UConn quarterback transfer sees better days ahead
If you know his background, it’s easy to understand why Cale Millen, the newest addition to the quarterback room at UConn, finds it ironic that scouts view him as more of a pocket passer than a dualthreat.
At Oregon — his first stop in college — he assisted on special teams.
“If I was freaking running down people on kickoffs, it’s kind of funny to say pro-style,” Millen said. “I’d say pro-style who can definitely get a few first downs with his feet.”
Point being, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Millen is athletic. If that seems obvious, it should.
Millen will now bring that talent to Storrs as new head coach Jim Mora gets started on his rebuilding project — one that figures to be long and arduous. UConn’s suffered through 10 straight losing seasons, including a mark of 1-11 last fall. The roster’s in need of an overhaul, and Mora is in the difficult position of having to revamp on the fly.
But Millen, who transferred last month from FCS-level Northern Arizona, wants to be part of the solution.
“UConn is obviously known for its great basketball program, both the men’s and the women’s. But I think the fact that we’re independent and we can kind of build our own schedule, we can really start turning this football program around so it’s not just basketball anymore,” Millen said. “We can try to make UConn known as a football and basketball program.”
Millen, one of six quarterbacks to play for NAU in 2021, didn’t play much during his lone season with the Lumberjacks. He threw just 15 passes over seven games, this after going into the year thinking he would be the No. 1.
Frustrated with his role, he entered the transfer portal the day before Thanksgiving. The next week, he received a phone call from a familiar face in Mora, 60.
“It was a pretty quick timeline,” Millen said.
It was Mora, then at UCLA, who had extended Millen his first college offer in January 2017. Some 10 months later, Mora was fired as the Bruins head coach and Millen, a coveted recruit from Washington, eventually landed at Pac-12 rival Oregon after decommitting from Northwestern — and the connections don’t stop there.
Millen’s father Hugh was a teammate of Mora at the University of Washington during the 1980s.
“My dad’s known Jim for a long time. That’s kind of how the connection started,” Millen said, adding that Mora’s a “great” guy. “I’m excited about where his program seems to be going in the future.”
Millen, 21, committed to UConn following his visit to Storrs Dec. 3-5, but held off on announcing it until Dec. 15, the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period. He’s one of five transfers added to the roster this offseason, joining Northeastern Oklahoma A&M tight end Bo Estes, Garden City Community College (Kan.) running back Will Knight — both JUCO prospects — Old Dominion wide receiver Nigel Fitzgerald and Dartmouth offensive lineman Jake Guidone, a former FCS All-American.
“I had never been to the East Coast until that trip. I thought it was really cool. It seems like a cool town,” Millen said. “The facilities were actually really amazing. There were a few things that were actually better than Oregon’s. They’ve got everything they need.”
Millen was hyped coming out of Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, Wash., ranked as the No. 4 quarterback in the state by 247Sports. But he did not play as a freshman after injuring the AC joint in his shoulder and ended up redshirting.
He began the next season behind Boston College transfer Anthony Brown and Tyler Shough, with no clear path to significant playing time. He did get on the field, though, volunteering to contribute on special teams late in the year while the Ducks were short on numbers because of injuries and COVID-19 complications.
“I’d obviously played quarterback in practice, and they realized I had good speed. The special teams coach, Bobby Williams, he just came up to me one practice and was like, ‘Hey, how would you like to try some special teams?’” Millen recalled. “I was open to it. With COVID, we had guys coming in and out. Week after week, we had multiple guys not being able to play because of COVID. I actually played on all four units: punt, punt return, kickoff, and kickoff return.”
He wound up making tackles in both the Pac-12 Championship against USC and the Fiesta Bowl against Iowa State — his final games as a Duck before transferring.
Now, Millen will head to UConn, where he’s expected to compete for the starting job. The Huskies have three other quarterbacks on the roster: freshman Tyler Phommachanh, who’s coming off a torn ACL, redshirt sophomore Steven Krajewski and freshman Jacob Drena, a walk-on from Southington. Mora also has several offers out to high school prospects in this year’s class, including Brophy College Prep’s (Ariz.) Elijah Warner — the son of NFL MVP Kurt Warner — and St. Thomas Aquinas’ (Fla.) Zion Turner, and Penn State transfer Ta’Quan Roberson.
Millen, with three years of eligibility remaining, is hoping to enroll next month so he can participate in spring practice. If not, his arrival will have to wait until May.
Regardless, he’s excited for the fresh start.
“It obviously hasn’t been working out exactly the way I wanted it,” Millen said of his college career. “I’m thankful for this opportunity. This will be the last stop. Hopefully we can make it happen.”