Huskies Report

UConn RB Continues Shake Up with Transfer Announcement

Turmoil hits the UConn Huskies football team as leadership loss and backfield turnover strike at once.
Shivani Menon|
Sep 23, 2023; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies running back Victor Rosa (22) on the sideline as they take on the Duke Blue Devils in the second half at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Sep 23, 2023; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies running back Victor Rosa (22) on the sideline as they take on the Duke Blue Devils in the second half at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

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UConn Huskies

The most stable stretch of UConn Huskies football in over a decade has suddenly flipped over. Head coach Jim Mora, coming off back-to-back nine-win seasons and the kind of revival most programs wait years for, will soon be packing his bags for Colorado State. The timing feels unreal.

This was a coach who dragged UConn out of irrelevance, and now, behind him, another cornerstone figure is reportedly heading for the exit. According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, running back Victor Rosa will be entering the transfer portal.

“UConn RB Victor Rosa plans to enter the … TransferPortal… The 5’11, 210 RB has totaled 1,405 yards & 18 TDs in his career thus far. Will have 1 year of eligibility remaining,” wrote Fawcett.

Rosa, this season, has put up 147 rushing yards on just 28 carries. He had 147 receiving yards with a 65-yard touchdown catch against FIU. Meanwhile, Colorado State, flush with ambition and entering the Pac-12 like a program with something to prove, made its move, and the inevitability crept in.

CSU gets a steady player with Rosa. He had 636 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman and then went on to stack 550 yards, 4.9 yards per carry, and three touchdowns in his sophomore year while adding 12 receptions.

As Mora steps towards a new challenge, the fallout in Storrs will likely see more ripples.

Who Steers UConn Football Now?

The big question in Storrs now is, who leads UConn football coming off a 9-win season? UConn athletic director David Benedict released a statement answering the same.

“We are grateful for Coach Mora's contributions to UConn over the past four seasons. He took on the challenge of rebuilding our football program and delivered results that exceeded expectations….Offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis will lead the team in the interim, as a national search for the next head coach at the University of Connecticut will begin immediately,” wrote Benedict.

Gordon Sammis is one of the reasons for the Huskies’ offensive renaissance. He enters his fourth season on staff, his second as OC. Under his direction in 2024, UConn averaged 199 rushing yards per game, finished in the top 35 nationally in scoring, and delivered the third-most total offense in school history.

Sammis’s offensive line units consistently ranked among the nation’s best in sacks allowed, and he helped produce multiple NFL Draft picks, including third-rounder Christian Haynes. He understands UConn’s personnel, its identity, and the foundation Mora built better than anyone left on staff. And now he’s the one tasked with carrying the program through the storm.

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Shivani Menon
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.

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