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UConn Daily Digest: Football Takes Shape, Basketball Soaring
We've got new coaches and recruits for UConn football, while men's and women's basketball are thriving and hockey is back!
Aman Kidwai
January 07, 2026
Welcome to this week’s UConn Daily, and thank you for being a subscriber. In this issue: The return of John Silver!
You can also find our coverage in Storrs Central, the UConn Blog on SB Nation, the UConn WBB Weekly, UConn Hockey Hub, Hook C Baseball, and Husky Football Forum newsletters! Please consider sharing or supporting our work!
Headlines
UConn football coach Jason Candle makes an appearance at a recent basketball game.
New Coordinators, Transfers, and Returning Players
UConn football has announced its coaching staff under Jason Candle and has also begun receiving commitments from transfers and players from last season’s roster.
The staff highlights include:
Offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile - Coming from Syracuse, previously at Rutgers, longtime NJ HS coach before that, strong recruiting and QB development chops, has been an interim head coach multiple times.
Defensive coordinator Ryan Manalac - Has been a DC at the D2 and FCS level before five years as LB coach at Pitt, credited with major developmental success stories including Kyle Louis and Raheem Biles.
Associate head coach Robert Weiner - A former longtime Tampa (FL) HS coach, was on staff at Toledo since 2020.
You can read more about the new staff here and on Storrs Central. The full official list is here.
This crew seems ready-made to hit the recruiting trail hard, and also brings a lot of quality developmental experience. They’ve all held their roles previously and offer strong success stories with players as well as deep recruiting ties to key talent regions.
Among the players, we can expect a lot of roster turnover due to ** these times ** and the coaching transition. Some guys have announced that they’re staying, including OL Ty Chan, QB Tucker Macdonald, and DB Kylish Hicks. None of those three were starters, but they all offer some degree of experience and depth to position groups that are all looking barren right now.
Candle and his staff have also brought in a number of players from Toledo after hosting 27 recruits this past weekend. The commitment list includes a few potential starters, including LB K’Von Sherman, a 2025 1st Team All-MAC selection, and DT Esean Carter, a 3rd Team All-MAC pick.
They’ve also added a couple of offensive linemen, a DB, and a receiver who were underclassmen, and RB Kenji Christian, a senior who was efficient as a rotational player last season for the Rockets.
Hurley Has Done It Again
Eric Reibe has been a surprisingly strong contributor as a backup big man and spot starter for Reed.
By John Silver
While Rick Pitino is fuming about his lack of a point guard, Ed Cooley is second-guessing his quick-fix plan in DC, and Shaka Smart is practicing anti-portalism, they all must be wondering…
“How the hell does Danny do it?”
Nobody has balanced high school recruiting with the portal as well as Dan Hurley and the Huskies. They’ve retained core players while adding impact freshmen and transfers to create another dominant national competitor.
The Huskies (14–1, 4–0 in the Big East) are no. 4 in the AP Poll, no. 7 in KenPom, and boast one of the best defenses in the country. And they’ve yet to play at their best.
Braylon Mullins has been as advertised for a McDonald’s All-American. Another freshman, 7-footer Eric Reibe, has contributed ahead of schedule and appears ready for prime time.
Solo Ball is coming off a breakout season and flourishing in a new leadership role. Alex Karaban stirs the drink and is back to All-American-level usage and production. Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross have given the team a playmaking boost and defensive strength.
Via the portal, Silas Demary Jr. has been repurposed as a defensive tone-setter. Malachi Smith has stabilized the backcourt defense and creation off the bench. Tarris Reed Jr. gives UConn a physical Big East-ready big in his second season with the program.
Meanwhile, St. John’s leans too heavily on transfers. Marquette has fallen out of power because Smart doesn’t want any. Villanova is trying under a new head coach and could get back into the top tier of the league. Georgetown is floundering. Seton Hall is succeeding despite minimal roster investment. Creighton is trying to stay afloat via international recruiting pipelines, but has not been great this season.
The result: UConn looks like it’s playing a different sport against the likes of Xavier and DePaul, and increasingly the likes of Marquette and Georgetown have fallen into that class of also-rans.
Where is Providence on that spectrum? We’ll find out tonight.
If Demary’s offense ticks up, Reed Jr. gets fully right, Ball’s perimeter shooting levels out, and Mullins and Reibe settle into their roles while Stewart and Ross continue to progress, UConn is once again poised to be the team to beat in April.
Back on the Ice
Both men’s and women’s ice hockey teams rang in the new year with winning weekends, sweeping their first respective series since the winter break and further positioning themselves for a run at NCAA titles.
Mike Cavanaugh’s squad eased into 2026 with two games against LIU, ranked No. 44 in the NPI, the official system used to sort the 63 Division I programs by their worthiness of an NCAA Tournament bid.
The Huskies played first on New Year’s Eve, riding a three-goal third period to a dominant 4-1 win. Four different players scored in the effort, while sophomore Khaden Shahan moved into the team lead in points (15) with three assists throughout the weekend.
In the second matchup, the Huskies got out to a sluggish start, but caught fire early in the second frame, scoring all three of its goals in a seven-minute span to claim the series sweep.
Goaltender Tyler Muszelik made 55 saves across the two games and received Goaltender of the Week honors from Hockey East. With one goal and two assists on the weekend, freshman Carlin Dezadine got the nod for Freshman of the Week.
UConn’s netminder is quietly putting up one of the best seasons at the position in program history. He carries a 1.98 goals against average and a .935 save percentage in 17 starts. Only four goaltenders in the nation have made as many or more starts with a lower GAA, while no other goaltender has made as many starts with a lower save percentage. He’s only gotten better as the season has progressed, now 7-0-2 in his last nine games.
The Huskies moved up one spot to No. 10 in the latest USCHO poll, holding an 11-5-3 record on the year. At NPI No. 15, UConn is firmly in place to receive an at-large bid if it does not win Hockey East, which it currently leads with a 7-3-1 conference record.
They continue conference play this weekend with a home-and-home against UMass Lowell (7-12-0, 3-6-0 Hockey East). Puck drop is Friday at 7 p.m. at home and 6:05 p.m. Saturday in Lowell.
WHOC Up to No. 5
Following a commanding sweep of Providence, UConn has earned the No. 5 spot in the most recent USCHO poll, now 15-3-2 on the season and a dominant 8-1-1 in Hockey East play.
On Friday, the Huskies skated past the Friars 4-1. A multi-point day from junior Julia Pellerin paced the offense, while graduate student Tia Chan was a stalwart in net, stopping 31 of 32 shots on goal.
On Saturday, senior Megan Woodward scored twice as UConn routed Providence 5-0. Chan dazzled again with a 31-save, shutout performance at home. She earned Hockey East goaltender of the week honors and was also honored by UConn for making her 100th career start.
On deck, UConn will play at Maine this weekend, starting Friday at 6 p.m. and wrapping up the series Saturday at 4 p.m.
The Huskies look to keep pace with conference-leading Northeastern, whose 11-1-0 record thus far has the Huskies in red sitting comfortably atop the standings. Before the season’s end, UConn and Northeastern will play three games, twice in a series Jan. 24 and 25, and one final time on Feb. 20.
Weekly Rewind
Men’s Basketball
UConn men’s basketball stays at No. 4 in the AP Poll – The top six teams in college basketball remained locked into their spots.
UConn men’s basketball takes down Marquette, 73-57 – Solo Ball, Silas Demary Jr., and Tarris Reed Jr. all finished in double figures.
Notes and Quotes: Not Your Older Brother’s Marquette ($) – The Huskies are a good team getting better.
Husky ReView Spotlight: Jaylin Stewart vs. Marquette (1/4/26) ($) – Taking a deeper dive into the film of Jaylin Stewart's performance against Marquette.
Photo gallery: Marquette Golden Eagles @ UConn men’s basketball - 1/4/26 – Ian Bethune has all the shots from the Huskies’ Big East win.
UConn takes down Xavier, 90-67 – Jayden Ross (hamstring) was a late scratch, but UConn poured in a season-high 13 threes to capture a dominant win.
Husky ReView: Xavier (12/31/25) ($) – There are takeaways aplenty in UConn’s win over Xavier.
Notes & Quotes: Absolutely Crushing Xavier ($) – Hot shooting and elite defense paved the way for a blowout win.
Nardi Brings a New Championship Pedigree to the UConn Staff ($) – The newest face on staff in four years offers a depth of valuable insight.
Photos by Ian Bethune
Women’s Basketball
UConn’s 2025 year in review: National champions, a number one pick and an undefeated start – The last calendar year treated the Huskies well; Daniel Connolly recaps all the magic.
UConn women’s basketball sinks Seton Hall, 84-48 – The Huskies kicked off 2026 with a big win.
KK Arnold, UConn’s irreplaceable ‘tone-setter’, returns in win over Seton Hall ($) – The Huskies’ starting point guard brings a “uniqueness” to the team that others can’t, Geno Auriemma said.
UConn women’s basketball dispatches Providence, 90-53 – A nasal fracture sidelined KK Arnold, but the Huskies triumphed without her.
How UConn handled the loss of KK Arnold against Providence – The offense sputtered trying to adjust without its starting point guard.
UConn poleaxes Butler, 94-47 – Another game, another dominant Big East win.
Football
Nunzio Campanile named UConn OC – Campanile was previously the QB coach at Syracuse.
Zach Potter named UConn football GM – The former Sacramento State GM is one of the youngest in the game to hold the title.
UConn names Marquel Blackwell Co-Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach – Blackwell was previously the running backs coach at South Carolina.
UConn names John Morookian O-line coach – Morookian has made stops at Michigan, Charlotte, Kansas, and Toledo.
Kerry Dixon II named UConn WR coach – Dixon comes from Kent State and also spent time with the Baltimore Ravens.
Robert Weiner named UConn Assistant Head Coach – Weiner follows Candle to Storrs from Toledo, where he spent six seasons.
UConn hires Pat Cashmore as special teams coach – Cashmore switches coasts, previously leading special teams efforts at Washington State.
Ryan Manalac named UConn defensive coordinator – Manalac has previous DC experience, but most recently served as the LB coach with Pitt.
UConn football staff under Jim Mora finding new jobs – See where Mora’s former assistants are landing.
UConn football topped by Army in Fenway Bowl, 41-16 – Dreams of a 10-win season went up in smoke in Boston.
Hockey
Tage Thompson named to US Olympic team – Thompson will become the first UConn men’s hockey player to compete at the Olympics.
UConn dominates LIU, 4-1 – The Huskies begin the second half on the right foot.
UConn starts second half strong with comfortable victory over LIU ($) – The Sharks deployed an “unconventional” tactic change, but the Huskies were ready.
Second period explosion carries UConn to 3-1 victory at LIU – The Huskies scored all three goals in the middle frame.
UConn overcomes slow start to claim series sweep over LIU ($) – It was not the best performance, but the Huskies start 2026 2-0.
Baseball
The Story of UConn’s First College World Series ($) – Clayton Trutor details how the 1957 UConn baseball team eliminated Florida State in Omaha, making a huge breakthrough for the program just by qualifying.
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