Sunday, April 26, 2026

UMass Football News--April 26th, 2026


 Hey, I'm a believer!

Pop Watson looked like a Power Four QB. He made some really nice throws, including two to the sidelines that dropped the pass on the outside of the receiver away from the defensive back. He also showed his legs. 

In fact, we might have more than one QB. RJ Johnson and Will Perry also looked crisp. True freshmen  Aden McCarthy looked like he has a big arm.

Except for the Blake Fronapfel/Andrew Ford era, we have struggled to produce an FBS-level quarterback. I think that changed this year.

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UMass Athletic Dept write-up here

Myles Donato of the Collegian Staff has reflections on the Spring game. 

The Hampshire Gazette reports UMass displays talent in the Spring game. 

The Fighting Gobbler reports Pop Watson said UMass was going to "----" with the MAC. 

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Saturday, April 25, 2026

UMass Spring Game--2026


 Hope to see you there.

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 The Minuteman Command has a post on freshman WR Drew Alsup.

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Former UMass QB Brady Olson preps for the NFL draft. 

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Friday, April 24, 2026

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Aaron Heatherly


 Aaron Heatherly, a 6-4 230 pound TE from Knoxville, TN has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

MaxPreps has stats. 

Heatherly has FCS offers from North Alabama, Mercer and E. Tennessee State. Drawing interest from some of the Ivies. He has a big frame and could play FBS-level football with the Minutemen in Amherst. 

Thursday, April 23, 2026

UMass Football News--April 23rd, 2026

 


Coach Harasymiak says Joe Griffin has to be "the guy" for UMass.

Griffin's UMass bio. 

Harasymiak also, during his press conference, praised Freshman WR Drew Alsup

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The Hampshire Gazette reports UMass is ready to feature the new UMass team in Saturday's Spring Game. 

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2026 opponents:

UMass opens with Rutgers on September 3rd. The Scarlet Knight added QB Dylan Lonergan, who transferred in from Boston College . Lonergan had transferred to BC from Alabama the year before..

UMass's second opponent is Sacred Heart on September 12th. The Pioneers closed Spring ball and named captains last week. 

That #67 is one big dude

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Wednesday, April 22, 2026

UMass Football News--April 22nd, 2026

 

Coach Harasymiak's end-of-spring-practice video conference.

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Learfield Sports, the Media partner of UMass and a number of other MAC teams has been sold for the fourth time in ten years. 

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 Click on the image and Blogger displays a larger view. Above is the full 2026 schedule for the MAC conference.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2026

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Brayden Atwood

"X" image

 Brayden Atwood, a 6-4 220 pound TE from Nashville, TN has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video

UMass is the first offer for Atwood. UCF and Jax State are showing interest. Atwood has a big frame and TE's are a big part of Coach Warner's offense. He could find a home and lots of playing time with the UMass Minutemen. 

Monday, April 20, 2026

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Braylyn Simmons

Brent Woronoff image

 Braylyn "Juice" Simmonds, a 6-0 180 pound Athlete from Daytona Beach, FL has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here

Hudl.com has video highlights

MaxPreps has stats. Simmons had 1360 all-purpose yards and 12 TD's in 2025.

This article from 2024 explains his nickname.  

Simmons has Power Four offers from Florida State and Pitt. UCF, FIU, Liberty and UNLV have offered from Group-of-Five. He probably projects as a WR in college. Simmons could find a lot of opportunity and playing time with the UMass Minutemen.