2021 UConn Huskies football team

2021 UConn Huskies football
ConferenceIndependent
Record1–11
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorFrank Giufre (2nd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorLou Spanos (2nd season; first 2 games)
Jarren Horton (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumRentschler Field
Seasons
← 2020
2022 →
2021 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 8 Notre Dame       11 2  
No. 19 BYU       10 3  
Army       9 4  
Liberty       8 5  
New Mexico State       2 10  
UMass       1 11  
UConn       1 11  
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 UConn Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies competed as an independent, having left the American Athletic Conference following the 2019 season. They played their home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.

On September 5, following the team's 38–28 loss to FCS-school Holy Cross, head coach Randy Edsall announced he would be retiring at the end of the season.[1] The following day, the school announced that Edsall had resigned effective immediately and defensive coordinator Lou Spanos was named the interim head coach.[2][3]

On November 11, former UCLA coach Jim L. Mora was named the school's 31st head coach beginning with the 2022 season. Shortly after the hire he helped serve as an offensive assistant for the remainder of the season.[4]

The team finished the season 1–11.

In June 2020, it was announced that UConn's other sports programs would be joining the Big East Conference. Since the Big East does not sponsor football and the American did not want to keep UConn as a football-only school, it was decided that the football program would compete as an independent.[5] The move to the Big East was primarily due to the university wanting to focus more on the men's and women's basketball programs, feeling the move to the American had hindered those programs.[6]

  1. ^ Scarborough, Alex (September 5, 2021). "UConn football coach Randy Edsall announces retirement, effective at season's end, after loss to FCS Holy Cross". ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Kidwai, Aman (September 5, 2021). "Randy Edsall out as UConn head coach". The UConn Blog. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Bonjour, Doug (September 7, 2021). "Day after Randy Edsall's departure, Uconn shifts focus to Purdue: 'Bit of a roller coaster'". CT Insider. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (November 11, 2021). "UConn hires former UCLA coach Jim Mora to lead football program". ESPB. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Putterman, Alex (August 28, 2020). "A program in transition: As Huskies kick off season, independent future slowly snaps into focus". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "Big-tome football not going over big for UConn". The Day. September 7, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.