UConn QB's Pocket Presence Praised: 'I'm Not Comparing Him To Tom Brady'
The UConn Huskies put on an offensive clinic this past Saturday in their home opener, and senior quarterback Joe Fagnano was the head of the snake.
Fagnano threw for five touchdowns and rushed for another in what was a record-shattering day for the Huskies versus Merrimack.
While Fagnano’s performance may have surprised some, it’s likely that players and coaches within UConn’s locker room knew what was coming. They believe in Fagnano, whose cool demeanor and composure on the field has been a quality that head coach Jim Mora has complimented continually.
Fagnano is calm in the pocket, which leads to a lot of his success as a quarterback. In a new podcast discussing UConn’s current quarterback situation, Locked On UConn’s Mark Zanetto praised Fagnano’s footwork and pocket awareness.
“The story (versus Merrimack) was Joe Fagnano,” Zanetto said. “His QB rating was almost flawless ... First or second in the country in QBR for the game.”
“Fagnano really proved he has some great chemistry (with UConn’s receivers).”
“He’s got great arm strength, but I feel like a lot of players can throw the ball. His footwork is very quiet in the pocket. He avoids the rush. He’s not what you would call, like, super fast … and I’m not comparing him to Tom Brady, but that’s one of the things you notice about a great quarterback is when they don’t have the skill set to kind of break out of the pocket and run for 15, 20, 30 yards … he’s still able to move in the pocket and get the ball down the field.”
In discussing Fagnano, Zanetto also brought up the million-dollar question that is on the minds of every UConn football fan looking ahead to Week 3 versus Duke.
“Who starts? Is there a QB controversy? I know you paid NIck Evers to come in and start for you, as Jim Mora has said, but Fagnano’s done an amazing job. You couldn’t have played better (last) weekend if you tried. … Do they continue to roll with the hot hand, or do they switch it back over to Nick Evers, and how will they frame it?”
Mora certainly has a difficult decision to make.
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COLIN KEANE
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org