Home US SportsNCAAF UConn football notes: Skyler Bell preparing to play at Fenway, a role for Victor Rosa

UConn football notes: Skyler Bell preparing to play at Fenway, a role for Victor Rosa

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STORRS — Skyler Bell put his name in the transfer portal, but that does not mean UConn will be without its top receiving threat for the bowl game it earned.

“Skyler’s at practice,” coach Jim Mora said, “I think he has some trips lined up when we have a day off or two, but he says he is committed to play.”

Running back Durell Robinson and defensive back Malcolm Bell will not be playing for UConn in the Fenway Bowl vs. North Carolina on Dec. 28. Those are the only players among those in the portal who have opted out so far. Defensive lineman Pryce Yates is also practicing with intent to play.

How Jim Mora and UConn football are navigating the transfer portal with Fenway Bowl on the horizon

“My message to these guys was, ‘you worked so hard to get to this point, let’s finish it,’” Mora said. “Them being in the portal is not an affront to us.”

In an interview with state reporters Friday, Mora again lamented the intersection of the portal, postseason games and the academic calendar that puts players in this position. The transfer portal opens Dec. 8, and closes at the end of the month so a player can join a new school for the spring semester.

“It’s not fair to the players,” Mora said. “If we’re going to preach student-athlete, preach that we serve the players, let’s do it. The best interest of our players comes first. At this level, the calendar has to fit with academics and it doesn’t fit. I don’t understand why we’re putting players in a position where they have to make a decision whether to stick with their team and ride it out, finish a great season, in college playoffs or bowl games or ditch those dreams, ditch their teams and go into the portal.”

Bell, who transferred from Wisconsin, became what he wanted to be at UConn, a top-priority receiving target, catching 47 passes for 783 yards. Whether he’d want to go back to a power-conference school is the question. UConn is expected to make every effort to satisfy his name-image-likeness income goals. His presence has the potential to be impactful for UConn (8-4) in this opportunity against an ACC opponent.

Dom Amore: Skyler Bell came to UConn football to be ‘The Guy,’ and so far he has been

“He’s a very dynamic player,” quarterback Joe Fagnano said. “When you look back at this year, when we’ve needed a play, needed a spark, a lot of the time it was him.”

Return of Rosa.

With Robinson out, there’s an opening in the backfield for Victor Rosa to return. Rosa dealt with a hamstring injury early in the season, then had surgery for a broken finger and was not cleared to return for several weeks. By then, it was decided the best move was to redshirt and save the year of eligibility. Playing against North Carolina won’t affect that, so Rosa will join Cam Edwards and Mel Brown in the Huskies’ rotation of runners. … Former UConn linebacker Jackson Mitchell has signed on to play with the USFL’s Memphis Showboats. … Playing at Fenway will be a treat for the baseball fans on the Huskies. Fagnano and Edwards, from Norwalk, are Yankees fans. Louis Hansen, tight end from Massachusetts, is a long-time Red Sox fan. Rosa, from Bristol, was a Red Sox fan growing up.

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