Breaking down UConn football depth chart ahead of season opener vs. Utah State

The UConn football program is in the midst of nearly a complete overhaul that started at the top with the hiring of head coach Jim Mora and filtered down through an almost completely new coaching staff. The roster underwent a similar rebuild.

With the additions of transfers and Mora recruits, the only positional groups that will look completely similar to last season in Week 1 will be running backs, the defensive secondary and kick returners.

Energy has been pulsating through Storrs since last spring when Mora and his staff fully took over. More players worked out together during the summer and when camp time came, a shift in the team’s culture was evident. Music played at practice, the defense chatted with the offense – camp was competitive throughout.

The “Husky Revolution” begins Saturday with a 4 p.m. ET kickoff at Utah State.

“It’s going to be an amazing test for us. You know, we’re big, big, big underdogs (27.5 points). We should be at this point in time,” Mora said. “One of our objectives is to go out and earn the respect of each other, our students on this campus, our fans and our opponents, and then the nation. So we wanted to play that way and I believe we will. These kids are locked in. They’ve had great practices, they’ve had great energy, they’ve had great focus.”

Here is a breakdown of UConn’s roster by positional group, starting with the offense:

Quarterback:

The UConn coaching staff has made it clear that it won’t name a starter ahead of Utah State, but with the team in game-prep mode, it is becoming clear who will start the game under center. Penn State transfer Ta’Quan Roberson has taken the majority of first-team reps since he joined the Huskies last spring. At times struggling with his touch on the ball, often throwing close-range lasers in the direction of his target, the competition continued throughout camp, though it still felt like Roberson’s job to lose. An option-comfortable, mobile quarterback, expect Roberson to start Week 1. The rest of the depth chart, though not defined by the team, appears to be Zion Turner, Tyler Phommachanh and Cale Millen, in that order.

Running Backs:

Nate Carter was the Huskies’ leading rusher in 2021 with 578 net yards and two touchdowns on 125 carries. Carter is back, now a sophomore, and has bulked up while working on his technique over the offseason. Carter should play a heavy role in new offensive coordinator Nick Charlton’s offense. The biggest thing in the running backs room is the variety of skill sets that they all possess. Carter also caught 19 passes for 127 yards last season. “We’ve got some big backs and then we got some really, really fast backs that can do different things for us. So it’s our job as coaches to put them in spots to get the ball, to be able to get out in space,” offensive coordinator Nick Charlton said.

Robert Burns came to UConn in 2021 after four years at Miami and played a limited role, rushing for 45 yards on 12 carries. Burns and Carter are the only two running backs listed on the early depth chart, but speed backs like Brian Brewton, Devontae Houston and Victor Rosa are all expected to play a role in the running game.

Receivers:

After losing Cam Ross with a broken foot during camp, the UConn receiver group took a hit. Keelan Marion was the team’s leading receiver in 2021 as a true freshman with 474 yards on 28 receptions. He impressed the coaching staff throughout the spring and summer and comes into the season with increased confidence. Kevins Clercius, a redshirt sophomore who caught 20 passes for 260 yards last season, is also expected to start. Matt Drayton was expected to be a top receiver alongside Ross but also missed last season due to injury. The Huskies picked up Nigel Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-3 receiver from Old Dominion, and Dajon Harrison, University of Texas, through the transfer portal.

Offensive Line:

With the lofty goal of being the “best in the country,” as sixth-year right guard Christian Haynes put it earlier in camp, key additions have bolstered coach Gordon Sammis’ offensive line. Jake Guidone is the most critical new face, as he’ll be plugged in as the starting center. Guidone transferred from Dartmouth and allows Haynes, who had played a bit of center in the past at UConn, to move back to his preferred position. Valentine Senn, a transfer from Colorado, is listed as the top left tackle on the depth chart. Noel Ofori-Nyadu and Chase Lundt are expected to play the left guard and right tackle positions, respectively.

Defensive Line:

“A big focus of ours in the offseason (was) making sure we we recalibrated upfront and made sure that we could stop the run,” defensive backs coach Dalton Hilliard said on Wednesday. UConn allowed just over 195 rushing yards per game last season, ranking 109th out of 130 FBS teams. With new D-line coach Kenny McClendon leading the way and 318-pound left defensive tackle Sokoya McDuffie transferring in from Old Dominion, there is optimism surrounding the position. Seasoned Husky linemen, Eric Watts (junior) and Dal’mont Gourdine (redshirt sophomore), will play right tackle and nose tackle, respectively.

Linebackers:

Jackson Mitchell and Ian Swenson have been playing together since 2019 and have emerged as leaders while bolstering UConn’s strongest positional group on either side of the ball. Mitchell was the team’s leading tackler in 2021 with 120, including 6.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Mitchell also forced three fumbles, caught one interception, and broke up two passes. Marquez Bembry, a grad transfer from the University of Kentucky, quickly made a name for himself through his leadership in Storrs and will only strengthen the front seven at left outside linebacker. Brandon Bouyer-Randle joined the Huskies with an extra year of eligibility from a redshirt year and the COVID season after playing his first three college football years at Michigan State and then two more at Texas Tech – he is expected to start at right outside linebacker.

Defensive Backs:

Unlike most of UConn’s other positions, the secondary will look very similar to how it did last season with four returners starting. Senior Tre Wortham will play cornerback alongside sophomore Kaleb Anthony. Durante Jones, who tallied the third-most tackles (59) on the 2021 team behind just Mitchell and Swenson, will start at safety with Malik Dixon, who made 58 tackles in 2021. Defensive backs coach Dalton Hilliard, who played safety for Mora at UCLA, noted that the group has been “so open to being coached and being mentored.”

Special Teams:

After losing placekicker Joe McFadden just before the start of camp, it will be West Hartford native and Hall High alum Noe Ruelas taking care of the kicking duties for the Huskies. Ruelas set a Connecticut high school record when he made a 56-yarder in 2019. Tommy Zozus, a grad transfer from Florida International University, will step in at long snapper. Holder and punter George Caratan joins UConn after spending a season at Arkansas. Brian Brewton is a speedy kick return specialist who could get time at running back as well this year.

Brewton tallied 717 yards and two touchdowns on 24 returns last season, including a 99-yard score on the opening kickoff against Clemson. Devontae Houston and Bristol Central alum Victor Rosa have also impressed the coaching staff during camp, though Marion is slated to return punts Week 1, according to the depth chart.