UConn football revolution in full effect with slew of 2023 commitments

For the last three weeks, social media has been buzzing with Class of 2023 UConn football commitments.

The social media posts, including a blue and white profile picture and a short video emblazoned with some form of the phrase “Husky Revolution,” feature high school highlights and edits from official visits where the recruits tried on the blue and white UConn uniforms. Around the 30-second mark, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s voice cuts through the music in soundbites from the NFL draft as the players pose in hats of various NFL teams — highlighting one of newly hired head coach Jim Mora’s goals.

Not only has Mora been working to rebuild or, to use his word, “revolutionize” the UConn program, but he also wants to send players to the next level — a level that he coached at from 1985 to 2009.

The task is monumental. UConn hasn’t had a winning season since 2010 when it lost in the Fiesta Bowl. The Huskies have had just four players drafted since 2016, but Mora is already getting quality players to believe in his project months into the job.

One of which, Ricky Lee III from Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Georgia, chose UConn despite holding offers from Power Five schools like Louisville, Nebraska, Houston, Duke and Colorado, among others. In his announcement on Saturday, Lee said, “The whole coaching staff is new and they bring a lot of energy to it. When I got there, they treated me like I was already there — so that’s why I picked UConn.”

Lee is listed as a three-star athlete, though he has primarily played high school football in the defensive secondary.

“It’s really exciting because (Mora and the coaching staff has) only been there for like half an offseason so far and they’ve already made so many new changes to the team with transfers and all that,” said Jackson Harper, a three-star receiver from Avon Old Farms School. “I got some friends on the team right now, and they all say the whole culture and energy is just completely different than it used to be.”

After receiving more than 20 Division I offers, Harper’s Twitter announcement on June 23 was simple. It read, “I’m staying home …”

That same day, two-star quarterback Tucker McDonald from Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, Massachusetts shared his video.

Cleto Chol and Toriyan Johnson, a pair of two-star linemen from Proctor Academy in New Hampshire, joined defensive end Brandon Kelley from Owen J. Roberts High School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and receiver Jarvis Jones on UConn’s still-growing list in June.

Jones, who was the first in the Class of 2023 to commit, lives in West Orange, New Jersey — a town over from this year’s projected first-string quarterback, Penn State transfer Ta’Quan Roberson.

“I actually talked to him the same night I committed,” Jones said. “We were just talking about how there [are] big things coming to Storrs and talking about the offense a little bit.”

Carsten Casady, a three-star defensive lineman from Rolesville High School in North Carolina, committed to the Huskies on June 24 and is planning on switching to the offensive side of the ball in Storrs.

“I can tell (the coaches) have a mission, and they’re following that hard,” Casady said.

Cornerbacks Cameron Chadwick from Immaculata in Somerville, New Jersey and Christopher Hudson — who attends St. Thomas More School in Oakdale — posted their video announcements on Friday and Monday, respectively.

In addition to the 11 commits for 2023, UConn nabbed two three-star offensive line transfers in Kyle Juergens from Boise State and Dayne Shor from Alabama, who are already on campus.

After 6-foot-5, 267-pound defensive end and offensive tackle Toluwanimi Tunde from Canada Prep Academy announced his commitment on Monday, the UConn fans were left wondering what is next in Storrs. Rebuilds, especially in college sports, tend to be major red flags that cause recruits to shy away and look elsewhere for stability and a proven shot at the next level. UConn’s case is completely different.

“I understand it, too,” Jones said. “I get to build my own legacy. I get to be a part of something special. Everybody’s sleeping right now.

“It doesn’t take too long to turn a program around with the right people.”