When the 2013 season ended it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Casey Cochran would return as UConn's No. 1 quarterback.
Not only did Cochran lead UConn to a season-ending three game winning streak but he also threw for a single-game program record 461 yards in the regular-season finale against Memphis.
However, with a new head coach in Bob Diaco, new offensive coordinator in Mike Cummings and new quarterbacks coach in Don Patterson Cochran had to earn the job all over again.
The first step was doing the work in the weight room. Diaco said Cochran weighed in at 247 pounds at one point which predictably did not go over well with the new regime. He worked diligently to get down to under 220 pounds and showed enough during the preseason camp that he was named the team's starting quarterback on Monday.
While Chandler Whitmer, Tim Boyle and Cochran each started four games a season ago it was Cochran who led the team with 1,293 yards while completing 63.4 percent of his passes. He was the only one of the three quarterbacks to throw for more touchdowns than interceptions and his passing rating of 141.7 easily was the best on the team.