COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The time has arrived for a new college football season, and UConn kicks off against Maryland this Saturday at noon in College Park at SECU Stadium, formerly known as Byrd Stadium.
Even if experts consider the Huskies to be among the worst teams in the nation, there are reasons for UConn football fans to be optimistic entering the 12-game schedule. Led by veteran head coach Jim Mora and transfer quarterback Nick Evers, the Huskies will look to shake off last year and channel their 2022 success, when they won six games and appeared in a bowl game.
To start the season, UConn will battle Maryland for the first time in over a decade. The Huskies are 1-2 all-time against the Terrapins. The sole win came on the road in 2012. UConn dropped its home matchups against Maryland in 2013 and 1942. Saturday’s game will be the first time the two teams have met since Maryland joined the Big Ten.
UConn opens the season on the road for the third time in the past four seasons. The team’s last road win to open a season came in 2009 with a 23-16 win at Ohio. The Huskies have gone 13-8 in season openers since joining the FBS in 2002.
This season will be UConn’s fourth as an independent. Saturday’s game against Maryland will be UConn’s only game against a Big Ten team in 2024. UConn has three ACC teams on their schedule – Duke, Wake Forest and Syracuse – and will face four teams from the American – FAU, Temple, Rice and UAB.
Mora, a former NFL head coach who once led the Atlanta Falcons to the NFC Championship game, is entering his third season coaching the Huskies. He was hired as the program’s 32nd head coach in November 2021. Previously, he coached the UCLA Bruins for six seasons, leading the team to four bowl appearances. After coaching the Falcons, Mora had a brief stint as head coach of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. He has been a coach for 31 years and follows in the footsteps of his father Jim, who spent 15 seasons as an NFL head coach.
Evers will draw much of the attention on Saturday. The transfer quarterback from Wisconsin was named the team’s starting quarterback earlier this week, winning the job over last year’s opening day starter Joe Fagnano.
Evers saw no action with Wisconsin in 2023, a year after transferring from Oklahoma. A buzz is building, however, as Evers entered his college career as the No. 4 dual threat quarterback in his class. ESPN ranked him as the No. 7 pocket passer in his high school class, and On3 named him the No. 77 high school player in the country his senior year.
Over the course of his junior and senior seasons in high school, Evers threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 44 touchdowns while rushing for 18 touchdowns. He hopes to regain that momentum as a UConn Husky.
Other newcomers include Purdue transfer TJ Sheffield, who played in West Lafayette from 2019-2023. He comes to UConn as a proven Division I contributor. In 46 career games with the Boilermakers, he caught 118 passes for 1,209 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Wide receiver Shamar Porter, a Kentucky transfer, was ranked by On3 as the No. 29 wide receiver in the country in his high school class. He redshirted in Lexington last season and brings four years of eligibility to Connecticut.
Dean Engram, who transferred from Wisconsin, can play wide receiver, defensive back and return punts. In 2022, he appeared in 13 games, all at receiver and on special teams. In 2021, he played in 13 games as a nickel corner on defense. Coming out of high school, Engram was rated as a three-star recruit.
UConn’s returning cast is highlighted by junior running back Victor Rosa, the former Bristol central classmate of basketball star Donovan Clingan. Rosa has impressed Huskies fans with his speed, toughness and ability to run downhill. After a successful freshman year, he was plagued by injuries in 2023 but hopes to rebound this season.
UConn’s offensive line could continue to be one of the team’s strongest units. Led by senior Chase Lundt, who was named to the 2025 Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl Watch Lists, UConn will look to establish a strong run game.
Other standouts for the Huskies include offensive lineman Valentin Senn, defensive lineman Jalani Stafford and linebacker Tui-Faumuina-Brown, who was named to the 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award watchlist.
On Saturday, UConn will face a program on the rise, as Maryland has won a bowl game in three consecutive seasons. The Huskies are 2-6 all-time against the Big Ten, with its lone wins coming versus Indiana.
UConn will have to wait to discover the opposing quarterback, who has not yet been announced by head coach Mike Locksley. Locksley has held the position since 2019.
----
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
----
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.