UConn football lands highly-rated 2021 kicker Joseph McFadden

You heard the rumors, folks, and I’m here to let you know: they’re all true. UConn football landed its first six-star recruit in school history* on Thursday, as kicker Joseph McFadden pledged his future to the Huskies.

*Well, according to kicker recruiting website Josh Sailer Kicking. Their website contains much more information on how they rate high school kickers, and contains a good explanation on how they rate kickers the way they do, so it’s nothing to sneeze at.

McFadden attends the famed football factory Southlake Carroll high school in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and chose the Huskies over offers from Army, Arizona, Penn and Lafayette.

“I chose UConn because I thought it was the perfect mix of academics and football,” McFadden told the Forth Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s one of the top academic schools in the country and it’s a big time football program. The coaches showed that they really were invested in me which is important.

“They also gave me the opportunity to compete for the starting job right away and enroll early at the school.”

McFadden will be fighting for that starting spot with redshirt sophomores Clayton Harris and Noah Iden, along with true freshman Noe Ruellas when the Huskies return to the gridiron in 2021. Last year, Iden functioned more as a kickoff specialist, so McFadden’s true position battle will be with Harris, who made 10 of 16 field goals in 2019.