Isaiah Simmonds, a 5-9 175 pound WR from West Roxbury, MA has committed to UMass as a preferred walk-on.
Hudl.com has video.
MaxPreps has stats. In his senior season Simmonds went 27-427 17.1 AVE 5 TD's receiving. Also rushed for 24-388 16.2 AVE and 2 TD's.
UMass needs offensive talent and Simmonds should be in a place where he can develop and earn a scholarship. It will be interesting to follow his career with the Minutemen.
Jake McGrath, a 6-7 295 pound OL from Cambridge, MA has committed to UMass as a preferred walk-on.
Hudl.com has video highlights.
UMass needs offensive linemen and has an excellent weight-training and performance facility. McGrath has a pro-sized frame and should have a great opportunity to develop a and earn a scholarship.
The Minuteman Command has a post on David Sanger, a 6-4 285 pound OL from Williston-Northampton.
Hudl.com has video highlights.
I saw his father David Sanger punt for the Minutemen back in the day. The elder Sanger's punting rank in the UMass record book is:
His father was 2nd team All-American in 2001 and 1st team All-Atlantic 10 the same year.
Sanger the younger could keep the family streak going in Amherst.
They wouldn't let UMass do that, but I don't mind. One big negative of being an independent was no league media revenue. In 2027 the MAC's current media contract expires. There is hope the MAC will sign a much more lucrative contract at that time. College sports is one of the few popular TV offerings these days. MACtion has been a ratings success.
Sacramento is a much bigger media market than Akron or Athens. This would be good for the league and UMass. And the Minutemen's share of the $15 million entry fee would not hurt either..
Hustle Belt reports here.
Yahoo Sports reports here.
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UMass adds Rich Worsell as offensive analyst. Worsell has extensive coaching experience including time in the MAC at Toledo.
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And from the invaluable Babylon Bee:
BTW, the first 2026 UMass football roster is up.
The Minutemen had a dismal defensive result in 2025. A big part of the 0-12 result was from the UMass pass defense.
Temple (a 5-7 team) went 22-29 246 yards and 6 passing TD's against the UMass defense. Bryant (a 3-8 FCS team) threw for 318 yards and 3 TD's, which included a seemingly effortless game winning drive in the fourth quarter.
The Minutemen were #56 in pass yards given up, but were #116 in yards per completion.
UMass was #135 (next to last) in pass defense efficiency.
UMass added Jahmad Harmon from Ball State/Kent State, Isaiah Reed from Brown and Chris Stanley from Garden City C.C.
They also added Michael Robinson (corrected name) from Rutgers in the STAR position.
Reed should be an instant starter at one corner. Both Harmon and Stanley should compete to start on the other side.
Nick Sabin probably made the STAR position famous at Alabama. The STAR is usually a hybred linebacker/strong safety. Teams usually pull the MLB and use the STAR (as a fifth defensive secondary guy) in pass coverage, but also are responsible for run defense and can also blitz. The STAR position is sorta like a weak side linebacker with more coverage radius.
Robinson should know Harasymiak's defense coming from Rutgers. He should give Minutemen DC Jared Keyte some package options.
I would give the transfer additions as a potential sold "B". I think UMass added a starter at one corner and maybe the other side too.
UMass gained their first commitment of the 2027 recruiting cycle as GaVin English, a 6-4 285 pound OL from Springfield, MA has committed to the Minutemen.
I've blogged about English before.
Great that UMass has added some Western Mass talent to the roster. I look forward to following English's career with the Minutemen.
The MAC-centric website "Hustle Belt" is closing. The site was a high quality source for information and news of MAC teams.
With the dead tree media effectively--- dead, sites like Hustle Belt provided a lot of interesting news and commentary for a Group-of-Five league.
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Yahoo Sports reports Sacramento State is looking to join a FBS conference with the MAC as one of the top interests.
The MAC's media package is up for bids in 2027. With the popularity of college football in an all-time high, the MAC should be able to negotiate a considerable increase in media money. Sacramento State is in a good media market and that would help.
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The Mountain West eyes streaming media for additional revenue.
Hey, I'm paying ESPN+ $12.99/month to watch UMass men's and women's basketball and hockey. I could be paying that to the UMass athletic dept..
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And finally,
