Penn State’s Roberson Heading to Storrs
The Story: Jim Mora landed his second transfer quarterback within two weeks yesterday when Ta’Quan Roberson, who spent his first two seasons at Penn State, announced he will transfer to UConn. It’s a massive coup for the Huskies.
WHO IS ROBERSON? A 5-foot-11, 197-pound dual-threat quarterback from Orange, N.J., Roberson will have three seasons of eligibility remaining after he played in six games during his three seasons at Penn State.
• Roberson was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2019 who was ranked as the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the country. Not only did he choose the Nittany Lions, he did so over offers from Ohio State, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and countless other schools. According to the Rivals.com evaluations, he’d be the first four-star quarterback to play for UConn since Zach Frazer, who also transferred in.
• He completed 11 of 28 passes for 85 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in four appearances for Penn State this season. He started the season as Sean Clifford‘s backup but struggled once Clifford was injured against Iowa, then fell down the depth chart. He announced on Dec. 13 he would transfer.
• It’s clear that Mora knows the recipe for success in the modern era of college football is to attack the transfer portal, which was always one of Randy Edsall‘s downfalls. He always believed players who were looking to transfer had baggage, but never was willing to accept that they may have just needed an opportunity.
HOW DOES HE FIT? The Huskies seem to be set now at quarterback, with Roberson joining Tyler Phommachanh, Steven Krajewski, Cale Millen and Jacob Drena entering the season.
• Millen, who will also have three seasons of eligibility remaining, decided to transfer to UConn from Northern Arizona two weeks ago. He originally committed to Oregon out of high school but left the school after he was injured. His father, Hugh, was an NFL quarterback who is friends with Mora.
• Even though Phommachanh showed flashes of brilliance last season, he can no longer be penciled in as the Huskies’ starter now that the transfers have joined the fold. Not only does Phommachanh have to wow the new coaching staff, he likely won’t be able to compete until late summer as he recovers from a torn ACL.
• Jack Zergiotis, who decided to transfer shortly after the season ended, chose Merrimack last week, and Micah Leon finally confirmed over the weekend he’ll leave UConn as well. (As always, you can keep track of the players who have left UConn, and where they ended up, on our transfer tracker.)
