Takeaways from UConn football’s spring game: Fans get chance to see new coach, many new Huskies
EAST HARTFORD – UConn football’s Spring Game on Saturday wasn’t much more than a dress rehearsal for the fall. It was the first time most of the players and the coaching staff had been at Rentschler Field as it was set up for a game day experience with uniforms, cheerleaders and the band, a couple thousand fans in the stands. On the field, perfectly manicured with a fresh Husky logo painted in the middle, the team went through varying individual and situational periods with limited contact and all of the units constantly rotating in and out.
The program, with around 70 new players and an almost entirely new coaching staff, is still in a transition phase. “That was one of 15 (spring practices). That’s a small snapshot of what 15 practices were,” said new head coach Jason Candle, just four months into the job.
“I think that we’ve improved steadily from the beginning of spring ball (March 3), but I’m not naive enough to think that we’re a finished product here. ” Saturday was a fun, family-friendly day for fans to see Candle’s program operate for the first time. For those hoping to get a sneak peak at who the starting quarterback might be, that day is a ways away.
Tennessee transfer Jake Merklinger, the favorite to win the job from the outside, was out on the field throwing and looked sharp warming up early. He took part in the initial individual and goal-to-go periods, starting the day off with a short red zone touchdown pass to Toledo transfer Ryder Treadway, but soon went back to the locker room and replaced his pads with a hoodie and shorts, signaling the end of his day. Tucker McDonald, Kalieb Osborne and Tyler Smith rotated reps for the rest of the afternoon.
Candle didn’t provide any update on Merklinger’s situation. “They’ve had great competition all the way through. Spring, to me, is a rep thing, not a depth thing.
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