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UConn’s Joe Fagnano Shuts Down Midseason Heisman Chatter
Nov 1, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies quarterback Joe Fagnano (2) runs to the field to warm up before the start of the game against the UAB Blazers at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

UConn’s Joe Fagnano Shuts Down Midseason Heisman Chatter

Originally posted on UConn Huskies on SI
By Shivani Menon  |  Last updated Nov 14, 2025 8:37 AM ET

The UConn Huskies' win over Duke shook the team's season, but did even more to pour gasoline on a growing national storyline surrounding quarterback Joe Fagnano. The fifth-year senior was brilliant in the 37–34 win over the Fighting Irish. He threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns.

It was the kind of outing that usually boosts a player into awards conversations, but Fagnano isn’t interested in detours. So, when Aaron Torres asked Fagnano if he’d ever pictured his name being tied to the Heisman Trophy, Fagnano didn’t try to glamorize the moment.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Fagnano said. “To even have my name mentioned with an award like that is pretty cool. I'm still wrapping my head around it. It's pretty cool, but it’s something that at the end of the year I think I can look back on and be more proud of, rather than right now. Right now, it’s still the middle of the season, so I'm trying to stay focused and take it one week at a time. But it's pretty cool. It's awesome, but at the same time, you have to be able to deal with some success and still move forward.”

While Fagnano is appreciative, he is just as anchored. The Duke performance that the world saw was only the continuation of one of the most statistically airtight seasons any FBS quarterback has produced in years.

Fagnano has 2,840 yards, 25 touchdowns, a 68.8% completion rate, and not a single interception in 343 attempts this season. His five 250-plus-yard games and repeated three-touchdown outings put him in Joe Burrow territory.

Burrow is the only other quarterback in a decade to match that streak. It is the kind of production that inevitably brings a player into Heisman discussions. The Heisman machinery isn’t easy to crack, but Fagnano has at least nudged his way into the national frame.

Fagnano appeared among the 72 names in the Heisman Fan Vote, a sliver of legitimacy for a quarterback who began his career far off the national radar in Maine. The fan vote counts as one ballot in a pool crowded by 870 media voters and 57 former Heisman winners, but it still matters for UConn.

If that single ballot lists Fagnano anywhere in the top three, he would become the first active UConn player ever to receive a Heisman vote. And with UConn’s offense behind him, there’s still room for his season to stretch into something even more historic.

Joe Fagnano Ranks No. 1 Ahead of Air Force Clash

The chatter isn’t just coming from fans. CBS Sports has ranked Fagnano to No. 1 in its College Football QB Power Rankings this week. He is, after all, only the third quarterback in 25 years to reach 25 touchdown passes without an interception.

To make things more interesting, he is doing it while carrying UConn toward a potential 9-win season. Next up, the Huskies will face the Air Force Falcons for the first time. That matchup brings an entirely different kind of test.

Air Force leads the Mountain West in rushing, passing efficiency, and yards per completion. The Falcons also control the clock like few programs can. They are ranked fifth nationally in time of possession and have held three straight opponents to 21 points or fewer. Jim Mora, much like Fagnano, has shut the noise out.

As Mora puts it, “I mean, these are some of the smartest young men in the United States of America. They’re warriors. They play with that warrior spirit. They’re relentless. You don’t go to the Air Force Academy unless you’ve got something special in your heart and soul, and they play that way. So, we just have to be ready for that.”

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This article first appeared on UConn Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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