2021 UConn Huskies football team

2021 UConn Huskies football
ConferenceIndependent
Record1–11
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorFrank Giufre (2nd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorLou Spanos (2nd season; first 2 games)
Jarren Horton (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumPratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field
2021 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 8 Notre Dame       11 2  
No. 19 BYU       10 3  
Army       9 4  
Liberty       8 5  
New Mexico State       2 10  
UMass       1 11  
UConn       1 11  
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 UConn Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) as an independent during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Randy Edsall, in his 16th and final season as head coach, for the first two games of the season and then Lou Spanos as interim head coach for the remainder of the year, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 1–11. The team played home games at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.

On September 5, following the team's 38–28 loss to NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member Holy Cross, head coach Edsall announced he would be retiring at the end of the season. The following day, the school announced that Edsall had resigned effective immediately and defensive coordinator Lou Spanos was named the interim head coach.

On November 11, former UCLA coach Jim L. Mora was hired the UConn's 31st head football coach beginning with the 2022 season. Shortly after the hire, he helped serve as an offensive assistant for the remainder of the season.

In June 2020, it was announced that UConn's other sports programs would be joining the Big East Conference. Since the Big East did not sponsor football and the American did not want to keep UConn as a football-only school, it was decided that the football program would compete as an independent. The move to the Big East was primarily due to the university wanting to focus more on the men's and women's basketball programs, feeling the American had hindered those programs.