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One by one, day
by day, colleges have started announcing their starting quarterbacks for the
2026 season.

That means news
should come from UConn any time now, right?

First-year UConn
coach Jason Candle hasn't given fans a timeline, but the clock is ticking
toward UConn’s opener against Lafayette on Sept. 5, however. Just 10 days
remain until Candle will lead the Huskies onto the field at Rentschler Field in East Hartford for what the UConn
faithful hope will be a season that exceeds the 9-4 record reached the past two
seasons.

But who will
take that first snap?

A last look at the
candidates

UConn has five
quarterbacks on the roster:

Tucker McDonald,
senior
6-foot-2, 210 pounds
Hometown: Holden,
Mass.
Last school:
Wachusett Regional High School
About: McDonald
is in his fourth season with the Huskies and has played sparingly. He has
appeared in five total games, completing four passes for 65 yards.

Jake Merklinger,
junior
6-3, 215 
Hometown:
Savannah, Ga.
Last school:
Tennessee
About: The
247Sports composite ranked Merklinger as a four-star prospect and the No. 11
quarterback in the 2024 class nationally. He chose Tennessee, and in two
seasons at the Southeastern Conference school, Merklinger appeared in six
games, completing 19 of 33 passes for 221 yards and two scores.

Kalieb Osborne,
junior
6-4, 218
Hometown:
Pontiac, Mich.
Last school:
Toledo
About: Osborne followed
head coach Jason Candle to UConn from Toledo. In 2025, his second season at
Toledo, he appeared in seven games, finishing 32-of-52 passing for 427 yards
and three touchdowns.

Bo Polston,
freshman
6-1, 208
Hometown:
Indianapolis
Last school:
Decatur Central High School

About: The 247Sports
composite listed Polston as a three-star quarterback in the 2026 class. He
initially signed with Toledo but later joined Candle in Storrs.

Tyler Smith, sophomore
6 feet, 196 pounds
Hometown:
Shelton, Conn.
Last school:
Fairfield Prep
About: Appeared
in one game as a freshman, playing briefly in the season-ending Fenway Bowl.

Who is the
leader for QB1?

The contest
appears to be down to the three older quarterbacks – Osborne, Merklinger and
McDonald.

Each brings an
advantage. For Osborne, it’s knowledge of the Candle offense. For Merklinger,
it’s experience in the tough SEC. And for McDonald, it’s learning from UConn’s
record-setting quarterback, Joe Fagnano, whom he backed up.

Candle hasn’t given
reporters insight into his thinking yet.

“All three guys
have done a great job competing very well, doing what they need to do, operating
the offense at a high level," Candle said. "You know, and I think in fairness to all of those
guys, and that was always the plan back in January to say, ‘Hey, look, like
we're gonna run this thing out as long as we possibly can to make sure that all
three of them feel like they had an authentic opportunity to go win the job.

“And that was my
commitment to them. So they've embraced that, they've owned that, and we're
gonna hold true to that and we're gonna let them, you know, finish it up."

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