UMass Transfer Portal News--January 29th, 2026

 

The Minuteman Command has the complete snapshots of the 2026 transfer portal class.

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I subscribe to 247Sports, but I don't know if this link will be available to non-subscribers.

247Sports ranks UMass' transfer portal class as #2 in the MAC. 

If you can't see it, the MAC transfer portal rankings are

1. Toledo
2. UMass
3. Miami (Ohio)
4. Ohio
5. Ball State
6. Buffalo
7. Akron
8. Bowling Green
9. Central Michigan
10. Eastern Michigan
11. Western Michigan (corrected. I was thinking of Northern Illinois

Toledo had 14 three-star transfers. UMass had 12. Nobody else had more than nine.

247Sports has UMass #103 in FBS transfer portal ranking. The Power Four conference teams occupy (roughly) transfer portal slots 1-65. The Group-of-five teams, again roughly, compete for the slots 66-136, as they do for freshmen recruiting.

At #103 UMass in just into the top half of Group-of-Five teams.

Boston College is ranked #62, which sorta reflects their current status as the bottom of the ACC and near the bottom of the Power Four.

UConn is ranked #71, which is indicative of their  9-4 record  and status as one of the top Group-of-Five teams..

We'll see how it all plays out in 2026! 

 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Alijah Shaw

 UMass has offered to Alijah Shaw, a 6-8 275 pound OT from Leawood, KS.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his visit to Iowa State. 

Florida Atlantic and UMass (his first FBS offer) have offered from Group-of-Five. Power four Arkansas, Minnesota, Iowa State, Northwestern and Wisconsin have also offered.

Shaw could get an East Coast education and be in line for some early playing time in Amherst. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Jameer Henry

Hudl.com image

 UMass has offered to Jameer Henry, a 6-5 300 pound DL from Detroit, MI.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

Has offer from Michigan State. 

Henery has 23 offers including Power Four Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas and more. Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Miami (Ohio) have offered from the MAC.  

Henry would have a chance to start early in Amherst and make an impact on the program. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--DaWayne Jones

 UMass has offered to DaWayne Jones a 6-3 265 pound DL from Tulsa, OK.

247Sports has him as a high three-star recruit. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

This article covers his recruitment by Arizona. 

Jones has 23 offers including multiple offers by Power Four programs. LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Kansas State and others have offered. UMass and several other Group-of-Five teams have also offered. He would play earlier with the Minutemen and would be a big signing. 

UMass Transfer Portal News--Jahman Harmon

 

The Minuteman Command has a post interviewing former Lawrence Central coach William Patterson about incoming transfer Jahman Harmon.

UMass was #133 out of 134 FBS in team pass defense efficiency in 2025. Anyone who wanted to pass against the Minuteman defense could do it. UMass gave up 29 passing TD's, which was the most in FBS.

Harmon could push TJ Magee for a starting CB position right away. 

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Justin Williams-Thomas joins UMass

 Justin Williams-Thomas, a 6-0 210 pound RB transfer from Cal/Marshall has signed with UMass.

Williams-Thomas' Herd bio here. 

This article features Williams-Thomas. 

Williams-Thomas was a four-star recruit out of HS, He had multiple Power Four offers. So far, he has not been able to generate much playing time. The UMass RB room was the worst in the nation in 2025. Williams-Thomas should add depth and potential for this year. 

UMass Football News--January 23rd, 2026

 

 

The Minuteman Command has a post and interview with DE transfer Justin Krueger.

DE's who can rush the passer are in high demand. Kreuger has a chance to get some stats that would draw attention of a Power Four program. He'd also make a positive impact on UMass' results.

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UConn's home 2026 schedule includes UMass. 

The Huskies 2026 schedule is significantly more difficult than last year's.  IMHO, another 9-4 season is unlikely.

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 A blog reader sent me the obituary of John Allen, who won letters for the Minutemen in 1979 and 1980. 

Click on any image in the Blog and Blogger displays a full size image. 

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