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The UConn Huskies were once one of college football's laughingstocks -- the ultimate little-brother program at a school that has long taken more pride in its basketball success.

Under coach Jim Mora Jr., however, UConn has steadily climbed toward respectability. Over the last two seasons, the Huskies have become one of the more competitive non-power conference teams in the country. Mora deserves plenty of credit for rebuilding the program, but the catalyst for their latest leap has been the emergence of quarterback Joe Fagnano.

Fagnano transferred from Maine in 2023 and redshirted after appearing in two games that season. In 2024, he split time at quarterback with Nick Evers but had seized the starting job by season's end -- leading UConn to its first bowl win in more than a decade with a victory over North Carolina in the Fenway Bowl.

Entering the 2025 season, the senior was the unquestioned starter and has guided the Huskies to a 7-3 start. Wins over Air Force (Saturday, Nov. 15, noon ET, CBS Sports Network) and FAU to close the regular season would send UConn to a bowl game at 9-3, with a chance at the first 10-win season in program history.

Fagnano ranks among the nation's leaders in nearly every passing category, completing 68.8% of his passes (18th nationally) for 2,840 yards (second), 25 touchdowns (third) and zero interceptions (first). His production places him alongside the likes of Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Julian Sayin and other top quarterbacks -- though he's done it well outside the national spotlight.

Some of that shine finally came his way Saturday, when he led UConn to one of the biggest wins in school history, a 38-35 victory over Duke. Fagnano was nearly flawless, completing 27 of 39 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 51 rushing yards.

His film shows the kind of quick processing that has allowed him to post those numbers without a single interception all season. Years of experience show up in the way Fagnano diagnoses defenses at the snap and knows exactly where to go with the football.

It certainly helps Fagnano to have a dominant receiver, which he has in Skyler Bell, and they have been the nation's most prolific quarterback-receiver combination this season. Bell is second in the country in receiving yards (1,081), first in receptions (85) and set a new UConn single-season record with 13 touchdown catches already this season, which leads all FBS receivers by three. 

Bell's second TD catch against Duke was the game-winner, with Fagnano hitting him on the back shoulder at the pylon for the go-ahead score. 

In the portal era, we are often enamored with what comes next for a player having a spectacular season, especially those outside the power conferences. But as a redshirt senior, this will be Fagnano's final season of college football. With no more eligibility, there will not be a transfer portal bidding war for him from power programs and he won't likely garner tons of NFL Draft buzz. 

Fagnano's season is a reminder that sometimes it's worth just celebrating what's happening right now rather than speculating on what's to come. In the present, he's generated a level of excitement around the UConn football program it hasn't seen in more than a decade. Saturday's win over Duke had more than 38,000 in attendance, the most at Rentschler Field since 2013, and forced national eyeballs to take notice of what's going on in Storrs. 

Fagnano has already put up the greatest quarterbacking season in UConn history, and with three games left in his career (including a bowl game), he can further cement his spot in Huskies lore and lead the program to it's best-ever season.