After receiving program-altering news during the offseason, will Randy Edsall’s UConn football team be able to keep the focus on the field in 2019?

After serving as AAC bottom feeder since 2013, the UConn Huskies will return to the Big East in 2020. Basketball is the bread and butter in Storrs, and this is probably the best move for the school. After years in the AAC, the Huskies will once again play rivals such as Villanova, Georgetown, and St. John’s.

It does, unfortunately, have a negative impact for the football program. They have struggled, yes, but whatever conference affiliation they take next will be a downgrade. The American is the strongest non-Power Five conference in football, so UConn is certainly making a sacrifice on the gridiron.

The Huskies finished the 2018 season with a 1-11 record, and went winless in conference play. They were porous defensively, and mostly inept on offense. Head coach Randy Edsall hired a new coordinator for each side of the ball, in hopes that change may light a fire.

On the field, there’s really nowhere to go but up. As so much distraction and uncertainty faces this program off the field, can Edsall improve the product in his second tenure?