UConn Announces Jason Candle as New Head Football Coach (Updated)

[Jetskies]

i heard UConn hired a coach. Nice.
IDK anything about the guy except he has a solid winning record in the MAC, which doesn't exactly pump me up per se, but talent is talent, even if it comes from the MAC. Absolutely hoping for the best with coach Candle. Congrats sir.

On another note, I believe in integrity and I hope he refuses to (actively) pursue any toledo players to UConn. I don't care if we benefit, and everyone else is doing it. It's wrong, IMO. You recruited before, you can do it again, leave Toledo alone to lick their wounds and recover without pouring salt into it. Move on.

If the player insists, that's different. But don't chase anyone, leave them alone.

 

[rich1122]

MBB National Recognition (#5)
WBB National Recognition (#1)
Baseball National Recognition (2 All Americans)
Men’s Hockey National Recognition (#14)
Women’s Hockey (#7)
Softball NCAA Tournament
Men’s Soccer NCAA Tournament (#12)
Women’s Soccer - 3 time All American
Field Hockey (#11)

FIFY

Better

 

[B1GEast]

I fully expect a new HC to bring in his new coordinators.

I hope AD DB does his best to find Sammis a landing spot as a P4 OC or an HC job depending on what Sammis' goal is for profesional development.

Give Sammis the chance to leave on good terms, and if he does well, possibly return as HC at UConn down the road.

I'm not sure that he'll bring many of his coordinators. He'll have more money to hire who he wants and I think his staff won't look that similar to his Toledo staff. I know that he'll want some continuity with UConn staff although I don't know if Mora has poached some of our staff

 

[storrsroars]

We should care that a perfectly reasonable statement is “nails on a chalkboard” in Pittsburgh exactly why?

In FBS terms, it would be like getting to a bowl game every year and never winning one. Tomlinesque.

You can all go about your business. As others have said, it's a Pittsburgh thing (although it seems at least one Yankees fan gets it).

 

[giddyup]

We know the guy has done more with less and floated near the top of the pack as division champions and won 2 conf championships. The question is can he do more with more.

 

[freescooter]

Less with more as compared to.....what? The rest of the MAC?

He has beaten the following non-MAC FBS teams in regular season games:

Fresno State
Western Kentucky
Colorado State
Mississippi State on the road - albeit a terrible MSU team; however, they're still an SEC squad.
BYU
Arkansas State
Nevada

As assistant coach under Campbell, Toledo also beat Arkansas and Iowa State.

He also lost to Notre Dame 32-29, and BYU 53-52, both games on the road. Played the 'Canes twice and got smoked both home and away; the point is that he was willing to stick his head in the lion's den so to speak. Granted these are mostly buy games but his teams are always extremely competitive which says a lot.

Would not mind us signing up to play a top tier FBS team once or twice per season. I think one of the ways a program gauges itself is how you stack up to the best and you can't know that unless you play them.

You forgot Pitt. 6ot

 

[CL82]

UConn dropped the ball from 2003-2016 but they got it right with Dave Benedict, we're lucky to have him .

I mean, he's no Jeff Hathaway, but he's OK.

 

[superjohn]

Less with more as compared to.....what? The rest of the MAC?

He has beaten the following non-MAC FBS teams in regular season games:

Fresno State
Western Kentucky
Colorado State
Mississippi State on the road - albeit a terrible MSU team; however, they're still an SEC squad.
BYU
Arkansas State
Nevada

As assistant coach under Campbell, Toledo also beat Arkansas and Iowa State.

He also lost to Notre Dame 32-29, and BYU 53-52, both games on the road. Played the 'Canes twice and got smoked both home and away; the point is that he was willing to stick his head in the lion's den so to speak. Granted these are mostly buy games but his teams are always extremely competitive which says a lot.

Would not mind us signing up to play a top tier FBS team once or twice per season. I think one of the ways a program gauges itself is how you stack up to the best and you can't know that unless you play them.

Yep, all the Toledo QB had to do against #5 Notre Dame was take a knee and they set up for the game winning chip shot field goal but he saw end zone. They also lost 30-28 to Illinois.

 

[JMick]

I know we can't harp on recruiting Connecticut/Mass/RI/NY but I've always felt like there's a lot of kids here with potential that just need the right program to develop. I think it's a good area for him if this is his expertise

 

[jostar1]

 

[CTBballfan243]

i heard UConn hired a coach. Nice.
IDK anything about the guy except he has a solid winning record in the MAC, which doesn't exactly pump me up per se, but talent is talent, even if it comes from the MAC. Absolutely hoping for the best with coach Candle. Congrats sir.

On another note, I believe in integrity and I hope he refuses to pursue any toledo players to UConn. I don't care if we benefit, and everyone else is doing it. It's wrong, IMO. You recruited before, you can do it again, leave Toledo alone to lick their wounds and recover without pouring salt into it. Move on.

If the player insists, that's different. But don't chase anyone, leave them alone.

UConn should not be greedy. UConn should only take Toledo’s 4 best offensive and 4 best defensive players. Leave the rest for Toledo.

 

[UConnDan97]

I just want to say the following to the folks that like only 1 team at UConn and kind of dislike another (there are actually a few out there): our coaches all support each other, and for the most part they always have, and I love that it still remains true today!

 

[storrsroars]

Weird, while snooping the Toledo board, I came across this "Fire Candle " thread.

https://csnbbs.com/thread-934229.html

It was after a 2021 49-52 loss at home to Eastern Michigan, which brought Toledo's record to 4-5.

If we were expected to be bowl eligible like Toledo was that year, we'd have melted down too.

 

[king conn]

I fully expect a new HC to bring in his new coordinators.

I hope AD DB does his best to find Sammis a landing spot as a P4 OC or an HC job depending on what Sammis' goal is for profesional development.

Give Sammis the chance to leave on good terms, and if he does well, possibly return as HC at UConn down the road.

I hope DB finds him a spot if only to take him away from Mora.

I would love to see Mora swim without him. Remember his offense before he was the OC.

 

[Waquoit]

I know we can't harp on recruiting Connecticut/Mass/RI/NY but I've always felt like there's a lot of kids here with potential that just need the right program to develop. I think it's a good area for him if this is his expertise

You're right. And HCRE 1.0 should have done more to bring CT HS football along instead of feuding with the coaches.

 

[AllHusky]

Great job Yard, I got nothing to say except, "What they said!" Go Huskies.

 

[ec33]

I know we can't harp on recruiting Connecticut/Mass/RI/NY but I've always felt like there's a lot of kids here with potential that just need the right program to develop. I think it's a good area for him if this is his expertise

As much as worrying about "recruiting" New England makes me cringe, there has to be a larger pool of players that UConn has not been getting in the past. They cannot all be "too good for UConn" or "not good enough for UConn."

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Kehres probably would have been Toledos next HC if he stayed

He may end up with their HC job.

 

[LBird33]

Weird, while snooping the Toledo board, I came across this "Fire Candle " thread.

https://csnbbs.com/thread-934229.html

Fans are fickle. If you combed the boneyard history you would find almost manic reactions to everything at some point

 

[uchusky32]

Welcome to the Pound, Coach Candle!

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

He may end up with their HC job.

I'm guessing he'd rather be DC at Nebraska than HC at Toledo. Unless he really doesn't want to leave his roots in Ohio.

 

[HuskyNan]

Eagles fan Geno said “his Eagles” have a QB that played at Toledo

 

[ArtTheFan]

I guess Candle will light UConn's football fans!! 😀 Seems like a great hire. Who will he bring along as coaches?

I wonder if Candle will light a fire under the Basketball only fans. DB, great hire...

 

[gioff2323]

This guy was Toledo's '24 QB recruit:



I wonder if he will follow. Looks like he would be in line to start at Toledo in '26 barring a portal hire.

Wait. We want our coach to steal recruits from his prior school?

 

[Dove]

From what I’ve seen Toledo fans aren’t very sad to see him go. and the consensus seems to be that he has done less with more compared with the rest of the conference.

So I am slightly concerned about the hire, but hoping it all works out.