking is not his strong suit. Probably fine in after-game interviews and pressers when he can focus specifically on football. I do agree he seemed a little nervous, fiddling with his note sheet at the podium before he started speaking. He came across as genuine and likeable. Overall impression was positive. He said he can't wait to get to work- I can't wait to see his recruiting class! Good luck to HCJC- let's kick some @-$-$!
 
storrsroars said:
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.
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This is an entirely new regime... even though we wish we could have some sort of guarantee that coaches we liked under JM stick around... Those questions will be addressed at the right time though I'm sure
 
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storrsroars said:
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.
Expand ...
Nobody is going to ask about current assistants and he wouldn’t answer anyway. Nor will he answer about brining players from Toledo. My guess is he won’t go out of his way to bring any for 2 reasons. 1 he made a point of keeping players at Toledo. Now going to take guys seems counter to his style. 2, we swim in a deeper pool than the MAC. Not a knock and we could likely use some of his guys but I think over all we are looking for a different level of player.
 
I was able to attend today. As Candle has been a successful HC for years now I didn't expect to hear any out of the ordinary statements at the conference. He definitely was all business as noted above. Also, I thought there was a good turnout today considering how quickly this all went down.
 
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huskymedic said:
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I wanted to smack the reporter who asked about starting relationships with state high school coaches. Im sure Candle already knows, but what goes on here isn't exactly Ohio HS football. Candle did handle it exceptionally well, ending with "if he needs to travel further to find talent he will".
 
storrsroars said:
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.
Expand ...
Why would be so keen on bringing Toledo players. Overall our talent level is comparable if not better.
 
rich1122 said:
Why would be so keen on bringing Toledo players. Overall our talent level is comparable if not better.
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Because it's a more nuanced situation than "our talent level is comparable if not better".
Toledo has individual players that performed at the top of their conference, and we will have holes to fill. High level players perform even better with higher level players and resources around them. I'd be happy to take on any Toledo players that Candle deems a fit here.
 
freescooter said:
He obviously knows the situation and took the job knowing it. And if he knows something about a future change, it isn’t his place to say anything. What do you want them to ask and what do they want him to say?
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oh I know he can't say anything of substance ("DB promised me we'll be in a power 4 in x years) but maybe give him a chance to throw a bone "My record shows I know what it takes to compete at P4 level , this program beat ACC champion, with facilities, support UConn is at P4 level, we'll continue to schedule hard, next year's schedule challenging but look forward to it etc etc)
 
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rich1122 said:
Why would be so keen on bringing Toledo players. Overall our talent level is comparable if not better.
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I’m skepical that UConn’s returning as much or better. We’re losing a lot this off-season. Mora relied heavily on senior & grad transfers in last year’s portal and we’re losing our two biggest impact players by far in Fagnano & Skyler.
 
freescooter said:
He obviously knows the situation and took the job knowing it. And if he knows something about a future change, it isn’t his place to say anything. What do you want them to ask and what do they want him to say?
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He definitely knows the situation and the direction that this program is going. Re-alignment into another conference had to come up in the discussion for him to base his decision, it's inevitable. Welcome coach Candle.
 
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FfldCntyFan said:
I wanted to smack the reporter who asked about starting relationships with state high school coaches. Im sure Candle already knows, but what goes on here isn't exactly Ohio HS football. Candle did handle it exceptionally well, ending with "if he needs to travel further to find talent he will".
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Very professional response.
 
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