Sad news out of UConn this afternoon. Quarterback Casey Cochran’s UConn career is over “due to Cochran sustaining multiple concussions during his career,” the athletic department said in a release.
Cochran, a redshirt sophomore from Monroe, Conn., was named starting quarterback by coach Bob Diaco after preseason camp. He split time when Chandler Whitmer in the season opening 35-10 loss to BYU, completing 17 of 31 passes for 171 yards with one interception.
Then came the surprising news last Thursday that Cochran would not play against Stony Brook last Saturday after he came forward and was diagnosed with a concussion. Whitmer started in his place and led the Huskies to their first victory of the season.
UConn quarterback Casey Cochran (Ken Davis photo)
Diaco said Sunday that he would have an announcement on Tuesday, at UConn’s regularly scheduled press conference. But UConn released the news just after 3:30 p.m, saying the Division of Athletics medical staff and the Cochran family had decided that Cochran would “permanently discontinue playing football.”
The release did not say how many concussions Cochran has sustained. The Hartford Courant reported the number was four during his time at UConn.
The release did state: “All those involved in the decision making process feel it is in the best interest of Cochran to end his football playing career and focus on his continued well-being. ”
“A silver lining in this matter is that Casey has an interest in pursuing a career in coaching,” Diaco said in a statement. “We can now accelerate his development in that area as he transitions from a player role to a mentor role as he continues to serve the team.”
Whitmer will likely continue to to start. Exactly how the quarterback position is handled from this point on, isn’t clear yet. Tim Boyle, a sophomore from Middlefield, is now likely to move into the No. 2 spot. Diaco had hoped to red-shirt Boyle.
“He’s going to prepare for the games,” Diaco said of Boyle when Cochran was named starter. “He’s going to prepare the team to win. We will not hesitate to go with Tim and expect him to go in and perform at a winning level. If we can we’re going to protect him. That will give us an opportunity to create separation as it relates to years. If it’s possible, we will make that every effort.”
UConn plays Boise State Saturday at Rentschler Field.
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