The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
UConn getting a ‘leader’ in QB transfer
Jim Mora was handed a unique quarterback competition in his first fall at the helm of the UConn football program,
Mora had Penn State transfer, Ta’Quan Roberson, Northern Arizona transfer Cale Millen, true freshman Zion Turner, and previous starter Tyler Phommachanh in the quarterback room.
With Phommachanh recovering from an ACL injury from the season before, it was Roberson who earned the starting job. That was short-lived, however, as he suffered a season ending ACL injury in the first quarter of the first game of the season.
From then on, Turner started as Millen would fill in a couple of plays a game. With a true freshman taking snaps, UConn struggled in the passing game as the Huskies averaged 111.92 passing yards per game (against 191 rushing yards per game).
What’s the plan in 2023? A new face has been added to the quarterback competition, one who has significant connections to UConn offensive Coordinator Nick Charlton.
Joe Fagnano played at Maine under Charlton, who was the head coach before joining Mora’s staff at UConn last season. Fagnano started 11 games for Maine last season, throwing for 2,231 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 208 of 364 passes with six interceptions. He also rushed for 296 yards and three touchdowns on 93 carries.
Fagnano could shake up the competition that is already shrouded in question marks after an injury-plagued 2022 season. That’s the message to UConn and its fans from Fagnano’s high school coach.
“You guys are going to be pleased with the young man that he is,” said Chuck Crews, who coached Fagnano at Williamsport Area High in Pennsylvania. “He is a leader and a winner. He does all of the little
things and at the same time, he is not out there as a me, me, me guy. He is a great teammate and that quarterback competition at UConn just got a lot more competitive, I’ll tell you that much.”
In high school, Fagnano was an All-State player who threw for over 4,000 yards and 46 touchdowns while rushing for close to 1,000 years with 16 touchdowns. He was his area’s offensive Player of the Year as a senior.
He drew attention from UConn, along with such programs as Sacred Heart and Bucknell. But Crews still remembers when
Fagnano was first recruited by Maine out of his hometown of Williamsport.
As recruiting talks began to heat up, Charlton made the trip to see the high school quarterback.
“Coach Charlton was not the lead recruiter, but he came down to see him,” Crews said. “Joe was just letting it rip, and Coach Charlton knew he had a steal. He left there knowing that a great quarterback had fallen into his lap.”
As a freshman in 2019, Fagnano played in eight games. He completed 121 of 184 passes for 1,835 yards and 17 touchdowns against three interceptions.
But injuries and the
pandemic limited Fagnano’s opportunity over his first three years in Maine. He played eight games as a freshman and just eight more over the next two seasons before appearing in 11 games in 2022.
In total, he completed 461 of 772 passing attempts (59.7%) for 5,655 yards and 46 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He had 535 rushing yards on 229 attempts for five touchdowns in his career, with 296 yards and three of those touchdowns coming last fall.
He is seventh on Maine’s all-time list for passing yards.
Fagnano entered the portal after last season and chose UConn over Western Michigan. At 6foot-3, 225 pounds, Fagnano has the size and mobility to fit well into UConn’s offense.
“I am excited to see what Joe can bring to (UConn),” Crews said. “You are going to love his pocket presence, his eyes are always down field. He moves so instinctively in the pocket, and when he takes off he has some wheels. You guys are going to really love who Joe is.”
Spring practices are set to begin on March 28, as fans will get a first look at the new transfers and incoming recruits, including Fagnano and incoming freshman quarterback Tucker McDonald from Waschusett Regional High in Massachusetts.