Central York defensive star will make next football home in Connecticut

For the longest time, it appeared Saxton Suchanic was headed to an Ivy League school.

The Central York rising senior looked at all of them, including visits to Harvard and Yale in the weeks following the Panthers' boys' basketball state championship win. Because the talented cornerback is as concerned about his career off the football field as he is on it.

But then he went to the University of Connecticut, and he said everything fell into place.

"For me, it's the perfect school," he said Friday. "The official visit felt like home; a place I feel welcome and where I can thrive."

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Suchanic said he was very specific about what he wanted as he went through the recruiting process. He was looking for a place where he could reach his potential on and off the field.

He believes he has found that academically at UConn, where he will major in business or finance. Something to do with numbers.

He believes he has found that with the Huskies on the field as well.

UConn joins Notre Dame as the only independent FBS football teams. That means they don't have a set group of schools they have to play each season. This year the Huskies will play Maryland, Merrimack, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Buffalo, Temple, Wake Forest, Rice, Georgia State, UAB, Syracuse and UMass.

The lack of a conference doesn't bother Suchanic.

"Look at our schedule, we still get a lot of Power 4, Power 5 schools," Suchanic said. "And I've been hearing that it might not be long before we join a conference, likely the ACC."

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The Huskies are coming off a 3-9 season, which was head coach Jim Mora's second in Storrs. Mora led UConn to a 6-6 mark in his first year and a spot in their first postseason bowl since 2015.

If Mora's name sounds familiar, it should. He has a lengthy resume with coaching stops at major colleges and a couple of NFL teams. He also shares a name with his father, a longtime coach of the New Orleans Saints.

"It's crazy to think about Mora as my coach," Suchanic said. "His name is pretty big, but he's super down to earth. He was standing around talking to everyone, players and parents, on my official visit. He's not Hollywood. He doesn't let his name get in the way of his players."

Suchanic said he was recruited to play his high school position. He was named all-state at cornerback last year after not allowing a touchdown. In fact, he only recorded 31 tackles and 11 passes defended because quarterbacks rarely threw in his direction.

He carried that same defensive tenacity onto the basketball court, where he often guarded the opposition's best player. That happened in the state final when Parkland went away from their top scorer for the final shot in Central's 53-51 win.

That team's success leaves one of Suchanic's few remaining questions. Should he leave high school in January to get a jumpstart on college and football?

"I don't know yet about leaving early," he said. "I ask myself that every day. I would love to stay and finish basketball. I'll sit down with my parents and talk about what's best for me."

He knows the best is UConn. He just doesn't know when.

Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email mstallsmith@ydr.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter @ShelStallsmith.