No football program in the country created more headlines over the last month than Connecticut.
The Huskies just would have preferred it be for more positive news than the actual reason everyone was talking about the program. UConn’s decision to leave the American Athletic Conference at the end of this academic year forced many to take an honest look at the state of the Huskies’ endeavors on the football field.
Last season’s 1-11 mark was certainly close to rock bottom for program that has gone downhill since Randy Edsall’s first stint as coach ended in 2010. Four straight winning seasons was followed by just one in the next eight, and the future of the program is now in limbo.
Yet Edsall wants to focus on the 2019 campaign and trying to lift the Huskies to the success they had when he first coached the team. UConn’s Oct. 26 trip to Amherst is the second easiest game on the schedule after the opener against Wagner, but improvement might not be gauged in wins and losses this year.
OFFENSE: The biggest question entering fall camps for the Huskies is who is going to be the quarterback of the future for the program.
Coming out of spring practices, the thought was that Marvin Washington would be the answer as he took all the first-team snaps. However, his decision to transfer out of the program has left a void under center for Edsall and new offensive coordinator Frank Giufre.
The competition should boil down to redshirt freshman Steve Krajewski and Division II transfer Mike Beaudry. Whereas Krajewski was in UConn’s program last year and even appeared in a game, Beaudry led West Florida to the 2017 Division II national championship game.
Krajewski took the second-team reps behind Washington this spring while Beaudry will join the Huskies this summer and is coming off an injury that ended his season after one game last year.
Whoever ends up winning the quarterback battle will have the comfort of an experienced offensive line in front of them. UConn returns four of the five starters from last season, three of whom will only be juniors, and is the one part of the offense where there is some clarity.
In the backfield, UConn has two capable options at running back with returning starter Kevin Mensah and Toledo transfer Art Thompkins. Mensah grinded for 1,045 yards and six touchdowns last season, but was only the second-leading rusher behind quarterback David Pindell. Thompkins had a productive career with the Rockets and adds a veteran presence to a younger running backs group.
Meanwhile, UConn will be testing a lot of young wide receivers who made small impacts last season. The top four receivers from last season all graduated and in their place are several redshirt freshman who played sparingly for the Huskies last season.
Heron Maurisseau is one of those younger wideouts UConn will be relying upon for production this season. He made an impression with a 74-yard touchdown catch against Rhode Island in one of the four games he played in last season. The Huskies will also look for contributions from Division II Seton Hill transfer Ardell Brown, who made 81 catches for 1,267 yards last season.
DEFENSE: The good news for the Huskies is the defense can’t get worse than last season. UConn had a historically poor defensive showing last year, but return 14 players who made at least one start as the unit rebuilds under new defensive coordinator Lou Spanos.
Leading the way is safety Tyler Coyle, who made 107 tackles last season, and defensive lineman Kevon Jones, who had 53 tackles, six for loss and 2.5 sacks in just nine games last season. Travis Jones also returns on the defensive line for UConn after a strong freshman season in which he made 46 stops, including 5.5 behind the line of scrimmage.
The secondary returns Oneil Robinson, who led the team with two interceptions, and Tahj Herring Wilson, who had a team-best five passes defended. Ryan Carroll also is back in the secondary at cornerback after breaking up three passes a year ago.
Omar Fortt and Eddie Hahn anchor the athletic group of linebackers that were used in versatile ways last season for the Huskies. Hahn had two of the nine hurries UConn was credited with last season while Fortt made 76 tackles in a variety of roles.
Josh Walfish can be reached at jwalfish@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshWalfishDHG. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.