UConn football lands first batch of transfer portal additions under new coach Jason Candle

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

The transfer portal commitments have started to roll in for Jason Candle and his new UConn football coaching staff as they begin to build the 2026 roster from the ground up. UConn faces around 70 potential departures from the program due to expiring eligibility and the portal.

In the first batch announced on Monday, eight of the 10 commits were convinced to choose familiarity and follow Candle from Toledo along with several assistants who originally recruited them, including quarterback Kalieb Osborne, who could find himself as the Huskies’ new QB1 in the fall.

Osborne, a redshirt freshman in 2025 from Pontiac, Michigan, played in seven games for the Rockets this past season and was named their starter for the Boca Raton Bowl, where he completed 17 of 28 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown in a 27-22 loss to Louisville. He also ran 18 times for 77 yards. Over the course of the season, the 6-foot-3, 204-pound dual threat went 32-for-52 (61.5%) passing for 427 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while running 51 times for 282 yards and two TDs.

UConn football unveils an entire new staff under new head coach Jason Candle

UConn also signed Toledo running back Kenji Christian, a junior who transferred to the Rockets in 2025 after two years at North Carolina A&T. He was the team’s second-leading rusher with 105 carries for 528 yards and four touchdowns on the season and caught 17 passes for an additional 193 yards and a TD. Receivers Zy’marion Lang and Jediyah Willoughby, who didn’t play in 2025, are also set to join the Huskies.

The haul included a pair of former Toledo offensive linemen in 6-foot-6, 340-pound sophomore Raphael Greene-Nyarko and his 6-foot-6, 285-pound classmate Isiah Switzer. The two non-Toledo commits include former Louisville offensive lineman Fred Johnson, a redshirt sophomore listed at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, and tight end Michael “Alex” Godavitarne, who had 19 catches for 255 yards and five touchdowns as a redshirt junior at Division II Wheeling University this past season.

The Huskies also saw a pair of defensive players come over from the Rockets in defensive tackle Esean Carter, who had 36 tackles and three sacks last season and will be in his final year of eligibility, and safety Jayden Price, who had five tackles across three appearances as a freshman in 2025.

Number of UConn football players entering the transfer portal continues to rise

Candle has been able to retain two Huskies so far in offensive linemen Ty Chan, who transferred in from Notre Dame ahead of last season and saw time as a reserve before starting in the Fenway Bowl, and redshirt sophomore Deron McLaughlin.

UConn has seen two players depart through the portal so far in offensive tackle Ben Murawski, who committed to Michigan State, and OT Toriyan Johnson, who followed coach Jim Mora to Colorado State. Star running back Cam Edwards, the Norwalk native who posted the fifth-most rushing yards in program history with 1,240 in 2025, made a recent visit to Michigan State.

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