Defensive coordinator Matt Brock arrived in East Hartford, Connecticut, from Starkville, Mississippi, approximately 51 weeks ago. With Brock at the helm, the UConn football team saw tremendous improvement on defense.
The Huskies went from surrendering almost 30 points per game to less than 25 and recorded nine more sacks. Opponents converted on third down against Connecticut’s defense just 29.6% of the time, a 13% decrease from the year prior. While the Huskies had a very prolific ground game, their defense played a pivotal role in their 9-4 record in 2024.
UConn hopes to successfully repeat the process of bringing in a coach from a Southeastern Conference program. Last Friday, Rivals reported that the Huskies were hiring Pryce Tracy to become the program’s new quarterbacks coach. Tracy, most recently an analyst with the Georgia Bulldogs, also posted about his move north on his X account.
The university has not yet confirmed this hire; then again, they did not officially welcome former quarterbacks coach Brad Robbins until the spring. Nevertheless, bringing in the Indiana University-South Bend alum could significantly help out the quarterback room well beyond the 2025 season.
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When he committed to Connecticut in 2023, Cole Welliver was head coach Jim Mora’s highest-ranked recruit. ESPN had Welliver as a four-star prospect at the time of his commitment, while Rivals and 247 Sports each gave him three stars. With his coaching experience, Tracy could help the Huskies land more top-ranked quarterbacks out of high school.
It might not necessarily be the top gunslingers in the nation, but rather those teetering between being a three-star and a four-star prospect. The former Arkansas Tech quarterbacks coach will play a massive role in recruiting these talented players.
Landing a consensus four-star signal-caller, for example, would massively change UConn football’s overall reputation. From the moment that quarterback makes their collegiate debut, regardless of the situation, people will view that individual as a superstar.
The former recruiting specialist at Alabama knows all about working with high-profile quarterbacks in the FBS.
For all but one contest in 2024, the Bulldogs had Carson Beck as their starting gunslinger. Only 12 other FBS quarterbacks threw more than Beck’s 3,485 yards in 13 games; 13 had more than his 28 touchdowns. Tracy also served as an analyst with the team that eliminated Georgia in the College Football Playoffs: the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
During the first two years in his analyst role, 2015 and 2016, the two-time graduate assistant watched DeShone Kizer call plays under center. Kizer, a second-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2017, threw for over 2,850 yards in both of his seasons as a starter. On top of that, the Toledo native scored 65 total touchdowns—47 through the air and 18 on the ground. Graduate gunslinger Joe Fagnano, who is on the Huskies’ spring roster, could be the next sensational quarterback that Tracy develops.
Connecticut’s offense as a whole should be much more potent because of the three-time national champion. The Huskies ranked 95th in the FBS with 2,579 total passing yards and 100th with 198.4 yards per contest. If he returns in the fall, Fagnano could be in for a better year than his phenomenal 2024 campaign. A second-career 2,000-yard season could be one of the many milestones in store for the Fenway Bowl Offensive MVP.
Younger quarterbacks such as Welliver, Tucker McDonald and Ksaan Farrar will become more developed under Tracy’s tutelage. Having studied film on most of the SEC programs, the three-time conference champion can utilize key techniques that will strengthen all three of them.
Should Fagnano not come back for the 2025 season, the starting duties will most likely fall to rising redshirt junior Nick Evers. The two-time FBS transfer could capitalize on Tracy’s hire more than any other quarterback because of his dual-threat qualities. In nine games (eight starts) last year, Evers threw for 918 yards and rushed for 245 while picking up eight total touchdowns. The Texas native’s speed alone could make him useful in several situations, but not just on passing plays.
Before taking the analyst job at Georgia, the one-time high school assistant coach spent two seasons as Idaho’s running backs coach. During the 2021 season, the Vandals picked up 1,877 total yards on the ground and hit paydirt 28 times. Zach Borisch and Roshaun Johnson accounted for most of that attack as Idaho’s lone players with over 400 yards.
Borisch was not just a swift running back, however. The then-redshirt sophomore went 19-36, both of which were the second most on the team, for 371 passing yards. Most of those numbers came over Idaho’s last two games of that season after he replaced former UConn starter Mike Beaudry under center.
For dual-threat backs Cam Edwards and Mel Brown, specifically, this could mean a seismic increase in their offensive repertoire. Neither rising fourth-year student threw a pass last season—the only non-Husky quarterback who did was punter Connor Stutz. Despite this, Brown and Edwards may find themselves as the catalysts behind a few trick plays throughout the 2025 campaign.
Brock has been one of Connecticut’s best coaching hires during the Mora era. Tracy will not have as significant of a role as a coordinator does; he will primarily design passing plays and develop quarterbacks. Even then, the Huskies’ newest coaching hire could give offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis a new way to approach the aerial attack.
UConn hopes that Tracy, with his track record and expertise, becomes their next fantastic coaching addition. For the Huskies, this could mean a drastic improvement in the team's FBS rankings in most passing categories.
With Connecticut back on the map following their sensational 2024 campaign and a former NFL head coach in charge, that is certainly a possibility.
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