Who is Joe Fagnano? Ravens starting 25-year-old undrafted rookie QB vs. Jaguars on 'Thursday Night Football'

Joe Fagnano spent seven seasons in the ever-changing world of college football before embarking on his pro career. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)G Fiume via Getty ImagesThe Baltimore Ravens turned heads in the spring when they signed undrafted free agent quarterback Diego Pavia, one of the biggest personalities in recent college football memory.The undersized Pavia, a Heisman Trophy runner-up at Vanderbilt, didn’t even make it to training camp before he was waived.Another former UDFA QB the Ravens inked back in April, however, was still with the organization by the time the preseason rolled around. That’s 25-year-old Joe Fagnano, a Williamsport, Pennsylvania, native who spent seven seasons playing college football in New England.Flash forward to Week 9, when the Ravens placed both starting signal-caller Lamar Jackson (thumb) and his backup, Tyler “Snoop” Huntley (turf toe) on injured reserve, and Fagnano is suddenly the Ravens’ QB1. While Baltimore is reportedly trading for recently benched Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, that deal hasn’t been completed yet.So, on “Thursday Night Football,” it’ll be the little-known Fagnano under center for a 4-4 Baltimore squad hoping to preserve its playoff hopes against a 5-2 Jacksonville Jaguars team that once again looks like an AFC title contender.It’s pronounced ‘Fin-YAWN-Oh’This week, Fagnano made that clear for those who didn’t know.In case you were wondering... @joefagnano on pronunciation 🙂 pic.twitter.com/mJEIDMl67a— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 3, 2026He’s not entirely healthy, eitherAlthough Fagnano isn’t dealing with an injury that’s keeping him out this week — let alone landing him on IR — he is playing through some pain.Fagnano is nursing a right ankle injury. He was a limited participant in Baltimore’s Monday walkthrough. But, despite wearing a significant guard/brace, he practiced in full on Tuesday. He also wasn’t limited on Wednesday, per the team’s injury report.Fagnano told reporters this week that his ankle feels fine.Last week, in a 36-10 road defeat to the Buffalo Bills, his number was called. With both Jackson and Huntley going down mid-game, Fagnano was thrust into action. He lost a fumble and threw for 91 yards on 10-of-21 passing, tossing a pick without a touchdown to his name in his first regular-season appearance.Fagnano was impressive in his three preseason outings, recording a combined 509 yards, 3 touchdowns and just 1 interception through the air while completing 74.7% of his passes, per Pro Football Focus.He was so good Baltimore kept him around, making for a surreal moment between general manager Eric DeCosta and Fagnano. DeCosta, whose Ravens rarely enter a season with three QBs on the 53-man roster, referred to Fagnano as “Cinderella Man” in that exchange:The best moment every year 🥹EDC tells undrafted rookies @joefagnano and @eburke4lax that they've officially made the 53-man roster: pic.twitter.com/uyKmhBNbyn— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 31, 2026On Thursday, Fagnano will become just the second undrafted rookie quarterback to start in the Ravens’ 32-year history, according to ESPN. The first was former Boston College and Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown, who got the nod for the 2022 regular-season finale at Cincinnati. Baltimore lost that game to the Bengals 27-16.Before Fagnano starred at UConn, he played at MaineFagnano posted an eye-catching 28:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio last season at UConn, which he helped notch back-to-back nine-win campaigns in 2024 and 2025. For reference, before that two-season surge, the Huskies hadn’t won that many games in a season since they went 9-4 in 2007. Back then, they were still playing Big East football.But prior to his days in Storrs, Connecticut, he suited up for the FCS Maine Black Bears for four seasons.Actually, he was a walk-on at Maine. He ultimately earned a scholarship there but dealt with an abundance of adversity. His second season at Maine was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following spring, he played in an alternate season several FCS programs took part in. The next fall, in 2021, he suffered an ankle injury that cut his season short after appearing in a mere four games.Even when he transferred to UConn, there were more hurdles to clear, namely the season-ending shoulder injury he sustained early in the 2023 campaign.With an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, plus more time afforded to him due to his injuries, he was in the ever-changing world of college football from 2019-25.His winding path has led him to Thursday night.