UConn football notes: Mora’s decision to step away from coordinator role already paying off

STORRS — The UConn football team has been locked in for the last three weeks, focused on adjusting to new coordinators on both sides of the ball and building chemistry with about 50 new faces of ahead of the season-opener, at Maryland on Aug. 31 .

In the Shenkman Training Center on Tuesday, where the Huskies have been stuck practicing on the indoor turf for much of the month because of weather, the vibe was exactly that: Not overly hyped, but definitely not relaxed.

“I would say it’s more of an intensity, but controlled,” said senior defensive lineman and short yardage full back Jelani Stafford , who is in his third and final preseason with the Huskies.

“We know what we have to do, we know what all of the coaches and everyone has put into this program in the last couple of months since spring. Since we all made a decision together to take that next step as a team,” Stafford said. “And I think we’re all going in the right direction so far.”

There is more hype around the program than there was around this time last season. The Huskies were coming off their first bowl appearance in seven years last year, and slated to begin Jim Mora’s second year as head coach under the lights at Rentschler Field against NC State , an ACC team that ended up being ranked in the final AP poll.

Self-inflicted wounds cost them that game and eight others, leaving UConn to finish the year with a 3-9 record.

It took a bowl appearance to build all of the hype that UConn would like to revive. The only way to bring it back starts on the scoreboard.

Since the start of camp, Stafford believes the team has gotten “so much better.”

“Exponentially better,” he said. “We’re focused on the right now, we’re not looking too far forward but we know what’s ahead of us. We all want to play the game but we try to stay in the moment, practice hard, next-play mentality, and just keep everything we have in this building together as a unit.”

The Huskies will once again start the season with a test as they visit College Park to meet the Terrapins, who have been widely projected to finish somewhere toward the lower middle of the Big Ten. CBS Sports predicted Maryland will finish 11th in the 18-team conference.

The schedule, which is highlighted by six consecutive home games beginning with FAU in Week 4, includes four opponents (Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest, Syracuse) from Power Four conferences.

Mora’s role adjustment already showing benefits

There was one main reason head coach Jim Mora needed to fire defensive coordinator Jim Mora after the 2023 season, and the decision is already seemingly paying off.

A defensive-minded coach who’s done it at the highest level, Mora realized that his time wasn’t being utilized in the best way to help the team as a whole. He was too involved with the defense, not involved enough in the typical overarching role as head coach.

Now he can be seen discussing the defense with new coordinator Matt Brock , then walking over to have a conversation with a quarterback during the same practice period.

“Now he’s not as much worried about the next period, he’s able to focus on that period and help me, and help the guys understand the importance of those (special teams) units,” third-year special teams coordinator Doug Schearer said Friday. “He’s helping me coach drills, he’s standing there next to the kicker or the punter or the guys on punt return and he’s helping with coaching points. He sits in all of my meetings – he’s always done that – which is huge. When the head coach is in your meetings it just shows how important it is for these guys on the football team.

“And it’s been awesome to get him to help during practice because he is just the head coach. This is what he wants to do and I think he’s in a really good spot when he does that. It helps our team.”

Another recognition for Chase Lundt

Senior offensive lineman Chase Lundt , who was named alongside teammates Valentin Senn and Jelani Stafford to the Shrine Bowl 1000 watch list, received another recognition on Wednesday morning.

Virtually locked in as UConn’s starting right tackle for the fourth year in a row, Lundt was named to the preseason watch list for the prestigious Reese’s Senior Bowl, another annual all-star game which was first put on in 1950. If Lundt is selected, he will be the 18th player in UConn history to take part in the event.

Christian Haynes and Eric Watts , two significant departures who’ve had impressive starts to their respective NFL careers with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets, took part in the event last year before they each attended the NFL Draft combine.

Other news and notes

UConn has not yet named its starting quarterback for Week 1, and may not until game day. So far, mobile Wisconsin transfer Nick Evers has taken most of the first team reps with Joe Fagnano , last year’s Week 1 starter, right behind him.

Syracuse transfer Wes Hoeh had taken most of the first team reps at center before he was shut down for about a week with a calf strain. Hoeh was back in practice this week, snapping for Evers.

In addition to center, UConn is looking for starters at both guard spots after losing Haynes and Noel Ofori-Nyadu, who has come back and joined the staff. Chris Fortin was in a walking boot with an undisclosed injury on Tuesday and Kyle Juergens and Brady Wayburn – a Loomis Chaffee alum – were each in the mix with the first team, which includes Lundt and Senn at the tackle positions.

New kicker Chris Freeman was a soccer star in high school. As a senior, he was named Indiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year and a first team All-American – all while doubling as the placekicker for the school’s football team. He decided to pick up football during his sophomore year after a conversation with his dad about playing college sports, and didn’t have to wait long before offers started coming in.