UConn Daily Digest: Saying Hello to Junior County and Hockey Season

Welcome to this week’s UConn Daily, and thank you for being a subscriber. We’re hearing reports that it’s homecoming weekend in Storrs/East Hartford!

You can find our Husky athletics coverage across Storrs Central, The UConn Blog on SB Nation, and the UConn WBB Weekly, UConn Hockey Hub, Hook C Baseball, and Husky Football Forum newsletters!

Headlines

Junior County Commits to UConn MBB

Dan Hurley and his staff have landed their first commitment from the Class of 2026.

Junior County, a four-star prospect from Utah, announced his verbal commitment to UConn on Thursday. He stands 6-foot-4 and projects as a true combo-guard. County is ranked No. 29 in the nation by 247Sports and chose UConn over Indiana, Arizona, Maryland, and Purdue.

Storrs Central’s Brian Kervick has a great breakdown of the Huskies’ latest addition and wrote an in-depth prospect profile a few weeks ago.

Football Wins Second Straight

For the second week in a row, UConn football won. Also for the second weekend in a row, UConn had a worse success rate and gained fewer yards than its opponent, and had one of the lowest win probabilities in a victory effort in the country. 

It’s good to be 3-2, but it’s also fair to have concerns about the quality of this team.

The Huskies defeated Buffalo after mounting a game-winning field goal drive to beat a MAC team and its backup QB. It was not an exciting contest, but big plays from Cam Edwards and Skyler Bell, along with opportunistic scrambling from Joe Fagnano, pushed them ahead. Fagnano completed two clutch passes on 3rd & long to keep the game-winning drive alive.

Watch: SC Postgame Report: Huskies Hang On for Win at Buffalo

Next up, they’re facing FIU on Saturday before a bye week and then a trip to Boston College for one of the bigger games of the season. 

Storrs Central’s Graham Chamberlain broke down several keys to the FIU game, including the run game and winning the turnover battle. The UConn Blog has game notes and info as well. The Huskies are favored by 7.5 points against FIU, with kick-off at 3:30 on CBS Sports Network. We’ll have coverage throughout the weekend on both websites, YouTube, and X/Twitter.

Men’s ice hockey names 2025-26 leadership group

Tap in - UConn men’s hockey season is here!

Daniel Connolly’s UConn Hockey Hub has everything you need to get ready, including a preview of this weekend’s series, a podcast with predictions for the season, a review of the incoming freshmen, and a look at potential road trips worth making. 

The Ice Bus starts the season at Colorado College on Friday night. Four Huskies will pull on jerseys with leadership letters as Tabor Heaslip was named captain, joined by assistants Joey Muldowney, Ryan Tattle, and Viking Gustaffson Nyberg.

In case you need a reminder on how last year went, Connolly’s got you covered there as well:

No. 12 Women’s Hockey Splits No. 13 Cloud State

UConn women’s hockey started its season with two games at home, losing the opener 2-1 before winning by the same score the next day.

Goaltender Tia Chan made 63 saves across the weekend as three different Huskies scored goals. Senior Megan Woodworth (15 points last season) scored the first goal in Friday’s loss, while senior Brooke Campbell (9 points) and junior Livvy Dewar (6 points) struck the net in Saturday’s victory effort.

Tip Times for MBB

We have the full info on times and TV channels for the UConn men’s basketball schedule. It’s very clear how important UConn is to the Big East, as the Huskies are featured in over half of the league’s national network games.

Weekly Rewind

Men’s Basketball

Colben Landrew Prospect Profile (10/3 Official Visit) ($) – What would the 6-foot-6 wing bring to the Huskies?

Four-star 2026 Guard Junior County commits to UConn men’s basketball – The first commitment of the 2026 class.

Junior County Commits to UConn – County has the potential to defend three different positions.

Dan Hurley Book Event Media Availability - 10.1.15 – Hurley discussed his new book at an on-campus event.

Women’s Basketball

Highlights: Fairfield UConn WBB Open Practice – Relive the best moments from the Huskies’ open practice. 

UConn begins life after Paige Bueckers with first official practice – The Huskies search for an identity.

UConn Women’s Basketball Preseason Availability - 9.29.25 – Geno Auriemma, KK Arnold, Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd, and Ashlynn Shade all speak after practice.

Chasing Perfection: Breaking down UConn’s schedule – Some big questions remain.

Weekly: Blanca Quiñonez making an early impression at UConn – The program’s first player from South America has impressed early in practice.

UConn releases tip times and television information for 2025-26 season – The first year of the Big East’s new media deal brings some changes to watching UConn games. 

Football

UConn football wins a close one at Buffalo, 20-17 – Chris Freeman delivered the game-winning field goal in the closing seconds. 

UConn vs FIU: What to Watch for Week 6 ($) – FIU stands between UConn and its bye week.

UConn Football Week 6 Media Availability (Mora, Carroll-Jackson & Edwards) – What does the team think of its upcoming game against FIU?

Beyond the Box Score: PFF Grades Week 5 - Buffalo ($) – The advanced metrics are not pretty.

Hockey

The 2025-26 UConn men’s hockey road trip guide – Ideas for road trips, including the quaint regional opportunities offered throughout Hockey East play. 

Mike Cavanaugh breaks down UConn’s freshmen ($) – The head coach weighs in on his newest players.

Podcast: UConn men’s hockey season predictions ($) – A comprehensive discussion ahead of the 2025-2026 season.  

Preview: UConn at Colorado College – What to watch for in UConn’s opening series out west. 

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