UConn football defensive coordinator Lou Spanos takes leave of absence

With less than 10 days until the start of the Jim Mora Era at UConn and the 2022 football season, the Huskies will likely be without defensive coordinator Lou Spanos. The school announced Spanos is taking a leave of absence from the team due to personal reasons and have not announced a date when he will return.

Spanos served as the interim coach for the Huskies for 10 games last season after former head coach Randy Edsall stepped down, leading UConn to their only win of the season, a 21-15 victory over in-state rival Yale. He was retained on the staff following Mora’s hiring as head coach since the two worked closely together throughout their respective careers, with Spanos spending time as Mora’s defensive coordinator at UCLA.

Following the school’s announcement, Mora and UConn have not yet named an interim defensive coordinator. Out of the new defensive coaches on this year’s staff, only defensive backs coach Dalton Hilliard has any sort of previous coordinator experience at the collegiate level. Hilliard served as defensive pass game coordinator at Tennessee-Martin for two season from 2019-2020. Linebackers coach Sriki Diabate is another potential option with plenty of experience after spending five seasons as a linebackers coach at Middle Tennessee State.