The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Spanos stays on staff; Mensah to enter portal
Lou Spanos’ run as interim head coach may have ended, but he wasn’t gone for long.
The 50-year-old Spanos was announced Wednesday as UConn’s new defensive coordinator, a role he held for parts of three seasons prior to Randy Edsall’s abrupt exit in September.
“I’m grateful to Coach Mora for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to getting back to work with our student-athletes and a great group of coaches,” Spanos said in a release. “UConn is a special place, and my family and I could not be happier.”
Spanos is already familiar with Mora, having worked under him in the same role at UCLA from 2012-13. Still, his return is somewhat of a surprise. UConn was believed to be waiting on another candidate or two whose teams were still playing — either in the FCS playoffs or a bowl game. On top of that, UConn’s defense continued to struggle last season, ranking 123rd out of 130 FBS teams in average points allowed (38.5). The Huskies were also 115th in yards allowed per game (453.2).
That said, Spanos was praised for how he handled a difficult situation postEdsall.
“Lou possesses an outstanding football mind, and he was a terrific defensive coordinator on my staff for two years at UCLA,” Mora said. “The job Lou did for UConn football in 2021 was admirable and it’s clear that he has a passion for this team and a great relationship with our student-athletes. I’m looking forward
to getting back to work with Lou.”
Spanos, a 27-year coaching veteran with NFL experience, was beloved by his players. Senior long snapper Brian Keating, a captain, called him an “immediate beam of light.”
“He’s always someone I’ve respected immensely,” Keating said last month. “Obviously, I didn’t get to know him as well when he was on the defensive side of the ball just because I was on special teams; as specialists we kind of do our own thing. Being able to see him have the opportunity to be interim head coach, he immediately focused on the entire team, especially these upperclassmen and seniors I’ve been with the last four to five years.
“He came up to us and said, ‘We’re trying to make this experience as fun as possible for you guys.’ … He’s just been an absolute pleasure to play under. I have so much respect for him as a person and as a coach.”
Players tweeted support for Spanos, including linebacker Jackson Mitchell and defensive end Kevon Jones.
Spanos spent the 2018 season as an analyst for Alabama after serving as the linebackers coach for the Tennessee Titans from 2014-17. In the 2010-11 seasons, Spanos was the linebackers coach of the Washington Redskins. The 15 seasons before that, he was a defensive assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning two Super Bowls (XL and XLIII).
MENSAH TO ENTER TRANSFER PORTAL
Running back Kevin Mensah, the fourth-leading rusher in UConn history, has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal.
Mensah had back-toback 1,000-yard seasons in 2018-19, but saw his role diminish as a senior as freshman Nate Carter took over as the Huskies primary ball-carrier.
While he still has a year of eligibility left due to the COVID-19 season, Mensah’s departure was expected. He was honored on Senior Day last month against Houston, the final game of the Huskies 1-11 season.
The 5-foot-9, 202-pound Mensah finished his UConn career with 2,933 rushing yards, ranking behind Donald Brown (3,800), Terry Caulley (3,187) and Jordan Todman (3,179).
There was some thought he could challenge Brown for the record in 2021, following a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. But he never got going and, clearly ineffective, was reduced to a part-time role behind the quicker, more elusive Carter.
Mensah had a seasonhigh 21 carries for 66 yards in Sept. 4 loss to Holy Cross, but then toted the ball just 20 times over the next five weeks. He had only three other games with double digit carries — Fresno State (11-31), Yale (12-58),
Houston (13-36) — and surpassed 40 yards just twice. He also didn’t score a touchdown.
He finished with just 314 yards on 104 carries (3.0 yards per carry) — a far cry from his sophomore and junior seasons when he had 1,045 and 1,013 yards, respectively.
HUSKIES LAND TRANSFER QB
New UConn football coach Jim Mora figured to be busy in the transfer portal, supplementing a roster constructed by the previous regime.
He made his first big addition Wednesday, scoring a commitment from former Northern Arizona quarterback Cale Millen, who annouced the move on Twitter.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Millen is an intriguing project, having pledged to Pac-12 powerhouse Oregon out of high school. A redshirt freshman in 2020, Millen never ended up throwing a pass for the Ducks, but he did appear on special teams, making two tackles, including one against Iowa State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Millen then transferred to FCS school Northern Arizona. He appeared in seven games this past season as a backup, completing 7 of 15 attempts for 42 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
He joins a quarterback room in Storrs that includes freshman Tyler Phommachanh, redshirt sophomore Steven Krajewski, and freshman Jacob Drena, a walk-on from Southington.