UConn football announces signings of 16 players, including transfers from Kansas State, UCF

The UConn football program announced it received national letters of intent from 12 incoming freshmen on Wednesday’s National Signing Day, and the addition of four transfers. Wednesday was the first day of the early signing period, when high school players began choosing their schools. The signing period runs through Friday.

The Huskies added transfers from major programs, including Kervins Choute, a defensive lineman from Central Florida, Jordan Wright, a defensive back from Kansas State, and Jayden Simon, a defensive lineman from Tulsa. They also signed Cole Welliver, a Texas high school quarterback who played for former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas. Welliver had offers from Colorado, Colorado State and Arizona State, according to 247Sports.com.

“Cole is a proven winner,” UConn offensive coordinator Nick Charlton said in a release. “He has elite accuracy with over a 70% completion percentage. Cole made big throws down the field and accounted for 50 touchdowns this past fall. He represented his team as captain, finished his senior season undefeated for the first time in school history, and won a Texas state championship. We are excited he is joining Husky Nation.”

Linebacker Jon Morris of Fairfield Prep also signed with the Huskies on Wednesday.

“(We) love his versatility, long athlete that is physical at the point of contact,” assistant coach Siriki Diabate said of Morris. “Local talent that has a promising future. Excited to have him.”

“We are excited to announce the newest additions to the UConn football family,” head coach Jim Mora said in a release. “Our coaching staff has put in a lot of hard work and done a great job of bringing in a strong group of young men who will help us to continue building our football program. This is a solid start, but we still have work to do in the coming weeks as we build our roster for next season.”

Here’s a look at the future Huskies:

Cooper Ackerman, Fr., DL, 6-3/240, Shrewsbury, Mass. / Shrewsbury HS Was honored as a Mid-Wach Defensive All-Star and Mid-Wach MVP in 2023.

Kervins Choute, Transfer, DL 6-3 / 302, Coconut Creek, Fla. / Deerfield Beach HS / Central Florida Joins UConn after three seasons at UCF and will have two years of eligibility remaining… As a junior, he appeared in 6 games and totaled 7 tackles.

Ethan Hogg, Fr., LB, 6-2 / 210, Glenview, Ill. / Loyola Academy Helped lead Loyola to a 14-0 overall record and back-to-back state championships… Finished his high school career with 122 total tackles, including 22 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in 26 games played.

Oliver Lundberg Coleman, Fr., RB, 5-9 / 197, Gothenburg, Sweden / RIG Academy Before UConn played for head Robert Johansson at RIG Academy in Sweden. Lundberg Coleman helped his team win the Nordic Championship and was named the MVP. He won the 2021 national championship with the Taby Flyers and the 2022 national championship with the Gothenburg Marvels. In 2022, the running back was named MVP of the European Championships for the second straight season.

Deron McLaughlin, Fr., OL, 6-3 / 285, Park Ridge, N.J. / Park Ridge HS A two-time All Bergen County lineman, in his senior season, helped lead Park Ridge to a 7-3 overall record and a 4-0 record in conference action.

Brock Montgomery, Fr., WR, 6-1 / 195, Lebanon, Tenn. / Riverdale HS Helped lead Riverdale to a 10-3 overall record and a 5-0 record in conference action… Honored as Region 3-6A wide receiver of the year, Montgomery finished his senior season with 76 receptions for 1,295 yards and 17 touchdowns… Additionally, Montgomery led Riverdale in Receiving yards per game (107.9), and total touchdowns and receiving touchdowns (17).

Jon Morris, Fr., LB, 6-2 / 191, Fairfield, Conn. / Fairfield Prep Honored as Connecticut All-State Top 28 Football players list and was honored as an All-SCC Tier 1 Defensive Back in 2023… Morris finished his senior season with 110 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions.

Jordan Wright, Transfer, DB, 5-10 / 171, Cordova, Tenn. / Collierville HS / Kansas State Joins UConn after stops at Kansas State and Fullerton College…A grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining… Appeared in 13 total games at Kansas State, registering 8 total tackles and 2 pass deflections… At Fullerton College, Wright posted 21 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and 10 pass deflections during the 2021 season earning him All-Region and All-Conference honors.

Clemens Richter, Fr., TE, 6-5/ 228, Dresden, Germany / Dresden Monarchs Helped lead Dresden to an 11-3 overall record and a 10-2 record in conference action…Richter was featured in an offense that averaged 40.1 points per game, and 337.1 yards per game.

Diego Rodriguez, Fr., OL, 6-4 / 270, Hillside, N.J. / Hillside HS Helped lead Hillside to a 6-3 overall record and a 4-0 record in conference action… Helped Hillside rushers game 1,290 yards on the season and 143.3 yards per game.

Jayden Simon, Transfer, DL, 6-3 / 330, Tacoma, Wash. / Lincoln HS / Tulsa Joins UConn following stops at Colorado and most recently Tulsa…A grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining… Simon registered 32 total tackles and 1 forced fumble in 13 games played… Prior to his time at Tulsa, Simon spent three seasons at Colorado… Saw action in eight games at Colorado and recorded 3 tackles during the 2021 season.

Terrence Smith, Fr., WR, 5-10 / 165, Aiken, S.C. / South Aiken HS A four-year letter winner, Smith finished his high school career throwing for 2,616 yards and 20 touchdowns… Additionally, Smith finished his career with 3,648 rushing yards on 367 carries, for 47 total touchdowns… Honored as 4A Region5 Offensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, Smith set the school record for all-purpose yards (6,396), all-purpose touchdowns (67), and yards per catch (9.9).

Kaleb Stewart, Fr., LB, 5-11 / 198, Miramer, Fla. / Chaminade Madonna Prep Helped lead Chaminade to a 14-0 overall record in his senior season which included a State Championship for the second year in a row… Stewart finished his high school career with 257 total tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 8 pass deflections and three forced fumbles.

Connor Stutz, Transfer, Punter, 6-1 / 217, Seattle, Wash. / Bishop Blanchet HS / Sacramento State Joins UConn after playing at Sacramento State and will have two years of eligibility remaining… In two seasons at Sacramento State, Stutz appeared in 26 total games, punting for a total of 456 yards on 10 attempts for an average of 45.6 yards per punt.

Dominic Toy, Fr., TE, 6-4 / 218, Chester, Pa. / Chester HS A two-year letter winner finished his high school career with 56 receptions for 981 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Cole Welliver, Fr., QB, 6-6 / 210, Flower Mound, Texas / Liberty Christian HS Finished his high school career playing for Cowboys legend Jason Witten at Liberty Christian high school in Argyle, Texas… In his senior season, helped lead Liberty Christian to a 14-0 overall record… Honored as First Team All-District, First Team All-State, District MVP, and Academic All-State in 2023… Welliver finished his senior season throwing for 3082 yards and 50 touchdowns… A three-year letter winner, Welliver finished his high school career throwing for 4,457 yards, 60 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.