Why a standout QB prospect from Tennessee chose Jason Candle and UConn football

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A town of just under 20,000 nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Sevierville, Tennessee, is the home of Dolly Parton and new UConn quarterback commit Cooper Newman, who is a season away from completing a career that will be etched in the state’s record books.

And, Newman noted on his official visit – his first time exploring northeast of Pennsylvania – it isn’t all that different from Storrs, Connecticut. Only without the southern drawl, the mountains and the Dollywood scene.

But the UConn campus and football facilities were enough of an attraction for Newman and around 20 others (and counting) who’ve decided to call Connecticut and Jason Candle’s program “home” in the 2027 recruiting class.

“It was really the relationships I had built with the coaches. Coach Candle has been nothing but great to me and my family, and when we were able to get up to our official visit, we saw everything firsthand, we knew this was the place for me,” Newman told The Courant by phone this week. “The coaches have been pushing me really hard in my spring practice, they came up to that, they came and did an in-home visit with Coach Nunz (offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile).

“I think they’re really engaged with bringing a top-notch quarterback to come in and continue the winning tradition that UConn has. They brought in a really nice coach to give that little boost and obviously I want to come and be a part of something special like that.”

At 6 feet 2 and 200 pounds, Newman is a top-notch quarterback. A three-star recruit, he has both the Tennessee all-time career passing (just over 2,000 yards away) and touchdown (about 20 away) records in his sights as the reigning “Mr. Football” award winner. Newman completed more than 73% of his passes for 3,705 yards and 48 total touchdowns as Sevier County finished as the state’s runner-up in 2025, following a state title with him behind center the year prior.

“Accuracy is a big thing for me as a quarterback. I’m able to get the ball off to receivers and let them go make plays, whether it’s a deep ball or short pass, timing route, and they’re going to go get the ball, make a play for me, make me look good,” Newman said. “My job is to make it easy.”

His relationship with Candle started building while the coach was still at Toledo, where he didn’t have a losing season in 10 years. Newman’s initial plan was to visit two or three more schools before coming to a decision, but he was sold after his trip to Connecticut, which included a meal at Rentschler Field, an all-you-can-eat suite at a Hartford Yard Goats game with fellow recruits and bonding time with Kalieb Osborne, Bo Polston and the current Huskies’ quarterbacks.

“Coach Candle’s one of those coaches that really likes developing high school players, and that’s what I want to get myself into,” Newman said, recognizing the shifting nature of the sport with many schools prioritizing older transfers. “They immediately threw on like a full-court-press-type of thing on me and that was a really good feeling, knowing how bad they really wanted me and I think I was their No. 1 guy. So I talked it over with my family and everything and it was just a perfect fit.”

When it came time to announce his decision, Newman called on a family friend who has quite the online presence.

Jon Gruden, a Super Bowl winning coach and now internet personality at Barstool Sports, met up with the future UConn QB at Sevier County High and posted the announcement to social media. It was viewed over 270,000 times on X by Wednesday morning and received a comment from former UConn quarterback Dan Orlovsky reading, “Let’s go kid!”

“Well, I love quarterbacks, you know that,” Gruden said in the video posted to X. “High school, college, pro, retired quarterbacks. I’m here in Sevier County, Tennessee, the home of Dolly Parton, and I’m here with the best quarterback to ever come out of Sevier County: Cooper Newman.”

UConn’s recruiting class has only grown since that video was posted.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Huskies’ class was ranked No. 71 of 134 FBS programs by 247Sports. It includes eight players who were rated with three stars by 247Sports, including Newman and a trio of promising defensive backs in Alan Blackshere, Eltonino Hicks, Demond Scott Jr. UConn also landed a three-star linebacker in Minikon Johnson, an edge rusher in Lamier Wade, an offensive tackle in Krystian Oakley and a receiver from Waterbury in Dae’Sean Graves.

With the group chat growing, as Newman put it, almost daily, the other commitments include receivers Mikey Vernon, Jayden Rawis and Jalen Moseley (who also plays defensive back), tight end Joe Moore and offensive linemen Aden Norris and Jeremiah Ogbeifun. Defensive commits include linemen Treighjan Gibson and Raph Bonfoh, edge rusher Jason Madden and defensive backs George Richards and Preston Glasco.

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