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STORRS UConns defense will have a different look to it in 2026.
Gone is the 3-3-5 scheme brought in by Matt Brock , who coached the Huskies to their best defensive season in ages in terms of opponent yards per play ( 4.08, No.
63 nationally ) in 2024, his first of two seasons with the program.
In is the four-down, multiple front presented by Ryan Manalac , the highly-respected former Pittsburgh linebackers coach who Jason Candle tabbed to lead his defense this fall.
Candle and his staff on both sides of the ball have stressed the importance of tailoring their systems to the roster they pieced together in the offseason.
They feel the defensive line unit is one of the deepest and most talented theyve got, so theyll put it to use.
Its a deep room, its a very competitive room, Candle said.
In the midst of some fierce competition to win the reps and win the job, youve got really good guys that really pull for one another and are fighting for each other to be successful.
Thats a really cool thing to see.
I hope it becomes a group that you can play seven or eight guys throughout the course of the game and you dont miss a beat.
You can really do a good job having a really solid rotation, not just in the sense of we want to reward good guys, but you need that in todays college football.
Theres so many teams playing fast and tempo and trying to wear down the D-line, the more of those guys on the front youve got ready to go, the better off theyre going to be.
Avery Dunn , a 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end, was part of the rotation at Toledo last fall after three seasons at Michigan State.
He spent time next to Esean Carter , a 6-foot-2, 285-pound starting tackle who also followed Candle to Storrs, and has already started building chemistry with players like Anas Luqman (Ohio), Joshua Mickens (Ohio State), Andrew Laurich (Colorado State), Shamar Riser-Pressley (Buffalo), Tahjae Mullix (Oregon State), Desmond Aladuge (Duke), Melvin Hills III (Texas), UConn returnee Matt Hoffman and others.
The unit, bonding through team outings fishing, bowling, paintball is coached by Joe Schaefer , whose last four years were divided between Syracuse and Texas A&M.
Obviously Im a little biased, but I think we have obviously the most depth, Dunn said of his defensive line room.
We have the most returning guys, we have a lot of guys whove played before and then we also have guys who havent played, but theyve stepped up to the plate.
I would say were not only the most close-knit group, but we have the most experience, too.
Dunn grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, just outside Cleveland, where football culture is massive.
He wanted to play because his older brother did, and started as a receiver.
For the first couple of practices I kind of hated it, he admitted.
But salute to my dad, he forced us to do things that we didnt want to as you should, in my opinion.
After a while I just fell in love with the brotherhood and overall just the family culture that you make playing football.
It wasnt until his senior year at Shaker Heights High that he switched over to defensive end full-time and became a three-star prospect, choosing Michigan State over offers from West Virginia, Akron, Ball State and others.
He made 28 tackles and three sacks as a freshman for the Spartans before his role started to decline because of injuries.
Last year, he appeared in 11 games at Toledo and made four tackles, three for a loss, one sack and three QB hurries.
He even ran a route for the Rockets in practice They were surprised at how good my route was, I was like, I told you guys,' he said, hoping he might have a chance to show off his hands in a UConn uniform.
But his main role for the Huskies, outside of contributing to what should be a menacing front seven, is in the locker room, where his years of experience will be counted on to help bring so many newcomers together.
We just try to find any which way we can be around each other, Dunn said, noting that about a third of the team likes to fish the ponds around Storrs.
The group has gone bowling a number of times QB Kalieb Osborne is the best on the team according to Dunn; he bowled a 300 while they were at Toledo.
Im trying to work on being a leader on the team, so every face I see, I always try to get to know everybodys name and build real relationships, know them on a more personal level versus just on the field.
Fans should expect to see a group that plays hard, fast and aggressive with a strong linebacking corps behind it, headlined by KVon Sherman , who comes into the year as one of the teams best and most proven players after making 93 tackles and 4.5 sacks last season as a sophomore last year at Toledo.
Were gonna give it our all.
Its a big difference from last years scheme, so I think (fans) will be surprised on just how many big plays well make because Coach Manny (Manalac), his defense is very explosive and (attacks vertically), Dunn said.
I think the biggest difference will be more TFLs, more plays being made not to say there was no plays being made in the past, but I just know I was at Michigan State for my undergrad, so Ive been in three different defenses in my career so I know this defense is definitely gonna be a lot more productivity.