The Huskies are getting stronger on both sides of the ball.
UConn football has announced the additions of defensive back Sammy Anderson Jr., running back MJ Flowers, defensive lineman Trent Jones II, and linebacker Terry Kirksey Jr.
Two players come from Division I FCS schools: Anderson from Austin Peay and Flowers from Eastern Illinois. The other two will arrive from FBS schools: Jones from Iowa State and Kirksey from Kansas State.
This will be Anderson’s second go-around in the FBS. The redshirt senior from Dayton, Ohio spent his first four seasons with Cincinnati (2020-2023) before transferring to Austin Peay. In 2024, he played nine of the team’s 12 games, recording 24 tackles and a team-high four interceptions. He is now the third defensive back to join UConn out of the portal, alongside Devin Pringle of Grand Valley State and Kolubah Pewee Jr. of Georgetown. 2025 will be Anderson’s sixth season of college football,
Running back has been a volatile position group for the Huskies, who welcome Flowers into a backfield that will return its leading rusher from 2024, Cam Edwards, but send off Durell Robinson to Auburn of the SEC. In three years at EIU, Flowers got some serious yardage under his belt. The redshirt sophomore rushed for over 850 yards in both 2023 and 2024. His usage in the backfield increased quite a bit in 2024, as he was handed the ball 213 times in 12 games, rushing for an average of 72.1 yards per game.
For reference, Edwards rushed for 756 yards in 2024 on 129 carries. Robinson did about the same, rushing for 731 yards on 22 fewer carries than Edwards. Flowers’ advantage is his ability to receive the ball out of the backfield. He hauled in 35 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns in 2024. Compared to Edwards and Robinson, the tandem had just 222 receiving yards combined. Flowers’ receiving totals would rank third on the Huskies this year.
Jones, a junior, will join the Huskies after spending three seasons with the Iowa State Cyclones. He had his best season as a defensive end in 2023, tallying 19 tackles and three sacks in 13 games played. His playing time regressed to just six games in 2024 when he totaled just six tackles and no sacks. Jones is the third defensive lineman to be brought in out of the portal, joining Stephon Wright of SMU and Vincent Jackson of Nebraska.
At Kansas State, Kirksey made an appearance in just four games throughout the 2024 season, making one tackle. UConn initially offered Kirksey in 2022 out of high school, but the linebacker ulitmately chose the Wildcats. Now, the Huskies will get the redshirt junior heading into the 2025 season.
The four newest signings bring UConn’s total number of commits out of the portal to nine. UConn has recruited heavily on the defensive end, having now brought in seven players on that side of the ball. Flowers is just the second offensive player to pick UConn out of the portal, joining lineman Hayden Bozich of Brown.