Hometown Hero: CT Native Becomes First Football Husky to Commit for 2027

With official visits just around the corner, many 2027 Huskies will be announcing their commitments in June. New HC Jason Candle and company got one out of the way early, as Waterbury native Dae’Sean Graves announced his commitment to the football Huskies. He chose UConn over offers from Syracuse, UMass, Liberty, Wake Forest, Fordham, Buffalo, James Madison, and Bryant.

After a monster sophomore season for Holy Cross, where Graves caught 74 catches for a school record 1,215 yards, Graves’ recruiting began to take off, earning that first offer from the Orange. The sad reality of CT HS football is after a season like that, some of the many prep schools in the area would come calling. Graves told CT Insider “I wanted to stay here and finish what we have built...I believe this can be a playoff championship team.”

This past season, his junior year, Graves continued to produce at a high level, catching 80 passes for 1,149 yards and 20 TDs. At 6’0” 160 lbs, Graves will have to add some weight to his frame, but his speed and athleticism more than makes up for it. His coach told CT Insider “athletically, in most of our games, he is the best athlete on the field.” His performance earned him Class M Player of the Year for a Holy Cross team that finished 8-4 after a 7-3 regular season that saw the Crusaders lose to Berlin in the Class M semifinal. 

For his part, Graves is ready to be a Husky. “I chose the University of Connecticut because it felt like home the moment I stepped on campus. The coaching staff believes in me, the program is building something special, and I know I can develop on and off the field here. I’m ready to get to work and represent the Huskies.” 

Class of 2027 recruiting news is just getting started, so stay with Storrs Central throughout the spring for all the updates. Find our Class of 2027 Recruiting Tracker here.