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UConn Daily Digest: Are You Ready for Some Football?
This is the most highly-anticipated season for UConn football... ever?
Aman Kidwai
August 29, 2025
In partnership with
Welcome to this week’s UConn Daily Digest, and thank you for being a subscriber. It is time to get unreasonably excited about UConn football.
You can find our work across Storrs Central, the UConn Blog, and the UConn WBB Weekly, UConn Hockey Hub, Hook C Baseball, and Husky Football Forum newsletters. Please consider sharing or supporting our work!
Photo: Twitter/X - @UConnFootball
Headlines
Football Kicks Off On Saturday
Summer is drawing to a close. The air is getting cooler, the days shorter, and soon the leaves will change color.
It also means football is coming.
We are expecting a perfect early-fall forecast as UConn gets ready to open the season against CCSU. Kick-off is at 2 p.m. from the Rent and we’ve got a ton of coverage for you!
The UConn Blog’s weekly preview piece has all the info you need for the season opener, including how to watch, what to look out for, opening lines, and some predictions. Storrs Central’s Graham Chamberlain has an extensive preview of CCSU for subscribers.
Watch: Football Preview Show
Aman Kidwai and Graham Chamberlain discuss the 2025 schedule, expectations for the Huskies, and thoughts from fall camp in their first video preview of the season.
Thoughts and Predictions
Last year’s nine-win effort has springboarded UConn into the 10-win conversation for 2025 — a feat the program has never accomplished. To do that, UConn needs to settle itself quickly with a solid Week 1 win over its FCS opponent before hitting the road for two of its six away games this year.
An overhauled roster will likely need a multi-week adjustment period coming out of fall camp, though Joe Fagnano brings solid experience at the most important position on the field.
UConn added 55 new players to its roster since the end of last year, 30 of whom are transfers. After seeing the depth chart on Tuesday, it’s clear that a lot of the transfers are expected to make an impact on both sides of the ball.
“It’s been a really productive offseason,” head coach Jim Mora said to begin his Week 1 press conference. “We’ve made a lot of changes with transfers, freshmen coming in, losing guys. But I just love the way that everybody in this building (and) everybody in this athletic department responded.”
Entering his seventh collegiate season, Fagnano is expressing excitement for the opener of his final run.
“(Week 1) is just a different energy,” he said, smiling. “We’ve been working from January to get to this moment. A lot of work has been put in. A lot of time. A lot of effort from all these guys coming from different places. Now we’re finally able to go out on the field and display that work.”
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Men’s hockey adds new assistant coach
Following the departure of former goalie coach Vince Stalletti, UConn brought in Alex Westlund to join the team as an assistant coach. Westlund will focus primarily on goaltending and recruiting for the Huskies.
Westlund spent the last three years in the NHL as a goaltending coach with the Detroit Red Wings. He also spent five years coaching in the AHL, working with the Hershey Bears — the affiliate of the Washington Capitals.
Adding a new member to the Ice Bus! Excited to announce the addition of Alex Westlund to our coaching staff‼️❄️🏒🚌
— UConn Men's Hockey (@UConnMHOC)
6:42 PM • Aug 25, 2025
“We’re excited to add Alex to our program,” UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “He’s an experienced coach who brings valuable knowledge from the NHL, AHL, and Team USA. His enthusiasm for the game will be contagious, and we look forward to having him on our team.”
The 49-year-old Westlund boasts an impressive coaching resume, but also an extensive past as a player. After four years in the crease for Yale, he graduated having played in 99 games with 2,704 saves, both program records for the Bulldogs, who played their first intercollegiate hockey match in 1896.
Westlund will join Cavanaugh alongside associate head coach Tyler Helton and assistant Nick Peruzzi behind the bench as the Huskies look to build on their NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025.
Soccer kicks off
Both men’s and women’s soccer have been up and running over the last two weeks.
A 1-0 win over Stony Brook marked the start of the women’s soccer season, though the Huskies have since fallen to 1-2 after a 2-1 loss to Texas A&M in College Station and a 1-0 loss to Brown at home. Freshman Ava Yamas has made all three starts in net. Head coach Margaret Rodriguez is looking to even their record at Rutgers on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Men’s soccer opened the season with a 1-0 win over Syracuse before a 1-1 draw against UMass last Sunday and another draw against NJIT on Thursday, putting Chris Gbandi’s squad at 1-0-2.
Against the Orange, the Huskies rode an 18th-minute goal from senior Austin Brummett to the shutout win, with four saves on the backend from redshirt sophomore Kyle Durham in his first career start. Against UMass, UConn came even on a penalty shot in the 82nd minute. The NJIT game ended in a scoreless draw.
They’ll host Manhattan on Sunday at 6 p.m. for their next game.
Weekly Rewind
Men’s Basketball
The latest episode of The UConn Fast Break podcast breaks down the latest additions to the roster, the finalized non-conference slate, and expectations for the upcoming season.
You can listen to the UConn Fast Break on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Substack
Women’s Basketball
Buckers, Collier, Stewart: How the League’s Brightest are Shaping the Playoffs – Paige dropped 44 and Napheesa Collier returned from injury with a big game as well.
After two years on the sidelines, Ayanna Patterson happy to be playing basketball again – Patterson played 30 games in 2022-23, but has since missed two straight seasons due to injury.
Christyn Williams joins Dallas Wings on extreme hardship contract – Three years after being drafted, the former Husky has her shot at her first pro game.
Football
Season Preview #8: Buffalo ($) – UConn crushed Buffalo last year, but the Bulls should be a feistier squad this season.
UConn Football Week 1 Pregame Media Availabilities – Jim Mora, Skyler Bell, Joe Fagnano, and Donovan Branch speak prior to the team’s opening game against Central Connecticut.
UConn football vs. CCSU: TV info, point spread, what to watch for – Week one or not, UConn needs to handle its business against an FCS opponent.
Road games of interest for UConn football – Highlighting some of the best potential road trips for this upcoming season.
Hockey
UConn men’s hockey adds Alex Westlund to staff – The former Yale goaltender spent five seasons as a coach with the Hartford Wolfpack and three with the Detroit Red Wings.
Soccer
Photo gallery: No. 8 UMass Minutemen @ UConn men’s soccer - 8/24/25 – The Huskies trailed in the second half but evened the score on a penalty shot in the 82nd minute.
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