The University of Connecticut football program added to its transfer portal haul on Thursday by getting a commitment from quarterback Jake Merklinger, who previously played at the University of Tennessee. 

Merklinger is expected to compete for the starting job and will look to become the successor to Joe Fagnano, who is exiting the program because of graduation. UConn has also brought in quarterback Kalieb Osborne, who was previously at Toledo.

A redshirt freshman who appeared in four games for the Volunteers in 2025, Merklinger hails from Savannah, Ga. He went 13-of-24 for 173 yards for two touchdowns and no interceptions this past season. He played in two games as a freshman, but earned a redshirt year for it, so he'll have three years of eligibility left in Storrs.

Merklinger was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and was a Top-300 player nationally according to Rivals, ESPN and 247 Sports. He was 42-10 as a starter in high school and was named as the top high school player in Savannah.

There's plenty of opportunity for Merklinger at UConn, as head coach Jason Candle is essentially building a whole new program. The Huskies went 9-4 this past season but previous head coach Jim Mora left for Colorado State, and the team is set to lose Fagnano (graduation), All-American wide receiver Skyler Bell (graduation) and star running back Cam Edwards (transfer portal - Michigan State).

The Huskies have worked hard in the transfer portal, recently securing the commitments of multiple exciting wide receivers and running backs.

with help from CFBDepth.com

--K'Von Sherman, LB (Toledo)

--Jake Merklinger, QB (Tennessee)

--Kalieb Osborne, QB (Toledo)

--John Lista, LB (Penn)

--Ky Wilson, WR (Youngstown State)

--Tahjae Mullix, DL (Oregon State)

--Zakaih Saez, DL (Oregon State)

--Christian Richter, OL (Marshall)

--Steve Miller, DB (Southern California)

--Cam Abshire, WR (Oklahoma State)

--Zy'marion Lang, WR (Toledo)

--Dominic Rivera, OL (Toledo)

--Raphael Greene-Nyarko, OL (Toledo)

--Jamel Howard Jr., DL (Wisconsin)

--Jediyah Willoughby, WR (Toledo)

--Alex Godavitarne, TE (D-2)

The University of Connecticut women's basketball team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, will host Villanova on Thursday night at Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies will honor the 2015 and 2016 national title teams, the latter of which went unbeaten. The game begins at 7 p.m. ET with the ceremony beforehand.

This years version of UConn is also unbeaten and looks like the clear national title favorite at 17-0.

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