Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies received great news on Tuesday amid their pursuit of a national championship. 

Azzi Fudd is returning to Storrs next season.

The first-team All-Big East guard is using her redshirt season of eligibility and will be back at Connecticut to lead the Huskies in the 2025-26 campaign, she announced on Instagram on Tuesday. 

Fudd’s collegiate career has been hampered by injuries as the top-ranked prospect in the 2021 recruiting class was limited to just 15 games in 2022-23 before suffering a season-ending ACL injury after only two games in the 2023-24 campaign. Her return season, which began four games into this year, has given Paige Bueckers a backcourt running mate, and it’s paid off as Fudd has been one of the top shotmakers in the nation, shooting 49% from the floor and 45% from 3-point territory while averaging 13.4 points per game. She also tallied career-highs in assists with 53 and steals with 36 this season. 

In her first two NCAA Tournament games of this run, wins over Arkansas State and South Dakota State, Fudd combined to score 44 points on 16-of-25 shooting from the floor.

For Fudd, who Steph Curry has praised for having “more of a textbook jumper than anyone he’s ever seen,” coming back to UConn means she can take the steering wheel of the team from Bueckers, who is a first-team All-American and in the mix for national player of the year honors.

Fudd told ESPN that she believes returning to UConn means she can “work on everything I need to work on.” The talented 5-foot-11 guard added that Auriemma explained to her that she hasn’t done everything she’s capable of doing in a UConn uniform yet. 

With Connecticut’s NIL pot, which is among the strongest in women’s college basketball, the finances of this move make sense for Fudd, who will be one of the faces of the sport next year. 

For now, it’s all about pursuing a national title with Bueckers, Sarah Strong & Co. as the Huskies try to end a nine-year drought. 

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.

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