UConn’s Jackson Mitchell, Christian Haynes named nominees for major awards ahead of 2023 season

Hartford Courant
PUBLISHED August 1, 2023 at 2:10 p.m. | UPDATED: August 1, 2023 at 4:24 p.m.
National recognition came ahead of the 2023 season for two star UConn football seniors as Jackson Mitchell and Christian Haynes were each named to major award watch lists from the Football Writers Association of America on Tuesday.
Mitchell, a Ridgefield native who quickly became a face of the program, is among 94 defensive standouts in contention for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which goes to the top defensive player in college football. Haynes, an All-American in 2022, was one of 91 interior linemen named to the watch list for the Outland Trophy, which acknowledges the best interior lineman in the FBS.
Both players have been leaders on their respective sides of the ball since their arrival in Storrs and spent considerable time getting the team together for unofficial workouts in the summer leading into the 2023 season.
A linebacker, Mitchell was the Huskies’ leading tackler in each of the last two seasons. After making 113 total stops in 2021, Mitchell tied for sixth in UConn’s single-season record book with 140 last year (50 solo) on top of 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He added two quarterback hurries, three pass break-ups, including an interception, two forced fumbles and an FBS-leading five fumble recoveries.
After the team’s first day of fall practice on Monday, head coach Jim Mora hinted that this could be an even more impressive year for Mitchell.
“He knows the scheme now. I think for everybody last year it was a new scheme, offensively and defensively, and when you’re learning something new that creates a little bit of hesitation, it just does. Even if you’re an instinctive player like Jackson and a smart player like Jackson, and a dedicated guy who’s gonna study his tail off, there’s still just a slight hesitation,” Mora said. “Now he’s doing the same things over and over and over… and he’s doing it at a high level. If that gives him the inch he needs to make a play that maybe he didn’t make last year, that’s how it’s gonna help him.
“He’s an incredibly hard worker, this is very important to him, he’s a great leader, he’s a great teammate, he’s a hell of a player, and if he can feel comfortable doing what he’s doing – just those instinctive reactions – then he’s gonna be that much better than he is, which is pretty darn good already.”
Mitchell was just a two-star recruit out of Ridgefield High School, where he set a school record with 14.5 sacks as a senior. But he’s grown into a force at UConn, and was recognized as one of the best linebackers in college football when he was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award last year.
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2023 Nagurski trophy on Nov. 15 and the winner will be unveiled Dec. 4 at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C., according to a team release.
Haynes is likely to play center this season after spending most of his time at guard, a move he is comfortable with and one that will help showcase his versatility for the NFL once his UConn career comes to an end.
The 6-foot-2, 313-pound lineman from Bowie, Md. was named a preseason All-American by three different outlets (Athlon Sports, Walter Camp, Phil Steele) after leading UConn’s line that ranked 29th in the FBS with 18 sacks allowed. Haynes also played a large part in leading the Huskies’ rushing attack, which was 33rd in the country with 191 yards per game against FBS opponents.
“Everybody’s looking at me (as a leader) and saying, ‘If (Haynes isn’t) going hard, should I take a play off now?’ But every time I go hard they’re gonna go hard, so really as I go and the line goes, the team goes,” Haynes said Monday. “I just think that I can never slack off and never have a bad practice, I can never make bad decisions because the team’s gonna see me do that and think that it’s okay, and it’s not okay.”
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The recipient of the Outland Trophy, in its 78th year, will be announced on the College Football Awards show, live on ESPN in December. The official presentation to the winner will be made at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 10, 2024, according to a team release.
UConn opens the 2023 season under the lights at Rentschler Field against North Carolina State on Aug. 31.