STORRS —Nick Evers will be under center as the starting quarterback when UConn football begins its season Saturday at Maryland.
Evers, who transferred in from Wisconsin this spring, was announced as starter after practice Tuesday by head coach Jim Mora, who didn’t initially have the announcement planned. After the question was asked early in his press conference, Mora quipped that he would wait for Maryland coach Mike Locksley to announce his quarterback first.
But Evers and the team already had already been informed that after a summer of competition, he won the job.
“Nick’s our starter, and we’re going to throw all our support behind him and we’re gonna put him in a position to win,” Mora said, after about 16 and a half minutes of keeping his cards close to his vest. “And we know that Joe (fa*gnano) and Tucker (McDonald) and Cole (Welliver) are ready to go if there is a reason to.”
It was a good thing for Connecticut fans – and media – that Mora didn’t wait for Maryland to “go first” before making its announcement.Locksley said during his press conference Tuesday that he, too, has identified his starter. But the Terrapins’ head coach opted to hold out on announcing until closer to game day.
In Storrs, it was the third quarterback competition in as many years while Mora and staff continue to add and improve talent across the board.Evers was brought in to compete, and for most of camp, it felt as though it was his job to lose.
“(I knew he’d be the starter) probably a couple of weeks ago,” Mora said. “In this day and age, when you go out into the portal, when you have uncertainty in your quarterback room or any room on your team (…) you go out in the portal and you find a guy that you think has got talent, you don’t bring a guy in and help him get NIL opportunities unless you’re pretty convinced he’s going to be the guy. That’s the way this thing works nowadays.
“Not to disparage any of the other quarterbacks, but when you go get Nick Evers, you’re hoping that he becomes the guy. You’re cheering for them all, you’re pushing them all and you’re coaching the heck out of them all and you’re loving them all up, but you’re hoping deep down that you made the right decision.”
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Evers battled with fa*gnano, who was named starter last season after beating out Ta’Quan Roberson (the 2022 Week 1 starter) in the QB competition. fa*gnano, a transfer from Maine, suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of the year and Roberson, who had his own season-ending injury the year prior, was thrust back into the starting spot. Roberson transferred to Kansas State the day UConn brought in Evers.
The Huskies are hoping for better health at the position this year with Evers, who is a dual-threat athlete and presents opportunities for more variety in the offense.
“Very athletic kid, one of the most athletic on our team, to be honest,” junior running back Victor Rosa said of his new QB. “He just makes smart decisions and plays football and makes plays, he’s a playmaker. That’s what we need.”
At 6 feet 3, 195 pounds, Evers was a four-star recruit out of high school in Flower Mound, Texas. He began his career at Oklahoma, where he saw limited action in one game, throwing one incomplete pass in a blowout loss to Texas. He was buried on the depth chart after transferring to Wisconsin last season and will get his first real chance at game action when the Huskies open the year in College Park.
“I’ve always felt like the best thing to do is pick a guy and then support the heck out of him,” Mora said. “Support him, support him, support him. Give him confidence, give him your energy, give him all of your attention, try to put him in a great position to have success.”
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Who will Evers throw to?
There has never been a better time for a UConn quarterback under Jim Mora. Among the 27 transfer portal additions this offseason, the wide receiver room might’ve seen the most impactful redesign.
“You bring in a Skyler Bell, who was a starter at Wisconsin, you bring in TJ Sheffield, who was a starter at Purdue and has produced on a big stage – that’s going to help your team,” Mora said. “You see a sense of maturity and confidence in those guys that we haven’t necessarily had here.”
UConn lost three of its top four receivers – tight end Justin Joly (NC State), WR Cam Ross (James Madison) and WR Geordon Porter (eligibility expired) – from a passing offense that ranked No. 102 of 130 FBS programs last year with 190.3 yards per game.
The Huskies brought in Ezeriah Anderson from Campbell, who fits the mold as a big body receiver to replace Joly’s production. Jasaiah Gathings and Shamar Porter have speed and experience from their time at Akron and Kentucky, respectively. Mora also mentioned a likely starter in the slot, Brett Buckman, who he called “steady Eddie,” and freshman Brock Montgomery, who will contribute.
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“It’s a different feel watching them practice,” Mora said. “I’m not saying they’re gonna get open every down and catch every ball, but there is a different level of confidence, maturity, understanding of the game, depth – all of those things.”
They all began working with Evers and the other QBs as soon as they could, finding odd times – Friday nights or maybe Sunday mornings – to throw a ball around.
“That was typical and it was also necessary because you have to have that chemistry. When you bring in the new receivers we did and a new quarterback after spring ball, you’re playing from behind,” Mora said. “So, in order to catch up, they have to go do some of that stuff on their own. And they did it.”
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