UConn Poaches 2026 QB Commit from Toledo
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UConn Huskies football has spent the last few weeks trying to catch its breath. The moment Jim Mora left to take the Colorado State job, the floor seemed to wobble under the program. Multiple players decommitted, others flipped their commitments, and many have decided to enter the transfer portal.
The 2026 class, which once looked formidable, quickly lost all its pieces. Then came the real panic, when UConn lost its quarterback, who was expected to be a centerpiece. Carter Emanuel decommitted from UConn, a day after receiving an offer from CSU. Then went on to sign with Mora.
However, what started as the Huskies’ biggest recruiting blow ultimately created the perfect moment for a surprise twist. That twist arrived from Toledo and more specifically, from UConn’s new HC, Jason Candle’s old recruiting board.
Bo Polston, who was previously committed to Toledo, has decided to follow Coach Candle to UConn. Not so long ago, he took to X and wrote, “1000% COMMITTED!!!!! Go Huskies.” And with that, UConn has replaced the quarterback it lost and maybe even gotten an upgrade in the process.
1000% COMMITTED!!!!!
— Bo Polston 2026 QB (@BoPolston) December 11, 2025
Go Huskies🐺🐺 pic.twitter.com/C9HMgN0iZy
Polston is a three-star quarterback from Decatur Central in Indianapolis. At 6'3” and 200 pounds, Polston is a two-time state champion who has thrown for more than 6,400 yards. He also has 1,500+ rushing yards and has accounted for 66 total touchdowns in his career.
Polston once held offers from Miami, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Minnesot and Ball State. At Toledo, he was supposed to be Candle’s future. Now, he’s Candle’s foundation at UConn. And for a Huskies team scrambling for momentum, that kind of loyalty and production couldn't come at a better time.
Bo Polston Strengthens UConn’s Expanding 2026 Class
UConn’s 2026 class has been no doubt thinning. Names like Jayden Fox, Quayd Hendryx, Jacquey Ferguson Jr. and Javion Romer are all long gone. Others, like Westen Ard, Max Viver and Luke Hatfield, followed. However, when signing day came around, there were a few who still believed in the Huskies.
Zikhere Leaks, who had previously withdrawn his pledge from Syracuse, decided to commit to the Huskies. Leaks had Power Five interest flooding in from colleges including Boston College, Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, North Carolina, and more. He still picked the Huskies.
Leaks brings 573 yards and five touchdowns across two varsity seasons. He became the reminder that the class wasn’t collapsing. Behind him are the players who never blinked. RB Malichi Greaves, a Connecticut native, hasn’t budged and is committed to the Huskies.
Then there’s EDGE Jayden Jones, who had offers from Miami, Maryland, Illinois and ECU but still committed early and never wavered. However, interestingly, he has still been getting offers from programs around the country.
EDGE James Tilus, a three-star defender, reaffirmed his pledge when others scattered. And safety Elijah Whitaker, the athletic Georgia product, also remains locked in. Individually, these decisions may feel small. Together, they form the spine of a class that looked like it might break but instead keeps bending without snapping.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.