The quarterback will head to the Shrine Bowl in advance of the NFL Draft.
University of Connecticut quarterback Joe Fagnano, fresh off an excellent regular season that saw the Huskies go 9-3, has accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl, an All-Star showcase in advance of the NFL Draft.
About the East-West Shrine Bowl
The Shrine Bowl is an All-Star Game that has been played since 1925. Furthermore, it benefits Shriners Children's Hospital in an effort to provide specialty care for children.
The Shrine Bowl has a partnership with the NFL, in that NFL coaches are chosen as the coaches for the game, which helps them advance in their careers as well.
From the NFL:
The NFL provides the coaching staff and game officials for the annual East-West Shrine Bowl, the nation’s first college all-star football game. In addition, NFL Legends serve as mentors to the Shrine Bowl players and coaches throughout the week.
“The East-West Shrine Bowl is not only a showcase for tremendous athletes who have a dream of playing at the next level, it is also a venue for upwardly mobile coaches in the NFL,” said NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent, Sr. “This is an opportunity to further develop, evaluate and showcase our assistant coaches who may be our next generation of head coaches.”
More UConn stories
About Fagnano
Fagnano spent seven seasons in college (2019-25), taking full advantage of redshirt years and COVID exemptions. He played four years at the University of Maine and then spent three years at UConn, serving as the starter in 2024 and 2025. This season, he completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,448 yards. He had 28 touchdowns against just one interception and a passer rating of 161.0.
He's a major reason why the Huskies went 9-3 and earned a spot in the Fenway Bowl (Dec. 27). However, it appears that he won't be playing in the bowl game, a decision players often make to protect their NFL interests and to get a head start on training for the NFL Combine.
When is the Shrine Bowl?
January 27, 2026 in Frisco, Texas.
Also on campus
The UConn women's basketball team rolled to another victory on Wednesday night, moving to 11-0 with an 89-53 win over Marquette. UConn has not trailed at the end of any quarter this season.
You can read the full game story at the link above, and the Huskies will take on No. 11 Iowa on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET.
The UConn men are 11-1 and they'll visit DePaul on Sunday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET).
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