Six former University of Connecticut football players have been invited to participate in upcoming National Football League rookie mini-camps in May, the school announced on April 26.
The invitations offer these athletes an opportunity to earn free agent contracts and continue their football careers at the professional level. The six players include quarterback Joe Fagnano, place kicker Chris Freeman, tight end Lou Hansen, linebacker Donovan Branch, punter Connor Stutz, and cornerback Devin Pringle.
Fagnano will attend the Baltimore Ravens rookie camp. He was a 2025 Heisman Award candidate as well as a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist and was also the 2025 Gold Helmet winner by the New England Football Writers Association and the Offensive Player of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. He started 12 games for UConn this season—the first Huskies quarterback to do so since 2018—and set several school records including fewest interceptions in a season (one) and highest passing efficiency rating (161.03). Over his college career at both UConn and Maine, Fagnano played in 51 games with more than 10,900 passing yards and 94 touchdowns.
Freeman will take part in camp with the Houston Texans after leading UConn in scoring for two straight seasons. He converted all extra point attempts during his tenure at UConn (101-for-101) and made over eighty-two percent of his field goals across two seasons after transferring from Indiana.
Hansen, Branch, and Stutz will attend Kansas City Chiefs rookie camp. Hansen played three seasons for UConn after transferring from Michigan; he appeared in all games this past season as starting tight end. Branch completed his entire collegiate career at UConn as a linebacker while Stutz served as Huskies punter for two years following a transfer from Sacramento State.
Pringle is set to join Chicago Bears rookie camp after starting twelve games last fall at cornerback for UConn following four years at Grand Valley State.
The participation of these athletes reflects their achievements during their time with the Huskies program and offers them an opportunity to compete for spots on NFL rosters.
