Starting Quarterback

[Forte]

The disrespect is inexcusable. Here are the QBs in UConn's D1 history with 2,000+ yards, 10+ TDs and a 2:1 or better TD:INT ratio:

Year	Name	Yards	TD	INT
2023​	Roberson	2,075​	12​	6​
2017​	Shirrefs	2,287​	14​	5​
2007​	Lorenzen	2,367​	13​	6​
2003​	Orlovsky	3,485​	33​	14​

You can say TR isn't good enough. But then you better bring in someone who you know is better. Evers could be better. But we don't know. If Evers throws for 1900 yards 9 TDs and 12 INTs, then what?

Oh, and TR did this with a joke of an OC...

ESPN QBR rating of 37.1 ... ranked 113th..... last I checked that wasn't something to go brag about... especially when they are getting NIL money. Many people are ambassadors of UConn... until they aren't

 

[RC111]

Fagnano was mediocre to bad at Maine, can we stop this nonsense? He was only brought in because he knew the (terrible) offense from our (terrible) OC. The kid should have stayed at the FCS level where he belongs.

Fagnano probably throws for maybe 2 vs Sacred Heart. No chance he throws for 5 thats for sure!

Fagnano dropped 290 yards and 2 TDs against BC while playing with Maine and throwing to inferior receivers in an offense that you yourself have called terrible.

His FCS TD:int ratio was approximately 45:10. You called him a terrible FCS quarterback, but those numbers are hardly terrible. I'm all for whoever gives us the best chance of winning. I don't understand how you judge a guy so harshly who played against an arguably top 25 defense in NC State and another couple quarters banged up. If he could drop 2 TDs against BC, I'm willing to bet he could hand 2 on Sacred Heart if that's your made up litmus test.

You make it sound as if Roberson was pushed out when in all likelihood he saw that he was lower on the depth chart than he wanted to be. I don't get what makes you think Fagnano is getting favorite treatment after his old coach is gone.

 

[How Sway?!]

Two things can be tru at once:

TR gave us the best QB play we've had since at least 2019

Last year's QB play wasn't good enough to take us where we want to be.

Wish TR nothing for the best, hope he gets to show out for his last year of eligibility.

Let's see what Mora et al can cook up with Evers.

Also looks like we are not done with the transfer portal.

 

[Bongo Fury]

Pleased to hear Evers can run well. Seemed like most of UConn’s opponents qbs were mobile. They beat Rice who had the former Georgia starting QB.

 

[freescooter]

Roberson was serviceable.

Unfortunately we didn’t just write Evers a NIL check to ride the pine. He will get his shot barring injury or if he dramatically worse than the other three.

I think we needed an upgrade at QB on the short term. Just not yet convinced this is the guy. But if we can’t get the guy then we turn to McDonald/Welliver.

If Evers doesn’t work out the NIL spigot will be turned off and he can transfer again.

I think your analysis is spot on. We needed an upgrade. Probably they decided Welliver isn’t ready yet. So they went out and got a guy who looks to have the skill set needed but is buried on a depth chart at a P4 program. It isn’t guarenteed, I guess but at least a few teams have had success with it recently. Liberty did with Willis. James Madison did. There were a couple on MWC teams that have done pretty well with guys. Doesn’t prove we will of course. But neither does it show it can’t be a successful strategy.

 

[ZooCougar]

I think your analysis is spot on. We needed an upgrade. Probably they decided Welliver isn’t ready yet. So they went out and got a guy who looks to have the skill set needed but is buried on a depth chart at a P4 program. It isn’t guarenteed, I guess but at least a few teams have had success with it recently. Liberty did with Willis. James Madison did. There were a couple on MWC teams that have done pretty well with guys. Doesn’t prove we will of course. But neither does it show it can’t be a successful strategy.

I am much more positive on Evers since posting this.

 

[Palatine]

I don't want to be negative, but Mora has butchered the QB position so badly since last year.

1) Fagnano never, ever should have started Week 1. Nicky Charlton, all-time bad OC, HAD to get his boy in, and it ruined the season. The fact he's still on the roster is embarrassing.

Fagnano won the job. What is so hard to understand about that? Unless you have the ability to read minds --specifically the minds of Mora and Charlton-- your post is just speculation, not fact.

 

[ZooCougar]

Fagnano won the job. What is so hard to understand about that? Unless you have the ability to read minds --specifically the minds of Mora and Charlton-- your post is just speculation, not fact.

It’s hard to understand because we saw him play.

 

[RSTuthill]

Sitting here chuckling about all the chatter when two weeks ago people were complaining about the quiet and that HCJM had somehow changed and taken a turn for the morose -- during the BB natties for goodness sakes!!!!!

Everyone happy now?

 

[rich1122]

The disrespect is inexcusable. Here are the QBs in UConn's D1 history with 2,000+ yards, 10+ TDs and a 2:1 or better TD:INT ratio:

Year	Name	Yards	TD	INT
2023​	Roberson	2,075​	12​	6​
2017​	Shirrefs	2,287​	14​	5​
2007​	Lorenzen	2,367​	13​	6​
2003​	Orlovsky	3,485​	33​	14​

You can say TR isn't good enough. But then you better bring in someone who you know is better. Evers could be better. But we don't know. If Evers throws for 1900 yards 9 TDs and 12 INTs, then what?

Oh, and TR did this with a joke of an OC...

We were 3-9. Gotta do something. I’d rather try. Big story is the rest of the pick ups. We’ve upgraded compared to what we lost.

Coaches saw Spring Practices. Evidently not enough improvement from the incumbent.

Need a LB and close out the cycle.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Hoping the fourth time is a charm.

 

[Buffett10]

How many games did he play last year? Don’t think it was 12.

Says 11 but 4 of the last 5 games he had 0 TDs… including UMass. But hey if you guys wanna sign up for that again go ahead

 

[NowInStorrs]

Yikes

Someone from Reddit was saying that we'll now have his mother in our message boards all the time. Hopefully this isn't some overbearing helicopter parent type stuff.

 

[RSTuthill]

We were 3-9. Gotta do something. I’d rather try. Big story is the rest of the pick ups. We’ve upgraded compared to what we lost.

Coaches saw Spring Practices. Evidently not enough improvement from the incumbent.

Need a LB and close out the cycle.

Exactly. They saw a 3-9 team in spring practice. Had to make a change. Get as many quality players as possible on the BB coattails.

 

[huskymedic]

Someone from Reddit was saying that we'll now have his mother in our message boards all the time.

No we won’t…

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't want to be negative, but Mora has butchered the QB position so badly since last year.

1) Fagnano never, ever should have started Week 1. Nicky Charlton, all-time bad OC, HAD to get his boy in, and it ruined the season. The fact he's still on the roster is embarrassing.
2) If TR wasn't healthy to start Week 1, how do you not start Zion? I don't care about the kid's numbers, but he is a WINNER. He was a dominant winner in HS and was winning at UConn, which no one had done in a decade. He brought this team to a bowl game. Enough said. The fact that Fagnano was chosen to start over Zion is among the most disrespectful, slap in the face things I've ever seen. If Fagnano was a blue chipper from a P5 school, sure. But he was a mediocre at best QB from FCS Maine. Just an absolute disaster.
3) I don't really care TR had a bad spring. It's practice to quote Allen Iverson. Some guys are gamers and don't preform well in practice. Anyone saying Fagnano or a true freshman should start over TR because of spring ball is stuck in a fantasy land. Is TR the best QB? Of course not. Is he the best QB on the roster before yesterday? Absolutely. By all accounts he was a great ambassador for the program, and to kick him to the curb is another disrespectful move by Mora. Granted, if he was causing problems this spring + his poor play, I'd 180 on this point. But if he got shown the door purely for throwing a few spring picks, that's pretty rash to just chase a shiny new toy, which again hasn't worked out ever for us.
4) Now, we're giving the QB position to 1) a guy who hasn't played in 3 years and was maybe good vs teenagers a half decade ago 2) a guy who wasn't even that good at Maine or 3) a true freshman who hasn't played a single snap at this level. Again, absolute disaster once again. With that said, if Fagnano plays 1 meaningful snap this year, I'm out. I can live with the the other options. There is no way that guy should see a football field at this level other than to hand the ball off or kneel it.

I'm not even going to go into the fact we hired another OC with a very questionable track record at the FCS level so whoever the QB is probably won't even be set up for success, just like the guys were under Charlton.

1. If you really don’t want to be negative, you suck at it.

2. If you really are “out” if Fagnano takes one meaningful snap, thank you for your interest in UConn football.

3. If one wants to be realistic, from what we saw when healthy of Fagnano and Roberson there was not such a great separation either way that if one clearly outplayed the other this spring they shouldn’t be #1 heading into fall.

4. Finally, your lack of logic is astonishing. We hate Fagnano because he played I-A, but we elevate TR because he was good enough out of High School to start at Penn State even though since high school nothing? Coaches are only grading on who will help us win next year (luckily), and the Staff’s decision here was not as if Fagnano beat out someone who had really performed.

 

[Hogoff]

Says 11 but 4 of the last 5 games he had 0 TDs… including UMass. But hey if you guys wanna sign up for that again go ahead

Definitely not saying I want that. It was a genuine question.

 

[JMick]

Someone from Reddit was saying that we'll now have his mother in our message boards all the time. Hopefully this isn't some overbearing helicopter parent type stuff.

Eh it wouldnt be the first time. Parents on boards are fine, imo. As long as they aren't throwing people under the bus or saying things they really shouldn't.

I just hate the idea that he was possibly guaranteed a starting spot. But who knows if that's what he meant.

 

[Buffett10]

Eh it wouldnt be the first time. Parents on boards are fine, imo. As long as they aren't throwing people under the bus or saying things they really shouldn't.

I just hate the idea that he was possibly guaranteed a starting spot. But who knows if that's what he meant.

He wasn’t guaranteed anything but an opportunity to compete

 

[Bonamassa]

With all of the bickering this thread is a direct reflection on how extremely frustrated we all are with UConn Football. We desperately need something good to happen. It's been years. I wish the team and all of us good luck this year. We're good fans.

 

[uconnbill]

My issue with Fagnano is his lack of arm strength which I saw at the Blue White scrimmage.

 

[Huskyforlife]

The coaches thinking Fagnano was better is exactly why lots of us don't think they can evaluate QBs. We went from Zion being the future, to Roberson not living up to his recruiting profile, and Fagnano being predictably mediocre. Maybe Evers will break the streak of misevaluation, but I'm not sure where anyone is getting their optimism?

 

[Huskyforlife]

This edition tells you how the staff feels about our remaining options btw.

 

[UConnJim]

This edition tells you how the staff feels about our remaining options btw.

Disagree. Welliver is basically a HS kid and McDonald is a R-Fr. They weren't going to start the season with them as QB. Fagnano has one year of eligibility left. Evers has potential as a top recruit, but has yet to prove it on the field, but he has 3 years of eligibility left and he has trained 2 years at high end FBS schools. You have to continue to bring in better talent and have kids compete for playing time.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Disagree. Welliver is basically a HS kid and McDonald is a R-Fr. They weren't going to start the season with them as QB. Fagnano has one year of eligibility left. Evers has potential as a top recruit, but has yet to prove it on the field, but he has 3 years of eligibility left and he has trained 2 years at high end FBS schools. You have to continue to bring in better talent and have kids compete for playing time.

They literally have the same amount of experience.

 

[uconnfan68]

Disagree. Welliver is basically a HS kid and McDonald is a R-Fr. They weren't going to start the season with them as QB. Fagnano has one year of eligibility left. Evers has potential as a top recruit, but has yet to prove it on the field, but he has 3 years of eligibility left and he has trained 2 years at high end FBS schools. You have to continue to bring in better talent and have kids compete for playing time.

Yes for last sentence, but if you watched last year there were a few freshman qbs that were playing, and playing quite well. Give me the best today.

 

[UConnJim]

They literally have the same amount of experience.

So, a top recruit with 2 years at Oklahoma and Wisconsin has the same experience as McDonald (1 year) and Welliver (should be prom season) have the same experience? Ok.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Fagnano dropped 290 yards and 2 TDs against BC while playing with Maine and throwing to inferior receivers in an offense that you yourself have called terrible.

His FCS TD:int ratio was approximately 45:10. You called him a terrible FCS quarterback, but those numbers are hardly terrible. I'm all for whoever gives us the best chance of winning. I don't understand how you judge a guy so harshly who played against an arguably top 25 defense in NC State and another couple quarters banged up. If he could drop 2 TDs against BC, I'm willing to bet he could hand 2 on Sacred Heart if that's your made up litmus test.

You make it sound as if Roberson was pushed out when in all likelihood he saw that he was lower on the depth chart than he wanted to be. I don't get what makes you think Fagnano is getting favorite treatment after his old coach is gone.

Several good points. Unfortunately I don know Maine had inferior receivers to UConn.
UConn's receivers quantatively were near the bottom (or top?) for dropped passes and couldn't get separation.
Injuries haven't helped but the WR room has been awful for several years in a row.

 

[Chin Diesel]

1. If you really don’t want to be negative, you suck at it.

2. If you really are “out” if Fagnano takes one meaningful snap, thank you for your interest in UConn football.

3. If one wants to be realistic, from what we saw when healthy of Fagnano and Roberson there was not such a great separation either way that if one clearly outplayed the other this spring they shouldn’t be #1 heading into fall.

4. Finally, your lack of logic is astonishing. We have Fagnano because he played I-A, but we elevate TR because he was good enough out of High School to start at Penn State even though since high school nothing? Coaches are only grading on who will help us win next year (luckily), and the Staff’s decision here was not as if Fagnano beat out someone who had really performed.

Put me in the camp of tuning out if Fagnano takes a meaningful snap .
Yes, Fagnano had no business starting over Turner last year.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Open minded on the whole QB thing

How good are the QB’s at Wiscy that were ahead of Evers?

Like that Fagnano didn’t turn and run when Charlton “moved on”

Love the potential of McDonald and Welliver, hope to see one get serious reps this year

Felt fine about Mora throughout the “what’s up” thread

Roberson must have agreed he was #3 and moved on

Feel good about Husky FB, let’s go

I would guess they are several orders of magnitude better than Roberson could ever hope to be, especially with being hampered by old injuries.