UConn football secures two more commitments for the class of 2022

The grind never stops during recruiting season for Randy Edsall and the UConn football coaching staff, and this week was no exception. The Huskies picked up a pair of commitments from familiar places this class: Defensive lineman Reggie Jean from Orlando, Florida and offensive lineman Joden Nelson from York, Pennsylvania.

This brings the total number of UConn’s class of 2022 commits up to 12, with plenty of time left in the cycle to add impact players.

Jean committed to UConn just a few days after his teammate on the Foundation Academy defensive line, edge rusher Donovan Branch, committed last week.

“It feels great. I’ve known him for a long time. In college we’ll have the opportunity to stay in the same dorm and stuff like that,” Jean told the Orlando Sentinel. “It just feels nice knowing that someone is going to the same college as you.”

Jean held offers from Central Michigan, Air Force and Liberty, but an official visit to Storrs in June ended up sweeping him off his feet. Jean also mentioned that Edsall was a key figure in his and Branch’s recruitments.

“On the visit I’ve just been overwhelmed from that start because it really felt like home to me,” Jean told the Sentinel.

Jean was a force on the field during his senior year, with 68 tackles, 20 for loss and eight sacks in his school's 2020 campaign. He has good size for a defenive lineman, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighting in at 290 pounds.

Nelson is the second recruit in the class from the state of Pennsylvania. Like Jean, Nelson also fell in love with UConn’s campus during his visit and committed soon after, announcing on Tuesday afternoon.

“I was in awe of everything they showed me,” Nelson told the York Daily Record. “I didn’t know what to expect, but they exceeded my expectations. Everything I always dreamed about in a Division I football team, they had it. I could tell it was the environment I wanted to be in.”

Nelson stands 6-foot-4, 280-pounds and plays offensive tackle, but has been recruited to UConn to play center.