Devontae Houston, Eriq Gilyard no longer on UConn football’s roster

Devontae Houston is no longer with UConn football. The running back from Roanoke, Alabama has decided to redshirt this year and enter the transfer portal, as first reported by Graham Chamberlain of Rivals.

The junior averaged 6.9 yards per carry last season and had 126 rushing yards on 19 carries and a 37-yard screen pass for a touchdown against FIU in his best performance of this season. He had seven carries in each of the team’s first two games and logged one carry last week against Duke before leaving the game.

Houston and linebacker Eriq Gilyard, who transferred in from Kansas this year, are no longer listed on the official UConn roster. Gilyard’s college career started at UCF before transferring to Kansas and coming to UConn as a grad transfer.

Maurice Wilmer, a transfer from Nevada, is in Gilyard’s previous spot on the depth chart at backup middle linebacker. Wilmer started three games and made 11 appearances for the Wolfpack in 2022, finishing with 25 tackles, two TFL, and one fumble recovery.

This follows the departure of running back Brian Brewton from the team a few weeks ago, which head coach Jim Mora revealed last week, before the Duke game. It leaves the Huskies a little thin at the position.

Cam Edwards, a sophomore from Norwalk, and Jalen Mitchell, a transfer from Louisville, are the main candidates to pick up the slack with Houston gone. Edwards saw his first action of the season against a tough Duke defense, finishing with 12 carries for 43 yards. Mitchell had his first carries against Duke as well after catching one pass at Georgia State for his only other touch of the season.

Victor Rosa, UConn’s leading rusher last year and so far this year, has been dealing with some lingering injuries in his shoulder and back. He’s playing through it but will certainly need some help behind him as the Huskies look to overcome their 0-4 start to the season and win their first game when they host Utah State this Saturday.