STORRS, CT – Jason Candle has been named the next head football coach at the University of Connecticut, as announced by director of athletics David Benedict on Saturday. Candle will become the 33rd head coach in the program’s history, which dates back to 1896.
Candle and UConn have agreed to a six-year deal through the 2031 season.He will be officially announced at a press conference on Monday, December 8. Further details to follow.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jason Candle as the next head coach of UConn Football,” said Benedict. “Jason’s track record speaks for itself-he is the winningest coach in Toledo history with 81 victories, two MAC Championships, and a program that has consistently competed at the highest level. He has built a culture of excellence both on and off the field, developing young men who succeed at the next level. Jason’s ability to recruit elite talent, develop players, and win championships makes him the ideal leader for our football program. We are excited to welcome Jason, his wife Nicole, their daughter Avery, and sons Cameron and Colton to Storrs and UConn Nation. We couldn’t be more excited about the future of UConn Football under his leadership.”
“I am honored to be named the head football coach at the University of Connecticut,” stated Candle. “UConn is a prestigious institution and I’m grateful to David Benedict and the leadership team for entrusting me with this possibility. Nicole, Avery, Cameron, Colton, and I are excited to join the Husky family and become part of the Storrs community. UConn has all the ingredients for success-outstanding facilities, passionate fans, and a commitment to excellence. I look forward to building on the amazing momentum hear and developing a program that builds young men of character and makes our fans and alumni proud. I can’t wait to get to work with our student-athletes and staff.Let’s go Huskies!”
Candle concluded his 10th season as Toledo’s head coach, guiding the Rockets to an 8-4 record in 2025. With 81 career victories, he is the winningest coach in school history, surpassing Gary Pinkel (1991-2000). Under his leadership, the Rockets have won two Mid-American Conference Championship titles (2017, 2022), three MAC West Division crowns, and made seven bowl appearances.
No MAC team has won more games than Toledo during Candle’s tenure,and the program has not had a losing season in any of his ten years at the helm. He earned MAC Coach of the Year honors in both 2017 and 2023.
Candle’s recent seasons have been particularly extraordinary.in 2023, Toledo went 11-3 with an 8-0 MAC record-the first time in school history-and earned a Top 25 ranking for the first time since 2015. The following year, the Rockets defeated two Power Four opponents, including a 41-17 victory at Mississippi State and a thrilling six-overtime win over Pitt. In 2022, Toledo won both the MAC Championship and the boca Raton Bowl, becoming the first Rocket team since 2001 to capture a conference title and bowl game in the same season.
Candle has excelled at developing NFL talent, with 10 Toledo players selected in the NFL Draft during his tenure as head coach. Most notably, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell became the first Toledo player
Okay, here’s a breakdown of the provided text, suitable for use as source material for question answering, summarization, or othre NLP tasks. I’ll organize it into key sections and highlight critically important data.
1. Overall Summary:
This document details the hiring of Jason Candle as the new head football coach at UConn. It provides a comprehensive overview of his coaching experience, successes at Toledo, and endorsements from prominent figures in the football world. He has a strong track record of building successful programs, particularly in recruiting and offensive performance.
2. Key Sections & Information:
* Introduction/Background (Paragraphs 1-3):
* Jason Candle was hired as UConn’s head football coach.
* He was the head coach at Toledo from 2015-2025.
* Meaningful Achievement at Toledo: Recruited the No. 1 MAC class seven times, including a 2024 class that was the highest-rated in MAC history and outperformed several Power Four programs.
* Prior to being head coach, he served as Toledo’s offensive coordinator for six years.
* He played and coached at Mount Union,winning three Division III national championships as an offensive coordinator.
* his 15 years at toledo make him the most successful coach in program history.
* What They Are Saying (Paragraphs 4-8): This section contains testimonials from other coaches:
* Nick Sirianni (philadelphia Eagles Head Coach): Praises Candle’s competitiveness, leadership, knowledge of the game, and commitment to values learned from Coach Kehres at Mount Union (commitment, accountability, connection).
* Matt Campbell (Penn State Head Coach): Highlights Candle as a developer of men and a builder of championship programs and culture.
* Larry Kehres (Legendary Mount Union Coach): Emphasizes candle’s recruiting ability (even early in his career) and consistent leadership.
* Geno Auriemma (UConn Head Women’s Basketball Coach): States Candle is a proven winner with a clear vision and enthusiasm, making him the right choice for UConn.
* Candle Coaching File (Paragraphs 9-16): A chronological listing of Candle’s coaching positions:
* 2015-2025: Toledo – Head Coach
* 2014-2015: Toledo – Associate Head Coach/offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
* 2012-2013: Toledo – Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
* 2010-2011: Toledo – Assistant Coach/Wide Receivers
* 2009: Toledo – Assistant Coach/Slot Receivers/Tight Ends
* 2007-2008: Mount Union – Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator
* 2002-2006: Mount Union – Assistant Coach/Wide Receivers
3.Key Themes/Concepts:
* Recruiting Success: Candle is consistently highlighted as an excellent recruiter.
* Offensive Expertise: His background is heavily rooted in offensive coaching and coordination.
* Leadership & Culture building: Multiple sources emphasize his ability to build a strong program culture and develop players.
* Mount Union Connection: His time at Mount Union and the influence of Coach Kehres are frequently mentioned, suggesting a foundation of strong values and coaching principles.
* Proven Winner: Repeatedly described as a “proven winner.”
Let me no if you’d like me to:
* Generate questions based on this text.
* Summarize specific aspects of it.
* Extract specific information (e.g., all the coaches who provided testimonials).
* Reformat the information in a different way (e.g., a table).
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