UConn — FBS Independents
HC
Jason Candle · Pratt & Whitney Stadium · East Hartford, CT · 40,000 cap
PPA off / def
0.31 / 0.21
2025
Class rank
#110
class of 2026
Returning PPA
2%
returning production
2026 schedule
2025 results (9–4)
Statistical comps — 2025 UConn's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (53 in / 45 out)
Origins
Edsall took the program from I-AA to a BCS bowl in a decade, which remains the whole story. Independent since 2020 because nobody was offering, and the basketball banners hang over everything.
Founded 1881 · Storrs Agricultural School, endowed by two brothers with a farm and $5,000 · first football 1896 · defined by Randy Edsall
All-time record
All-time
154–270–3
1899–2025
Win %
36.4%
71 seasons played
Winning seasons
13
18% of seasons
By level: ii/iii 1–8 (1899–1946) · FCS 25–85–3 (1947–1999) · FBS 128–177 (2000–2025)
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 2003 | 9 | 3 | FBS Independents |
| 2025 | 9 | 4 | FBS Independents |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | FBS Independents |
| 2007 | 9 | 4 | Big East |
| 2004 | 8 | 4 | Big East |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1899 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 345 | 49% |
48% | 25 of 136 | 6.7 | 12% |
| 2nd down | 247 | 49% |
46% | 35 of 136 | 6.6 | 11% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 37 | 62% |
70% | — | 6.5 | 14% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 53 | 11% |
32% | — | 5.8 | 13% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 61 | 26% |
26% | — | 7.9 | 13% |
| 4th down | 21 | 38% |
71% | — | 6.3 | 29% |
152 drives · 48% ended in points · 6.8 plays and 44.8 yards per drive · 1.71 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 1 | Central Connecticut |
Joe Fagnano pass complete to Skyler Bell for 80 yds for a TD (Chris Freeman KICK) |
80 | 7.04 |
| 4 | Ball State |
Cam Edwards run for 67 yds for a TD (Chris Freeman KICK) |
67 | 6.88 |
| 6 | Florida International |
Joe Fagnano pass complete to Reymello Murphy for 61 yds for a TD (Chris Freeman KICK) |
61 | 6.53 |
| 6 | Florida International |
Joe Fagnano pass complete to Victor Rosa for 65 yds for a TD (Chris Freeman KICK) |
65 | 6.50 |
| 9 | Rice |
(11:12) No Huddle-Shotgun #2 J.Fagnano pass complete short middle to #1 S.Bell caught at U… |
80 | 6.39 |
| 1 | Central Connecticut |
Cam Edwards run for 73 yds for a TD (Chris Freeman KICK) |
73 | 5.93 |
| 10 | UAB |
Skyler Bell 39 Yd pass from Joe Fagnano (Chris Freeman Kick) |
39 | 4.96 |
| 13 | Florida Atlantic |
Shamar Porter 56 Yd pass from Joe Fagnano (Chris Freeman Kick) |
56 | 4.92 |