UConn football 2026 season preview: The QB Room

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Over the 2026 offseason, the UConn football roster experienced several renovations as 64 new players joined the team (57 transfers, seven freshmen). This year, fans will witness a whole new squad, including at the most important position on the field: Quarterback.

In 2025, Joe Fagnano propelled the Huskies to a 9-3 overall record and another Fenway Bowl appearance. With Fagnano now on the Baltimore Ravens, UConn head coach Jason Candle has had to hit the portal to find a new starter, and also retained one signal caller from last year’s team. Throughout spring and summer training camps, three quarterbacks have been battling it out to secure the job.

“I think all three guys have done a great job competing very well,” said Candle. “I think in fairness to all of those guys, and that was always the plan back in January… to 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.”

With less than a week left until Connecticut’s home opener versus Lafayette, a starter has not been named. Here are the potential options:

Tucker McDonald, Redshirt Junior

After last season, McDonald entered the transfer portal on Dec. 30, but withdrew his name on Jan. 6, becoming one of of the few players who returned to UConn. The Massachusetts native redshirted his freshman year (2023) and appeared in two games apiece in 2024 and 2025. While injuries have prevented the veteran from getting playing opportunities, Sports Illustrated described McDonald as a “dual-threat signal-caller” when he entered the transfer portal. Last year, he suffered a hand injury and endured a season-ending foot injury in Week 5 against Buffalo in 2024.

“What I felt when I had early conversations with him was a guy who was hungry to compete and a guy who was hungry to be better and wants to steadily improve,” said Candle discussing McDonald back in April.

Kalieb Osborne, Junior

Before following Candle to Connecticut, Osborne spent the 2025 season at Toledo, backing up starter Tucker Gleason. He did see time as a redshirt freshman last year, playing in seven of the team’s 13 outings. Overall, the former three-star recruit from Michigan completed 32 of 52 (61.5%) passes for 427 yards and three touchdowns. One thing to watch this year is Osborne’s lethal running ability. In 2025, he rushed for 282 yards and crossed the goal line twice. The dual-threat quarterback rushed for 1,865 yards and 25 touchdowns in his senior year of high school.

Osborne has seen consistent reps with the first team and is likely one of the frontrunners in the competition along with Jake Merklinger.

Jake Merklinger, Junior

Before transferring to UConn, Merklinger began his collegiate career at Tennessee. In the Vols’ 2024 season, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound gunslinger sat behind Nico Iamaleava and made two appearances, completing six of nine (66.7%) attempts for 48 yards. In 2025, Merklinger was the backup to Joey Aguilar, then found himself in a backup quarterback battle with George MacIntyre. By the end of the year, the Georgia native saw time in three games, completing 13 of 24 (54.2%) passing attempts for 173 yards and two touchdowns. When taking snaps, Merklinger is seen as a traditional pocket-passing quarterback with a strong handle on the game.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos