On Monday, UConn announced that coach Randy Edsall will step down immediately as the football program’s head coach; defensive coordinator Lou Spanos will serve as interim head coach. Spanos has never served as a head coach before, and has served as UConn’s defensive coordinator since 2009.

On Sunday, Edsall had announced that he would retire at the end of the season. However, UConn athletic director Davi Benedict said in the statement: “Upon further reflection by both Randy and I, and after having the opportunity to visit with Randy today, we are both in agreement that it is in the best interest of our student-athletes to have a new voice leading UConn football”. 

With just two games into the season, Edsall’s second stint with the Huskies will now come to an end.  Edsall went 74-70 at UConn from 1999 to 2010 before leaving for Maryland where he went 22-34. Since returning in 2017, the Huskies are 6–32 with Edsall at the helm, including a 45-0 loss to Fresno State and a 38-28 loss to Holy Cross, an FCS school, to start the 2021 season. Edsall said in his statement on Sunday: “Back in 2017 I made a commitment to the University, but felt it was better to make this announcement now rather than the end of the year, to allow the university ample time to prepare for the future of the football program. All my focus and attention for the rest of the season will be to prepare our players and coaches to go out and win as many games as possible.”

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