2020 UConn Huskies football team

The 2020 UConn Huskies football team would have represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. After competing since 2004 as a member of the Big East Conference / American Athletic Conference in college football, the Huskies were slated to compete as an independent in 2020. However, on August 5, the university canceled its football season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The Huskies would have been led by fourth-year head coach Randy Edsall and would have played their home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.

2020 UConn Huskies football
ConferenceIndependent
Record0–0
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorFrank Giufre (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorLou Spanos (2nd season)
Home stadiumRentschler Field
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 11 BYU       11 1  
No. 17 Liberty       10 1  
Army       9 3  
New Mexico State       1 1  
UMass       0 4  
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, UConn canceled the 2020 football season; New Mexico State was the only FBS school to play a spring schedule.
Rankings from AP Poll.

The New York Times columnist Kurt Streeter argued UConn was the “real” national champion of the 2020 season, claiming the Huskies deserve this designation for opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19.[2]

Preseason

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During the summer of 2020, UConn had six teams cancel games against the Huskies before the university canceled the rest of the remaining scheduled season.[1] UConn became the first FBS program to cancel its entire schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][3][4] Below was the original schedule for the season.[5]

DateOpponentSiteResult
September 3 UMass Cancelled
September 12 at Illinois Cancelled
September 19 at Virginia Cancelled
September 26 Indiana
  • Rentschler Field
  • East Hartford, CT
Cancelled
October 3 Old Dominion
  • Rentschler Field
  • East Hartford, CT
Cancelled
October 10 Maine
  • Rentschler Field
  • East Hartford, CT
Cancelled
October 24 at Ole Miss Cancelled
October 31 Liberty
  • Rentschler Field
  • East Hartford, CT
Cancelled
November 7 at North Carolina Cancelled
November 14 at San Jose State Cancelled
November 21 Middle Tennessee
  • Rentschler Field
  • East Hartford, CT
Cancelled
November 28 Army
  • Rentschler Field
  • East Hartford, CT
Cancelled

Award watch lists

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Listed in the order that they were released.

Award Player Position Year
Doak Walker Award[6] Kevin Mensah RB SR
Wuerffel Trophy[7] Brian Keating LS SR

Roster

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The 2020 roster if UConn had played for the 2020 season.

2020 Connecticut Huskies football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 1 Keelan Marion Fr
WR 3 Heron Maurisseau   So
WR 4 Matt Drayton So
WR 7 Cameron Ross So
QB 8 Steven Krajewski   So
WR 9 Darius Bush Fr
QB 10 Micah Leon   Jr
QB 11 Jack Zergiotis So
QB 12 Jonathan Senecal Fr
QB 13 Miles Foerster   Fr
WR 14 Elijah Jeffreys   So
RB 25 Devontae Houston Fr
RB 26 Nathan Carter Fr
RB 28 Brian Brewton Fr
RB 34 Kevin Mensah Sr
RB 35 Dominico Moncion   Jr
RB 36 Khyon Gillespie   So
RB 38 Lavarey Banton   So
WR 39 Hayden Jordan   Fr
TE 47 Ventine Richardson Jr
OL 50 Dylan Niedrowski   So
OL 51 Peter Rooney Jr.   So
OL 53 Sidney Walker Jr
OL 54 Remon Young Fr
OL 60 Mason Raymer Fr
OL 61 Jesse Polansky Fr
OL 62 Noel Ofori-Nyadu   So
OL 64 Christian Haynes   So
OL 66 Zack Early Fr
OL 67 Christopher Fortin Fr
OL 69 Will Meyer Fr
OL 71 Ryan Denmark Fr
OL 72 Rayonte Brown   Fr
OL 73 Alex Wyant Fr
OL 74 Ryan Van Demark Sr
OL 75 Chase Lundt   Fr
OL 76 Jonathan Pace Jr
OL 77 Robby Rochester Fr
OL 78 Andrew Torres-Silva   Jr
TE 80 Jayce Medlock So
TE 81 Jay Rose Sr
TE 82 Brendan Heatherman Fr
TE 83 Brandon Niemenski Fr
WR 84 Jacob Flynn   Fr
TE 85 Russell Dixon   Fr
WR 86 Kevens Clercius   Fr
WR 87 Cameron Hairston   Jr
WR 89 Jahkai Gill So
TE 90 Tim O'Shea   So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 0 Reyan Blake Fr
DB 2 Myles Bell So
DB 3 Diamond Harrell Sr
LB 5 Terrence Ganyi   So
DB 6 Keyshawn Paul Jr
DB 7 Tre Wortham Jr
DB 8 Jalon Ferrell   So
LB 15 Tui Faumuina-Brown Fr
DB 16 Malik Banks   So
DB 18 Abiola Olaniyan   Jr
DB 19 Durante Jones Fr
DB 20 Robert King III   Jr
DB 21 Jeremy Lucien Jr
DB 22 Alfred Chea Fr
DB 23 Juan Rosario So
LB 24 Desmond Fogle Fr
LB 27 Omar Fortt Sr
LB 29 Jordan Morrison   So
DB 31 Malik Dixon   Fr
DB 32 Shamel Lazarus   So
LB 33 Hunter Webb   So
DB 36 Jaylen Jones   Fr
DB 37 Kyle Williams GS
DB 38 Winston Jules   Fr
LB 41 D.J. Morgan GS
DL 42 T.J. Gardner   Jr
LB 43 Jackson Mitchell So
LB 44 Ian Swenson   Jr
DL 46 Marques Alexander Fr
LB 47 Justin Bryant   So
DL 48 Kevon Jones Jr
DL 52 Caleb Thomas   Jr
DL 55 MarQuayveon Evans Fr
DL 56 Carter Hooper Fr
DL 57 Travis Jones Jr
LB 58 Dillon Harris Sr
DL 68 Justin Moore   Fr
DL 91 Collin McCarthy Fr
DL 93 Pierce DeVaughn   So
DL 94 Nick Harris Fr
DL 95 Eric Watts So
DL 96 Dal'mont Gourdine   Fr
DL 98 Lwal Uguak Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P 17 Blake Otto Fr
K 49 Clayton Harris   So
LS 53 Brian Keating Sr
LS 59 Nilay Upadhyayula Fr
LS 63 Kevin Cahill So
K 92 Noah Iden   So
K 97 Noe Ruelas Fr
P 99 Luke Magliozzi   Jr


Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

Roster
Last update: June 9, 2020

References

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  1. ^ a b c "UConn becomes first FBS program to cancel football season due to coronavirus". TheHill.com. August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  2. ^ "The College Football Champion Not in the Title Game". January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "UConn Cancels Football Season Over COVID-19 Concerns". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "UConn 1st FBS team to cancel football season". ESPN.com. August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  5. ^ "UConn Releases Finalized 2020 Football Schedule". NBCConnecticut.com. November 25, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "2019 finalist Chuba Hubbard, 2018 finalist Travis Etienne two of the 76 Doak Walker Award watch listers". July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  7. ^ "The Wuerffel Trophy 2020 Watch List (Non AP)". July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.