The 2025 journey begins…

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

More Day 1 pics here:

 

[huskymedic]

Would appear the “Is Joe Fagnano on campus” question has been answered

 

[huskymedic]

Dom Amore’s Sunday Read: UConn men, women need the best from their best; No. 2 may be back; Fay Vincent’s legacy and more

After a disappointing week, its clear the UConn teams need Paige Bueckers and Alex Karaban to take charge; Joe Fagnano could return to quarterback Huskies; Yale coach remembers Fay Vincent. In the …

www.courant.com

-> Joe Fagnano returning?

UConn football released a video of players working out this week that included … wait for it … Joe Fagnano. The spring roster also included him, jersey No. 2, at quarterback.

“I’m here,” Fagnano said, smiling ear-to-ear in Section 213 of Gampel Pavilion before the UConn-St.John’s game. The Fenway Bowl champs were recognized during the game.

So maybe we have not seen the last of Fagnano, who began his college career at Maine in 2019 and transferred to UConn in 2023. The option of returning is open; having missed most of the 2021 and ’23 seasons with injuries, Fagnano, since his MVP performance in the Huskies’ victory over North Carolina in the Fenway Bowl Dec. 28, has been granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA.

Fagnano declined to discuss it further, but a few of his teammates were chanting, “Two’s back … two’s back.”

Fagnano, who took over when Nick Evers was hurt and held onto the job, completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 1,631 yards and 20 touchdowns, only four interceptions.

There’s a lot of time to make decisions between now and next season, but it would be good news for UConn if Fagnano is in for another quarterback competition with Evers, Cole Welliver and Tucker McDonald — all with a year’s experience in coordinator Gordon Sammis’ system and with Skyler Bell, the most productive receiver.

Meanwhile, the Huskies are finalizing the hire of Pryce Tracy, an offensive assistant at Georgia, to replace departed Brad Robbins as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Tracy, who has also worked at Alabama and Notre Dame, posted about his new job last week. <-

 

[CL82]

Fagnano declined to discuss it further, but a few of his teammates were chanting, “Two’s back … two’s back.”

Love this. Everybody's got an opinion but you can't fool the guys who are there at every practice.

Remember before last season when there was a vocal ABF (anybody but Fagnano) contingent on the board? I may have been one of them (at least a bit, I don't like to rag on kids). Now, I'd be psyched to have him back, as long as Welliver gets a shot at winning the position.

 

[Jimdish255]

Love this. Everybody's got an opinion but you can't fool the guys who are there at every practice.

Remember before last season when there was a vocal ABF (anybody but Fagnano) contingent on the board? I may have been one of them (at least a bit, I don't like to rag on kids). Now, I'd be psyched to have him back, as long as Welliver gets a shot at winning the position.

This x 1000. Keep an open mind to every athlete's s progress but if Joe is healthy and working hard he deserves the benefit of what he was able to produce in 2024-25. Like a lot of us I'd like to see Welliver earn snaps but any of the four guys that elevate their game may be needed at any time. The amount of experience we could have at the position is encouraging. Same with our OC. This year he hits the ground running, or at least rumbling.

 

[ZooCougar]

I thought this was old news. Spring Balll will be really interesting.

 

[UConnDan97]

Love this. Everybody's got an opinion but you can't fool the guys who are there at every practice.

Remember before last season when there was a vocal ABF (anybody but Fagnano) contingent on the board? I may have been one of them (at least a bit, I don't like to rag on kids). Now, I'd be psyched to have him back, as long as Welliver gets a shot at winning the position.

It's great news if he's back. Depth at QB is the most important depth that any football team can have, and we know he can run the offense and get 6's on the board.

Just like you, I have this wish deep down that Welliver comes back sophomore year and becomes the "Texas Orlovsky". But it has to be due to his winning the job, not due to having nobody else to go to...

 

[noeynox]

Get ready for 30TDs from Joey.

 

[CL82]

Get ready for 30TDs from Joey.

Acceptable.

 

[businesslawyer]

Fagnano had a very good year. He is by no means a great QB, but his numbers speak to themselves as him having played far, far more than competently. If Welliver is better than him, great. But I’d be really surprised if that was where the smart money is.

 

[CL82]

Fagnano had a very good year. He is by no means a great QB, but his numbers speak to themselves as him having played far, far more than competently. If Welliver is better than him, great. But I’d be really surprised if that was where the smart money is.

Fagnano is a real nice baseline to have.

 

[RSTuthill]

I am thinking that JF can still make more progress. He is obviously very coachable and probably not yet at his peak.

 

[Hoophound]

Joe can definitely get better. At this level you can really focus on areas that need improvement in the gym and on the field. He’ll have a lot of resources.

I am also on board with Welliver getting a legit shot at the job too. I just want him to be our next great QB so bad, I can taste it. It’s just a matter of when. We are getting close to a real coming out party with this program.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Love this. Everybody's got an opinion but you can't fool the guys who are there at every practice.

Remember before last season when there was a vocal ABF (anybody but Fagnano) contingent on the board? I may have been one of them (at least a bit, I don't like to rag on kids). Now, I'd be psyched to have him back, as long as Welliver gets a shot at winning the position.

I was definitely in the ABF camp. Was very surprised to see how much he improved last season after already being in college four years. Especially after coming over from Maine with his former HC and not being able to beat out Turner or Roberson.
I was also shocked to see how slow and non-elusive Evers was running the ball. He did not show much as far as being a dual threat. His rust and indecisiveness was evident last year.
So, JF, NE and everyone's favorite heir apparent, Casey Welliver, appear to be the top 3 heading in to spring ball. They are all healthy which makes this the best competition at QB UConn has had in......forever????

 

[noeynox]

I was definitely in the ABF camp. Was very surprised to see how much he improved last season after already being in college four years. Especially after coming over from Maine with his former HC and not being able to beat out Turner or Roberson.
I was also shocked to see how slow and non-elusive Evers was running the ball. He did not show much as far as being a dual threat. His rust and indecisiveness was evident last year.
So, JF, NE and everyone's favorite heir apparent, Casey Welliver, appear to be the top 3 heading in to spring ball. They are all healthy which makes this the best competition at QB UConn has had in......forever????

He did beat out Turner and Roberson. He was injured in the 1st quarter of game number 2.

 

[businesslawyer]

I was definitely in the ABF camp. Was very surprised to see how much he improved last season after already being in college four years. Especially after coming over from Maine with his former HC and not being able to beat out Turner or Roberson.
I was also shocked to see how slow and non-elusive Evers was running the ball. He did not show much as far as being a dual threat. His rust and indecisiveness was evident last year.
So, JF, NE and everyone's favorite heir apparent, Casey Welliver, appear to be the top 3 heading in to spring ball. They are all healthy which makes this the best competition at QB UConn has had in......forever????

Man, too many alternative facts in there to even respond to. Do better please.

 

[Chin Diesel]

He did beat out Turner and Roberson. He was injured in the 1st quarter of game number 2.

Man, too many alternative facts in there to even respond to. Do better please.

Holy smokes. Trying to think coherently at 5am, and process we are now in 2025. And 2022 was 3 full seasons ago.

Even going back right now it blows my mind Roberson was injured in 2022 against Utah St, not 2023. I was thinking Roberson was the starter in 2023, got injured and then Fagnano took over. Nope.

Roberson injured in 2022, Freshman Turner takes over.
2023. Fagnano comes over from Maine with Charlton. Roberson still recovering from injury. Fagnano wins the job.
2024. Roberson and Turner both transfer out, Evers transfers in. Evers wins jobs, Fagnano finishes season due to injuries and poor performance.

We are now in 2025.

Good thing I don't write checks anymore.

What I am grateful for is those years up through 2023 are more and more of a haze and the QB room going in to 2025 spring camp has real options of healthy QB's.

 

[noeynox]

Honest mistake.

I'm in the opposite camp in that i have liked Fagnano's ability to hit WRs in stride since i saw his Maine highlights and he allowed his WRs to keep running for big YACs. We haven't had too much of that here. The guy he reminds me most of in our past is Cody Endres. Think back to the game at WVU where Endres hit Marcus Easly on simple crossing pattern and Easly went like 80 yards for the TD.

Joe has this ability. Think Skyler Bell catches against Buffalo and Merrimack and the TD catch and run by Louis Hanson against UMass.

 

[ktuck911]

praying that we build off of all the success from last season... and just "win baby! win!" ... Let the iron sharpen iron even more this year... Make it the norm, where expectations are always high... no let up... If anything, dominate...

 

[hardcorehusky]

We haven't seen the best of Evers. We have seen the pretty good on Fagnano and stats wise, it was beautiful. No one knows what the floor or ceiling is on Welliver. Competition is important and may the best QB win. Also, as we all know, it really doesn't matter who comes out of camp QB1, as the next man up is a play away.

 

[CL82]

Honest mistake.

I'm in the opposite camp in that i have liked Fagnano's ability to hit WRs in stride since i saw his Maine highlights and he allowed his WRs to keep running for big YACs. We haven't had too much of that here. The guy he reminds me most of in our past is Cody Endres. Think back to the game at WVU where Endres hit Marcus Easly on simple crossing pattern and Easly went like 80 yards for the TD.

Joe has this ability. Think Skyler Bell catches against Buffalo and Merrimack and the TD catch and run by Louis Hanson against UMass.

That was my biggest criticism of Fagnano last season. He tended to throw behind his man limiting YAC. That and he had a tendency to lock onto his intended target, especially early in the year. Undoubtedly, though, the team moved best with him at the helm. Having him back means that minimally, we have a competent QB under center. Often, that hasn't been a certainty for us.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Honest mistake.

I'm in the opposite camp in that i have liked Fagnano's ability to hit WRs in stride since i saw his Maine highlights and he allowed his WRs to keep running for big YACs. We haven't had too much of that here. The guy he reminds me most of in our past is Cody Endres. Think back to the game at WVU where Endres hit Marcus Easly on simple crossing pattern and Easly went like 80 yards for the TD.

Joe has this ability. Think Skyler Bell catches against Buffalo and Merrimack and the TD catch and run by Louis Hanson against UMass.

That was my biggest criticism of Fagnano last season. He tended to throw behind his man limiting YAC. That and he had a tendency to lock onto his intended target, especially early in the year. Undoubtedly, though, the team moved best with him at the helm. Having him back means that minimally, we have a competent QB under center. Often, that hasn't been a certainty for us.

It was literally hit and miss. When the pass was thrown in stride it was a thing of beauty. But there were plenty of blown passes AND also dropped balls on well thown balls. Here's hoping a full offseason of continuity improves timing and rhythm between QB and the WR corps. That is why I am confident Sammis' schemes were good and it wasn't just an uptick in talent.

 

[AllHusky]

Quarterback related, any word on QB coach? Signed contract and on campus? Any reactions from players? This will be the 3rd QB coach in 3 years for Joe. First time Evers has played in the same place 2 years in a row(assuming there is a place for him after spring ball).

 

[ScottVib]

Quarterback related, any word on QB coach? Signed contract and on campus? Any reactions from players? This will be the 3rd QB coach in 3 years for Joe. First time Evers has played in the same place 2 years in a row(assuming there is a place for him after spring ball).

UConn's new Pass Game Coordinator & QB Coach > Pryce Tracy

-> It's a significant addition for the Huskies, who land Tracy after he spent the 2024 season as an offensive analyst on Kirby Smart's SEC Championship-winning Georgia Bulldogs staff. Tracy, an Indiana University South Bend graduate, was a five-year member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish...

the-boneyard.com