After putting in work during the portal season, signing close to 60 new Huskies, HC Jason Candle and company put the finishing touches on the class of 2026, signing six new Huskies. None of the names are a surprise, as they all had announced their intentions to commit to UConn, but did not sign during the early signing period in December and enroll early.
Take a look at the signees below:
TE Jackson Mangham (Lewis Center, OH)
- 247 Rating: 87
- On3 Rating: 90
- ESPN rating: 76
Mangham is a very intriguing prospect, the archetype of someone who is supremely athletic but raw. Standing at 6’8” 240, Mangham’s recruitment took off during his senior year, earning offers from Toledo, Western Michigan, UTSA, and Robert Morris. Midway through the season, he got an invite to attend an Alabama game, as well as Cincinnati, showing how he was getting noticed. He stayed loyal to Candle and signed with Toledo, just for Candle to leave for Storrs days later. He was let out of his signing with the Rockets, and Mangham soon committed to UConn. With his height, he also is a PF/C on his high school’s basketball team, and has helped lead them to a 16-1 record, 7-0 in divisional play.
OL Owen Winder (Dexter, MI)
- 247 rating: 85
- On3 rating: 87
- ESPN rating: 74
Winder is a big OL at 6’8” 310, and was committed to Iowa State, but decommitted when Cyclones HC left for Penn State. He went on an official visit to Toledo last June, and the relationship built paid off for UConn, as Winder chose to join Coach Candle after all. In addition to ISU, Winder had offers from Duke, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, West Virginia, Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Toledo, and Western Michigan (3/4 of the MAC). On the field, Winder earned First Team All-Conference, All-Region, and All-State in Michigan.
ED Rodarion Tellez (Plantation, FL)
- 247 rating: 84
- On3 rating: 86
- ESPN rating: 75
Telez was also committed to Coach Candle at Toledo, before joining him in Storrs. Tellez hails from Plantation, FL, playing at powerhouse American Heritage. Tellez also held offers from UMass, Eastern Michigan, UAB, Liberty, FAU, Western Michigan, Kentucky, and Bowling Green. At American Heritage, he was part of three state championship teams, and he earned First Teamm All-Broward County this past season. He totaled 71 tackles, 22 for loss this season, with 15 of those TFLs sacks. In his career spanning three seasons, he recorded 213 tackles, 57 for loss, 36.5 sacks, and five fumble recoveries.
LB Tyrique Harris (Clearwater, FL)
- 247 rating: 84
- On3 rating: 84
- ESPN rating: 74
Harris was the first HS commit for Coach Candle, committing on December 12th. He too was committed to Candle at Toledo, but opted out of his signing mere hours after Candle announced his move to UConn. Harris held offers from Georgia State, App State, Wake Forest, FIU, Buffalo, FAU, Georgia Southern, Liberty, Iowa State, Troy, and Arkansas State, in addition to Toledo. He had a hugely productive senior season, notching 113 tackles, nine for loss, seven PBUs, and an INT. In his career, also spanning three seasons, he totaled 276 tackles, 28.5 for loss, 23.5 sacks, and 13 PBUs.
DB Martece Smith (Hammond, IN)
- 247 rating: 82
- On3 rating: 84
- ESPN rating: N/A
Stop me if you’ve heard this before; Smith was also committed to Toledo before the coaching change and now will be a Husky. He took his time with making a decision, ultimately decommitting from Toledo on December 30th, and announcing his commitment to UConn on January 25th. He held offers from Northern Illinois, Miami (OH), Bowling Green, UMass, Buffalo, and Western Michigan. A two-way player for Hammond HS, Smith, who is primarily being recruited as a DB, totaled 48 tackles and two INTs over his two year career. Offensively, he caught eight passes for 131 yards and a TD, with six of those catches coming as a junior.
S Grant Blascak (Medina, OH)
- 247 rating: 86
- On3 rating: 85
- ESPN rating: 75
Blascak is a good recruiting get, as the Huskies held off Kentucky for the services of the Ohio safety. As is tradition, Blascak was committed to Toledo, choosing the Rockets over offers from Buffalo, Miami (OH), Kent State, Bowling Green, UMass, Ohio, and Youngstown State, in addition to the names previously mentioned. During his senior season, he recorded 106 tackles, five for loss, seven PBUs, and two INTs. According to his X account, he can bench 225 for 16 reps, and can front squat 405, which I’d say is good.
