Daily Voice
By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice
Jason Candle's two children are already fans of one of Connecticut's biggest celebrities: Jonathan the Husky.
"Man, oh man, if Dad was only as cool as the husky mascot, we'd be doing some good things," Candle joked. "We're excited to ingrain ourselves in the community."
Candle, his wife, and their kids were welcomed by more than 100 UConn fans in the luxury suites at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. The university officially unveiled its newest head football coach at a news conference on Monday, Dec. 8.
The Huskies hired Candle from the University of Toledo, where he has the most wins in program history with 81, including an 8-5 record in 2025. In 10 seasons with the Rockets, Candle captured two Mid-American Conference championships and made seven bowl appearances.
Candle signed a six-year contract through the 2031 season.
"This is a humbling moment for me because I'm really honored to be the head football coach here," Candle said. "I think this is a tremendous opportunity at a place that has accomplished so much in the last couple of years, but to a certain extent, to have the opportunity to maybe wake up the echoes in the past, too."
UConn head football coach Jason Candle was officially unveiled at an introductory news conference on December 8, 2025.
The 46-year-old is replacing Jim Mora, who guided the Huskies to back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time in program history. Mora, 64, accepted the head coaching job at Colorado State as the Rams prepare to join the revamped Pac-12 Conference in 2026.
Candle thanked Mora for reviving a UConn program that was among the worst in FBS a few seasons after the Big East's football conference dissolved in 2013.
"The team has done wonders in the last 24 months, and now it's the challenge of how you can take that and take it to the next step," he said. "Something I'm looking forward to is putting a staff together to be able to highlight and enhance what those men have been able to do."
In 2024, Candle led Toledo to Power 4 victories against Mississippi State and a thrilling six-overtime win against Pittsburgh in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. He also guided the Rockets to an 11-3 season in 2024, along with Toledo's first perfect 8-0 MAC record.
UConn athletic director David Benedict said he traveled to Toledo's final regular-season game at Central Michigan to scout Candle.
"Jason was at the top of my list from the outset," said Benedict. "What I saw was everything that I expected: a well-organized sideline, coaches, student-athletes competing, a physical team, a team that's capable of scoring, and shutting people down."
UConn athletic director David Benedict and head football coach Jason Candle at Candle's introductory news conference on December 8, 2025.
Candle has coached some elite NFL players, including Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Toledo also landed the MAC's top recruiting class seven times under Candle.
While Connecticut is often overlooked in high school football recruiting circles, some recent UConn stars come from the Constitution State. Norwalk native Cam Edwards is UConn's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2019, while the Huskies also got key contributions from running back Victor Rosa (Bristol), wide receiver John Neider (Milford), and linebacker Tyquan King (West Haven).
Candle spoke about the importance of developing local talent, even in an era dominated by the transfer portal and NIL deals.
"It's the lifeblood of your program," he said. "We want to bring in the high school coaches. We want to really support the state. I think there's underrated talent here. I think there's untapped potential. I think building relationships with high school coaches is a critical piece to how you build a program."
UConn president Dr. Radenka Maric also praised Candle for helping his Rockets teams to academic success, earning at least a 3.0 average GPA in nine seasons.
"It's important to add that we strive for success in every one of our athletic programs," said Dr. Maric. "As a university, we know that success for our program, and our student-athletes is not just about wins and losses, but it's about the academic success, and the growth and development as leaders and citizens. Coaches play an incredibly important role in that effort."
UConn president Dr. Radenka Maric and head football coach Jason Candle at Candle's introductory news conference on December 8, 2025.
One coach in Storrs who signed off on Candle was women's basketball legend Geno Auriemma. While the 12-time national champion wasn't at the news conference, he said in a statement that Candle is "a proven winner" and "his vision and enthusiasm make him the right person" to lead UConn football.
Candle also earned the endorsement of defending Super Bowl champion coach Nick Sirianni, who was his teammate at Division III powerhouse Mount Union College.
"UConn has hired an excellent head coach, and an even better person in Jason Candle," the Eagles head coach said in a statement. "Having played and coached alongside Jason, I know the kind of competitor he is and have extreme confidence that he will put everything he has into the Huskies' program. His knowledge of the game is second to none, and his abilities as a leader have always allowed him to maximize the potential of his players and staff."
Offensive coordinator Gordie Sammis will be the interim head coach when the Huskies try to defend their Fenway Bowl title. UConn will play against Army at the home of the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, Dec. 27.
The Fenway Bowl will kick off at 2:15 p.m. and air on ESPN.
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