Fagnano and Bell are out for the Wasabi Bowl | Page 8 | The Boneyard
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Fagnano and Bell are out for the Wasabi Bowl

Gburyhusky said:
Neither of these guys (Fagnano of Bell) owe any apologies or explanations. They have been exemplary representatives of the program and have given much more than they have gotten. Specifically as to Fagnano, give some thought to the guy's path: he is a successful FCS QB at Maine, decides to roll the dice and transfer to UConn when it was a a borderline dumpster fire of a program to follow Charton (who later leaves). He wins the job, then gets hurt and spends basically an entire season on the sidelines rehabbing. He is recruited over with Evers but doesn't transfer. He finally gets his shot and he plays what was the likely the best single season a UConn QB has ever had. This guy has done enough and can call his shot as he sees it.
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They're also paid handsomely and they're quitting on their teammates and the fans before the job is complete. Just because that's what some players do now it doesn't make it right.

Both Fagnano and Bell were great for UConn football but let's not pretend UConn wasn't great for them too. Play your final game and finish what you started.
 
kibblesnbits said:
This is correct. That’s why you’ll see that the vast majority of academy portal entrants are sophomores.
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don't transfers need to repay a portion of the cost for the 1st 2 years?
 
RitzLuce1 said:
Ok fan. If the program doesn’t play for a conference title, doesn’t have access to the playoffs, and the best players don’t play in the bowl, than what are we playing for?
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They're playing for those who will put the uniform on for the last time in their careers. They're playing to impress the new coach who will be watching their every move. They're playing for pride because they know that just a few years ago in their career they were told that they were a joke. They're playing because they want 10 wins. That is why they're playing. They're playing because they love to play football and football is giving them a high quality college education. You don't like it, don't watch. They win, don't celebrate. They lose don't complain.
 
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whalerfan said:
They're playing for those who will put the uniform on for the last time in their careers. They're playing to impress the new coach who will be watching their every move. They're playing for pride because they know that just a few years ago in their career they were told that they were a joke. They're playing because they want 10 wins. That is why they're playing. They're playing because they love to play football and football is giving them a high quality college education. You don't like it, don't watch. They win, don't celebrate. They lose don't complain.
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Gaslighting at its absolute worst. Only “true fans” will sit there and accept without questions the nauseating reality of college athletics in 2025!
 
I'm a bit bummed by those two opting out, yet with Joe Fagnano, we have 5 QBs (so we have 4 QBs for the Army game.) We can check and see if Nick is a QB, or maybe Tucker, Ksaan or Tyler could be the QB for Jason Candle.

It would be nice to get to 10 wins, yet I would love to see how the 'unknown' players will do. Maybe with JF not playing maybe Tucker could be QB with Nick as a wildcat QB...

I'm looking forward to 2026 Football season... Lots of changes for the team...
 
CL82 said:
Which would be unthinkable back in the day.

Bit by a bit, they are making it harder and harder to care about college athletics.
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They want to get paid like professionals and they do get paid like professionals but they don't want everything that goes along with being a professional.

I'm obviously not talking about just Fagnano and Bell, it's an epidemic now with athletes and it's an insult to the guys who came before them. Jack Youngblood played the playoffs with a snapped leg for the love of the game and for his teammates. Ronnie Lott had the doctors cut his finger off so he could play.

Now perfectly healthy players who get paid a lot of money are sitting out the biggest game of the season just because.
 
Bongo Fury said:
Lot of Jim Boeheims here
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digging gunner kiel GIF
 
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This will give the new staff a chance to see at least one qb some more recent film so they have an idea of what they are working with going into next year.
 
If Joe isn’t going to have his full strength o-line why would he play? He could get hurt.

I don’t blame the players. I blame the system and greedy p2/p4 university administrators who created it.
 
RitzLuce1 said:
Ok fan. If the program doesn’t play for a conference title, doesn’t have access to the playoffs, and the best players don’t play in the bowl, than what are we playing for?
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You play to win the game. A historic 10th win on national TV against a tough opponent. Maybe even to up their draft stock or develop as players further. You don’t join something to pass on opportunity (and I’m more focused on your take that the program should bail on the game - we’re not ND & talk about arrogance). Regardless, UConn players will be on the field representing. That this has to be explained again is baffling, so I’ll stop trying.
 
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superjohn said:
They want to get paid like professionals and they do get paid like professionals but they don't want everything that goes along with being a professional.

I'm obviously not talking about just Fagnano and Bell, it's an epidemic now with athletes and it's an insult to the guys who came before them. Jack Youngblood played the playoffs with a snapped leg for the love of the game and for his teammates. Ronnie Lott had the doctors cut his finger off so he could play.

Now perfectly healthy players who get paid a lot of money are sitting out the biggest game of the season just because.
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Thank you. Just because standards for human behavior in various ways may change over time doesn't mean the changes are right or should be acceptable.
 
Kembafan said:
If Joe isn’t going to have his full strength o-line why would he play? He could get hurt.

I don’t blame the players. I blame the system and greedy p2/p4 university administrators who created it.
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The current bowl system is largely the creation of our friends in Bristol.
 
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Kembafan said:
If Joe isn’t going to have his full strength o-line why would he play? He could get hurt.

I don’t blame the players. I blame the system and greedy p2/p4 university administrators who created it.
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You're making up facts to justify your conclusion. Not a word has been said about any OL not playing in two weeks.
 
superjohn said:
They want to get paid like professionals and they do get paid like professionals but they don't want everything that goes along with being a professional.

I'm obviously not talking about just Fagnano and Bell, it's an epidemic now with athletes and it's an insult to the guys who came before them. Jack Youngblood played the playoffs with a snapped leg for the love of the game and for his teammates. Ronnie Lott had the doctors cut his finger off so he could play.

Now perfectly healthy players who get paid a lot of money are sitting out the biggest game of the season just because.
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An exhibition game vs The Army is the biggest game of the season? According to who?

Simply put - with the proliferation of the college football playoffs and the portal, nobody cares about any of these bowl games anymore. Probably 50% of the Boneyard is disappointed in the opponent and to a lesser extent the location. The "casual" fan? No interest.

Fagnano and Bell are two of the best football players to ever step foot in East Hartford/Storrs, and have been way more important to UConn than we were to them.

But hey maybe someone will break a leg out there and tough it out a few plays to give you satisfaction.
 
ConnHuskBask said:
An exhibition game vs The Army is the biggest game of the season? According to who?

Simply put - with the proliferation of the college football playoffs and the portal, nobody cares about any of these bowl games anymore. Probably 50% of the Boneyard is disappointed in the opponent and to a lesser extent the location. The "casual" fan? No interest.

Fagnano and Bell are two of the best football players to ever step foot in East Hartford/Storrs, and have been way more important to UConn than we were to them.

But hey maybe someone will break a leg out there and tough it out a few plays to give you satisfaction.
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An exhibition game? It's a bowl game, it's what UConn plays all season for the opportunity/privilege to play in.

I care about the game, the players who are going to play care about the game, our fans care about the game, the school cares about the game.

They aren't hurt, that's the whole point. Players used to play through severe injuries, some still play through pain/injury. Fagnano, Bell, and many other players who are going to sit out games aren't injured or hurt, they're perfectly healthy.

Why do you watch/follow UConn football?
 
ConnHuskBask said:
An exhibition game vs The Army is the biggest game of the season? According to who?

Simply put - with the proliferation of the college football playoffs and the portal, nobody cares about any of these bowl games anymore. Probably 50% of the Boneyard is disappointed in the opponent and to a lesser extent the location. The "casual" fan? No interest.

Fagnano and Bell are two of the best football players to ever step foot in East Hartford/Storrs, and have been way more important to UConn than we were to them.

But hey maybe someone will break a leg out there and tough it out a few plays to give you satisfaction.
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If they played in front of an empty stadium, how would that workout for them and their paychecks? They get paid because of the fans.
 
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metsfan2323 said:
I have no problem with players who are about to be drafted protecting themselves when the game is completely meaningless. I guess you guys don't remember the Willis McGahee injury. We don't even have coaches.

Yes, the game will likely be ugly.
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What is your definition of a meaningless game?
 
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