ESPN article here.
Scout.com page here.
First Team JUCO All-American.
Nunez was a Rivals three star recruit out of HS.
Originally signed with Pitt in 2009.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Recruiting 2012 -- Bernardo Nunez
ESPN article here.
Scout.com page here.
First Team JUCO All-American.
Nunez was a Rivals three star recruit out of HS.
Originally signed with Pitt in 2009.
Recruiting 2012--Julian Kaminoff
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| Dave Garret/Phillyburbs image |
Scout.com page here. Scout two star player. Position rank #167.
Philly.com says he's a big talent from a small school.
As a junior, he made Scout.com's sleeper alert.
Recruiting 2012--Bernard Davis
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| Real Deal image |
Sun-Sentinel list here.
ESPN two star player.
Davis had offers from Bowling Green, Georgia State and Western Michigan.
Recruiting 2012--Derek Beck V
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| Scott Bray/Bridgewater Patch image |
I've blogged about Beck a number of times in the past.
Beck is a 6-3 190 pd WR from Martinsville, NJ.
I don't believe I've linked to this article about him from Bridgewater Patch.com
Recruiting 2012---Robert Kitching
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| An Rong Xu image |
Post article here.
Rivals page here.
Kitching was first team all Brooklyn.
Kitching #75 in video Highlights.
Recruiting 2012--Jamal Roberts
Jamal Roberts, a 5-10 170 athlete from Tampa Bay area chose Kent State over UMass Monday.
Tuesday--January 31, 2012
From the UMass Website:
Jan. 30, 2012
UMass football Coach Charley Molnar and his staff will host a reception open to the public to announce the 2012 University of Massachusetts recruiting class at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at the Amherst Brewing Company.
The coaching staff will greet fans and introduce the entire recruiting class video at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
If you plan on attending, please RSVP by emailing Jason Germain in UMass Athletics at jag@admin.umass.edu
We look forward to celebrating with you Wednesday night. GO UMass!
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The Boston Globe says the Super Bowl is an add for UMass.
News Day says Cruz and Welker were ignored in the draft.
WEEI says the Pats plan on being physical with Cruz.
James Ihedigbo and Medford's Coach Cullen go way back.
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The Buffalo Bills added former UMass assistant coach Andrew Dees to their staff.
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Jan. 30, 2012
UMass football Coach Charley Molnar and his staff will host a reception open to the public to announce the 2012 University of Massachusetts recruiting class at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at the Amherst Brewing Company.
The coaching staff will greet fans and introduce the entire recruiting class video at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
If you plan on attending, please RSVP by emailing Jason Germain in UMass Athletics at jag@admin.umass.edu
We look forward to celebrating with you Wednesday night. GO UMass!
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The Boston Globe says the Super Bowl is an add for UMass.
News Day says Cruz and Welker were ignored in the draft.
WEEI says the Pats plan on being physical with Cruz.
James Ihedigbo and Medford's Coach Cullen go way back.
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The Buffalo Bills added former UMass assistant coach Andrew Dees to their staff.
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Recruiting 2012--Stacey Bedell
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| Image credit unknown |
First he committed to Villanova.
Then in December he verbaled to James Madison.
Now several sources have him committing to UMass. Rivals has him verbaling to both UMass and JMU???
ESPN has him committed to UMass.
He also apparently received some late interest from Boston College.
Recruiting 2012-- Michael Boland
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| Rivals.com image |
Rivals page here.
Scout.com page here. Scout two-star player. Position rank #185.
Also had an offer from Tulane.
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Recruiting 2012- Dan Connaughton
ESPN reports that Dan Connaughton, a 6-3 272 pd OL from Sudbury chose Penn over UMass.
Connaughton had eight scholarship offers including Temple and UMass.
Connaughton had eight scholarship offers including Temple and UMass.
Monday-January 30, 2012
The NY Post has an article on Victor Cruz and the guy who beat him out for a scholarship to Rutgers.
The Boston Globe has a nice story on Cruz that includes his time at UMass.
The Patriot Ledger says Gronkowski and Cruz get a grip.
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The Hogs.net does a positional review on the Senior Bowl and says Emil Igwenagu did well. I watched the game on DVD yesterday afternoon. Emil was open on several plays, but they did not throw to him. His one catch was with about 5 minutes to go in the game. He looked smooth on the catch.
A Bleacher Report writer thinks Igwenagu solidified his chances of being drafted.
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Mid-Major FBS schools like UMass just got a boost from the NCAA in a new regulation banning "oversigning".
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With two days to go before LOI Day, Boston College has just 13 verbals.
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The Boston Globe has a nice story on Cruz that includes his time at UMass.
The Patriot Ledger says Gronkowski and Cruz get a grip.
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The Hogs.net does a positional review on the Senior Bowl and says Emil Igwenagu did well. I watched the game on DVD yesterday afternoon. Emil was open on several plays, but they did not throw to him. His one catch was with about 5 minutes to go in the game. He looked smooth on the catch.
A Bleacher Report writer thinks Igwenagu solidified his chances of being drafted.
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Mid-Major FBS schools like UMass just got a boost from the NCAA in a new regulation banning "oversigning".
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With two days to go before LOI Day, Boston College has just 13 verbals.
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday--January 29th, 2012
The Boston Globe has a story with a section on Emil Igwenagu's time at the Senior Bowl.
The Worcester Telegram asks if Igwenagu could be the next Victor Cruz.
I havn't watched the game yet, but Emil had one catch for 14 yards according the official stats.
I get a fair amount of e-mail looking to hype some sort of sports website. I usually don't respond to that sort of thing, but I'm going to show this one about a guy writing a book on the NFL draft. I'm linking to it because he has an article on Igwenagu.
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The Boston Herald says James Ihedigbo was born to be a Patriot.
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Tom Shea of MassLive.com talks to a Notre Dame beat writer who says Charlie Molnar is a "terrific hire" for UMass.
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Former UMass cheerleader Jenny Dell replaces Hedi Watney at NESN.
This is slide #5 from a Bleacher Report article on Dell.
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I'm pleased to say my presence did not jinx UMass yesterday, as the Minutemen defeated St. Louis 72-59. The crowd of 8399 was the largest since 2007.
That was the best looking UMass hoops team, Mrs Blog and I have seen in some time. They're fun to watch.
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The Worcester Telegram asks if Igwenagu could be the next Victor Cruz.
I havn't watched the game yet, but Emil had one catch for 14 yards according the official stats.
I get a fair amount of e-mail looking to hype some sort of sports website. I usually don't respond to that sort of thing, but I'm going to show this one about a guy writing a book on the NFL draft. I'm linking to it because he has an article on Igwenagu.
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The Boston Herald says James Ihedigbo was born to be a Patriot.
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Tom Shea of MassLive.com talks to a Notre Dame beat writer who says Charlie Molnar is a "terrific hire" for UMass.
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Former UMass cheerleader Jenny Dell replaces Hedi Watney at NESN.
This is slide #5 from a Bleacher Report article on Dell.
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I'm pleased to say my presence did not jinx UMass yesterday, as the Minutemen defeated St. Louis 72-59. The crowd of 8399 was the largest since 2007.
That was the best looking UMass hoops team, Mrs Blog and I have seen in some time. They're fun to watch.
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Saturday--January 28th, 2012
Emil's Senior Bowl bio here.
The Senior Bowl is sold out.
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Liam Coen and defensive players from the CAA talk about Victor Cruz's days in the CAA.
ESPN's Blog says Cruz is trying to emulate Wes Welker.
During the NFL lockout, Cruz got a call and looked at the ID; it said Eli Manning was on the line.
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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says many local recruits are choosing MAC schools.
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Philly.com says Rutgers is interested in Temple's Steve Addazio.
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Off topic, but today's basketball game between 15-5 UMass and 16-4 St. Louis should be a good one. Since we moved to Jaffrey, Mrs. Blog and I try to drive down to Amherst to see some of the weekend hoops games. Over the last few years, we haven't seen many wins. Today would be a good one to break the streak.
This WEEI article mentions the game and has video of Raphael Putney's Dr. J-style dunk.
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Friday--January 27th, 2012
Matty V. has a couple of stories on the UMass connections in the Super Bowl: Cruz and Ihedigbo, a match made at UMass. And opportunity knocks for James Ihedigbo.
Cruz's Giants bio page.
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Ihedigbo has a weekly prayer call with his mother before a game.
Ihedigbo's Patriot's bio page.
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UMass recruited the Pats Sterling Moss.
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Athlon Sports has a bunch of coaches with UMass connections as possible replacements for Greg Schiano at Rutgers.
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As every football fan in America now knows, Greg Schiano accepted the HC job at Tampa Bay.
Coach Molnar talked about recruiting the Northeast for UMass. The Scarlet Knights commits list has 18 recruits all but two of them from NJ and PA.
A coaching change invalidates a commitment, even a signed LOI, so I would expect UMass to be making a pitch to some of the Rutgers recruits.
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Boston College loses a three star recruit to Harvard. UMass had recruited McShea as well.
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At the Senior Bowl, the spotlight is on tight ends.
CBS Sports said Emil Igwenagu passed "the eyeball test".
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Is it just me or is Bill Belichick channeling Obi Wan Kenobi?
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Cruz's Giants bio page.
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Ihedigbo has a weekly prayer call with his mother before a game.
Ihedigbo's Patriot's bio page.
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UMass recruited the Pats Sterling Moss.
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Athlon Sports has a bunch of coaches with UMass connections as possible replacements for Greg Schiano at Rutgers.
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As every football fan in America now knows, Greg Schiano accepted the HC job at Tampa Bay.
Coach Molnar talked about recruiting the Northeast for UMass. The Scarlet Knights commits list has 18 recruits all but two of them from NJ and PA.
A coaching change invalidates a commitment, even a signed LOI, so I would expect UMass to be making a pitch to some of the Rutgers recruits.
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Boston College loses a three star recruit to Harvard. UMass had recruited McShea as well.
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At the Senior Bowl, the spotlight is on tight ends.
CBS Sports said Emil Igwenagu passed "the eyeball test".
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Is it just me or is Bill Belichick channeling Obi Wan Kenobi?
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Recruiting 2012 update --Robinson and Cooper II
Two more articles have come out on UMass signing John Robinson and Bryon Cooper.
MassLive has an article on Robinson's signing here.
Philly.com has a story on Cooper's signing here.
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MassLive has an article on Robinson's signing here.
Philly.com has a story on Cooper's signing here.
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Thursday--January 26th, 2012
Former UMass star Chris Zardas reflects on his former teammate James Ihedigbo and Victor Cruz.
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Matty V. reports the Cruz and Ihedigbo inspire Julian Talley and Tyler Holmes as they prepare for their shot at the NFL.
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Wendy Laurent a 6-5 285 pd OL from the Hun School in Princeton, NJ chose Penn State over offers from UMass, Buffalo, UConn and Navy.
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The Wall Street Journal says the NFL's best slot receiver could be Victor Cruz, not Wes Welker.
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The Military Times goes point-counterpoint to Navy's joining the Big East.
Army and/or Navy would be great OOC games for UMass. They're Northeast teams and I would think a home game at Gillette would be doable.
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Matty V. reports the Cruz and Ihedigbo inspire Julian Talley and Tyler Holmes as they prepare for their shot at the NFL.
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Wendy Laurent a 6-5 285 pd OL from the Hun School in Princeton, NJ chose Penn State over offers from UMass, Buffalo, UConn and Navy.
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The Wall Street Journal says the NFL's best slot receiver could be Victor Cruz, not Wes Welker.
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The Military Times goes point-counterpoint to Navy's joining the Big East.
Army and/or Navy would be great OOC games for UMass. They're Northeast teams and I would think a home game at Gillette would be doable.
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Recruiting 2012--Two UMass commits: Robinson and Krizanovic
UMass has added two verbals to its 2012 recruiting catch.
First John Robinson a 6-2 225 pd LB from Springfield by way of Worcester Academy has verbaled to the Minutemen.
I've blogged about Robinson before.
Matty V has the story here.
Robinson's ESPN page here.
He's coming off a torn ACL.
Robinson says the ACL is a non issue right now.
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Also Verbaling to UMass was Leo Krizanovic, a 6-2 240 LB from Paramus, NJ.
North Jersey.com has the story.
Krizanovic also suffered a torn ACL in HS.
He was drawing some big time interest before the injury.
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First John Robinson a 6-2 225 pd LB from Springfield by way of Worcester Academy has verbaled to the Minutemen.
I've blogged about Robinson before.
Matty V has the story here.
Robinson's ESPN page here.
He's coming off a torn ACL.
Robinson says the ACL is a non issue right now.
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 |
| Chris Monroe/To the Record image |
North Jersey.com has the story.
Krizanovic also suffered a torn ACL in HS.
He was drawing some big time interest before the injury.
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Wednesday--January 25, 2012
Emil Igwenagu took snaps as both TE and FB at the Senior Bowl practice Tuesday.
In this Senior Bowl report Igwenagu gets two "terrifics".
UMass athletic dept story about Igwenagu playing in the Senior Bowl here.
Senior bowl webpage here .
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Victor Cruz teaches fans to Salsa here and here and here.
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A Bleacher Report writer says Boston College has one of the bottom 10 recruiting classes of 2012. As does UConn.
BC spent the second lowest amount in the ACC in recruiting expenses.
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Navy joins the Big East in 2015.
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One week till LOI day.
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In this Senior Bowl report Igwenagu gets two "terrifics".
UMass athletic dept story about Igwenagu playing in the Senior Bowl here.
Senior bowl webpage here .
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Victor Cruz teaches fans to Salsa here and here and here.
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A Bleacher Report writer says Boston College has one of the bottom 10 recruiting classes of 2012. As does UConn.
BC spent the second lowest amount in the ACC in recruiting expenses.
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Navy joins the Big East in 2015.
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One week till LOI day.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Recruiting 2013---Tim Kimbrough
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| Image credit unknown |
His 247 page here.
He's a Scout.com four-star recruit.
Rivals page here.
Kimbrough also holds offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota and Indiana.
Recruiting 2012---Jameson McShea
I've blogged about TE Jameson McShea before.
The 6-4 240 pd player from Boston College High School has picked up an offer from the Eagles.
The 6-4 240 pd player from Boston College High School has picked up an offer from the Eagles.
Tuesday--January 24th, 2012
ABC40 remarks that UMass has two starters in the Superbowl.
WWLP 40 says there are UMass connections in the Super Bowl.
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The IndyStar.com wonders why it's taking so long to confirm Phil Elmassian as defensive coordinator at UMass. It's been a while, so here is a repeat link to his Purdue bio.
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Toledo and Ohio pick off some Pitt decommits including one four star recruit.
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Victor Cruz is a local idol in Patterson, NJ.
Ann Mara, the widow of Giants owner Wellington Mara, heckled Terry Bradshaw as he was trying to interview Victor Cruz.
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WWLP 40 says there are UMass connections in the Super Bowl.
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The IndyStar.com wonders why it's taking so long to confirm Phil Elmassian as defensive coordinator at UMass. It's been a while, so here is a repeat link to his Purdue bio.
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Toledo and Ohio pick off some Pitt decommits including one four star recruit.
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Victor Cruz is a local idol in Patterson, NJ.
Ann Mara, the widow of Giants owner Wellington Mara, heckled Terry Bradshaw as he was trying to interview Victor Cruz.
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Recruiting 2012--Tajae Sharpe
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| Rivals image |
In the same article about Emil Igwenagu that I linked to in today's news post, Matty V. reports the 6-3 180 pd WR switched his verbal to UMass after visiting last weekend.
ESPN reports Sharpe said UMass was a better overall fit.
Updated Rivals page with his commitment to UMass.
Above is Sharpe's 2011 highlight video.
Monday---January 23rd, 2012
Matty V. has a story about Emil Igwenagu's performance in the East-West Shrine bowl. He has some quotes and the news that Emil is working with Test Football Academy to improve his draft chances.
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The UMass Daily Collegian says Cruz and Ihedigbo are starring in the NFL.
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SILive.com has a story about former UMass assistant coach (1992-94, 1997) Jerry Azzinaro.
A New Orleans newspaper has a story about former UMass graduate assistant (1992-93) Steve Spagnuolo who is now defensive coordinator for the Saints.
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The Boston Herald reports on Victor Cruz's 10 catches for 142 yards in the first half of yesterday's NFC Championship game.
The Boston Globe says Victor was in total control.
The Rochester Chronicle says Pats-Giants Super Bowl could set TV records.
The NJ Star-Ledger says Cruz made his point even if he didn't score a TD.
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The UMass Daily Collegian says Cruz and Ihedigbo are starring in the NFL.
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SILive.com has a story about former UMass assistant coach (1992-94, 1997) Jerry Azzinaro.
A New Orleans newspaper has a story about former UMass graduate assistant (1992-93) Steve Spagnuolo who is now defensive coordinator for the Saints.
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The Boston Herald reports on Victor Cruz's 10 catches for 142 yards in the first half of yesterday's NFC Championship game.
The Boston Globe says Victor was in total control.
The Rochester Chronicle says Pats-Giants Super Bowl could set TV records.
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| Chris Fayok/Star Ledger image |
The NJ Star-Ledger says Cruz made his point even if he didn't score a TD.
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday--January 22nd, 2012
I watched the East-West Shrine game. Emil Igwenagu was on the East's first team offense. He had one catch for 21 yards. Took a pretty good hit and hung on to the ball. Igwenagu played fullback on offense. He was on extra point and kicking teams. He played well as far as I could see. Writeup and box score from ESPN.
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We're in Phil Steele's blog post about returning starters for 2012 for FBS teams.
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I've blogged a couple times about West Roxbury LB Camren Williams as UMass had offered.
Williams verbaled to Penn State, but he has now flipped to Ohio State.
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UMass was interested in Ted White, a 6-2 221 pd ILB from West Chester, PA. He verbaled to Villanova. ESPN says he'd flip for an offer from Temple. Wonder if he'd do the same for UMass?
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The Florida Time-Union said Victor Cruz's 99-yard TD against the Jets turned the season for the Giants.
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Sport Illustrated says the Big Ten may be in for a dose of New England offense.
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We're in Phil Steele's blog post about returning starters for 2012 for FBS teams.
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I've blogged a couple times about West Roxbury LB Camren Williams as UMass had offered.
Williams verbaled to Penn State, but he has now flipped to Ohio State.
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UMass was interested in Ted White, a 6-2 221 pd ILB from West Chester, PA. He verbaled to Villanova. ESPN says he'd flip for an offer from Temple. Wonder if he'd do the same for UMass?
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The Florida Time-Union said Victor Cruz's 99-yard TD against the Jets turned the season for the Giants.
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Sport Illustrated says the Big Ten may be in for a dose of New England offense.
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
Recruiting 2012-- Williams and Cooper
Matty V. reports that D'Metrius Williams a 5-11 DB that had previously committed to Western Michigan has switched to UMass.
Williams Rivals page here.
This website has a good profile on him including listing UMass as his verbal .
Williams is an ESPN two star recruit.
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Matty also reports that Byron Cooper, a 6-1 195 athlete will also attend UMass. It's not clear if he's a recruited walk-on or scholarship.
His Be Recruited page here.
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Williams Rivals page here.
This website has a good profile on him including listing UMass as his verbal .
Williams is an ESPN two star recruit.
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Matty also reports that Byron Cooper, a 6-1 195 athlete will also attend UMass. It's not clear if he's a recruited walk-on or scholarship.
His Be Recruited page here.
 |
| Be Recruited image |
Saturday--January 21st, 2012
Emil Igwenagu will participate in the nationally televised Senior Bowl on January 28th.
UPDATE: Oops! the Shrine game is today at 4:00 pm on the NFL Network.
NFLDraftScout has Igwenagu ranked as the 4th best available FB in the NFL draft.
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Yesterday I reported on former UMass assistant coacj Dyran Peake being hired at Coastal Carolina. Jeff Thomas has that plus the news Malik Hall has been named defensive coordinator at Wagner.
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This Story focuses on Victor Cruz's time at Bridgeton Academy before he started at UMass.
The Washington Post says Victor has helped Eli Manning and the Giants passing game take control.
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UPDATE: Oops! the Shrine game is today at 4:00 pm on the NFL Network.
NFLDraftScout has Igwenagu ranked as the 4th best available FB in the NFL draft.
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Yesterday I reported on former UMass assistant coacj Dyran Peake being hired at Coastal Carolina. Jeff Thomas has that plus the news Malik Hall has been named defensive coordinator at Wagner.
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This Story focuses on Victor Cruz's time at Bridgeton Academy before he started at UMass.
The Washington Post says Victor has helped Eli Manning and the Giants passing game take control.
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Friday--January 20th, 2012
 |
| Ravens image |
Brooks Baltimore bio.
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Our first FBS ranking. College Football News predicts us last in the MAC East in 2012. Just think, next year we will be in all the College Football magazines.
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Victor Cruz is all over like horse poop. Now he's helping unveil the official Super Bowl artwork.
That was after he was disrespected by Carlos Rogers.
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The Pats Patrick Chung says James Ihedigbo is one smart football player.
ESPN says Ihedigbo was one of the Patriots drawing a big media crowd.
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Thursday, January 19, 2012
UMass adds assistant coaches
Several sources report that former Hawaii offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich has joined the UMass staff as offensive coordinator/ QB coach.
Story from Matty V.
Story from Jeff Thomas.
Rolovich's Hawaii bio. Read it. Wikipedia bio.
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Also reported to join the UMass staff is Ron Hudson offensive line/ run game coordinator from New Mexico.
Hudson's New Mexico bio.
Story about Coach Hudson's early days in coaching.
Coach Hudson talks about the run game at New Mexico's 2011 media day
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Story about his hiring at Buffalo.
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Former UMass assistant coach Dyran Peake became the first of the former UMass staff to land a job as he has been hired as an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina.
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Thursday--January 19th, 2012
A MAC championship and back-to-back 11 win seasons provides a lot of opportunity for NIU coaches.
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A new daughter has Victor on Cruz control.
In his spare time, he's wowing the fans.
Big Blue.com has Victor's portion of the Giants NFC Championship game press conference.
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Meanwhile, James Ihedigbo is getting ready for the Ravens.
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Off topic, but interesting for football fans: the Pats RB BenJarvis Green-Ellis has never fumbled during his pro career.
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No UMass recruiting news today, but does Coach Molnar have a helicopter?
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The NCAA is debating scholarship cuts for both FBS and FCS football.
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A new daughter has Victor on Cruz control.
In his spare time, he's wowing the fans.
Big Blue.com has Victor's portion of the Giants NFC Championship game press conference.
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Meanwhile, James Ihedigbo is getting ready for the Ravens.
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Off topic, but interesting for football fans: the Pats RB BenJarvis Green-Ellis has never fumbled during his pro career.
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No UMass recruiting news today, but does Coach Molnar have a helicopter?
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The NCAA is debating scholarship cuts for both FBS and FCS football.
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Recruiting 2012--Jordan Lucas
I've blogged about Jordan Lucas twice before.
The Altoona Mirror reports he has verbaled to Penn State. The article mentions his offer from UMass. Lucas will be the first recruit for O'Brien.
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The Altoona Mirror reports he has verbaled to Penn State. The article mentions his offer from UMass. Lucas will be the first recruit for O'Brien.
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Wednesday--January 18th, 2012
As mentioned in a comment, former UMass HC Kevin Morris is reported to have been hired as offensive coordinator at FIU.
The UMass Football Blog and all UMass fans wish Coach Morris and all the former staff good luck in finding new positions.
FIU's website here.
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Pro Football Weekly reports Victor Cruz has been named their "most improved player".
Auburnpub.com says Cruz is not really improved, just flat out good.
The Giants looked at Cruz's off-season dedication and were not surprised by his breakout season.
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Salaries are rising for college football coaches.
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The UMass Football Blog and all UMass fans wish Coach Morris and all the former staff good luck in finding new positions.
FIU's website here.
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Pro Football Weekly reports Victor Cruz has been named their "most improved player".
Auburnpub.com says Cruz is not really improved, just flat out good.
The Giants looked at Cruz's off-season dedication and were not surprised by his breakout season.
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Salaries are rising for college football coaches.
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday--January 17th, 2012
The NY Jets signed John Griffin to a reserve/futures contract.
Thanks to the reader who pointed this out in a comment.
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Jeff Thomas has a short article on Vondel Langston's verbal to UMass.
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James Ihedigbo says Pats fans are turning up the volume.
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SB Nation has the best 20 surprises in college football's 2011' season. The high-scoring MAC games were #18.
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The MAC does it with offense. The Tide did it with defense.
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UMass' 2012 OOC opponents based on their 2011 rankings:
Jeff Sagarin
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Thanks to the reader who pointed this out in a comment.
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Jeff Thomas has a short article on Vondel Langston's verbal to UMass.
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James Ihedigbo says Pats fans are turning up the volume.
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SB Nation has the best 20 surprises in college football's 2011' season. The high-scoring MAC games were #18.
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The MAC does it with offense. The Tide did it with defense.
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UMass' 2012 OOC opponents based on their 2011 rankings:
Jeff Sagarin
- #11 Michigan 11-2
- #42 Vanderbilt 6-7
- #76 UConn 5-7
- # 139 Indiana 1-11
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#11 Michigan - #48 Vanderbilt
- #86 UConn
- #114 Indiana
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Monday, January 16, 2012
Recruiting 2012---Vondell Langston
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| Jonathan Wiggs/Globe image |
Yesterday, the 6-1 215 pd OLB from Everett became the fourth player to commit to UMass.
ESPN Insider: UMass gains LB Vondell Langston.
Boston.com says Langston headed to UMass.
ESPN high school report: Everett linebacker Vondell Langston commits to UMass.
Matty V has a story in the Gazette.
Monday--January 16th, 2012
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| Jeff Haynes/Reuters image |
Rotoworld.com reports Victor had 74 yards receiving and a couple of big plays.
ESPN Blog "Cruz recovery".
"Underneath that pile," Cruz said, "if I told you what happened underneath that pile, you probably wouldn't even believe it.”
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Harvard assistant Tony Reno ended up getting the Yale HC job.
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Sunday, January 15, 2012
Sunday--January 15th, 2012
Brandon London signed a new two-year deal with the Alouettes.
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The MAC Football All-Academic team has been announced.
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Latino News says Kevin Morris put Cruz on the right track.
ESPN says the Giants receivers don't care who's #1.
Boston.com says Cruz and the Giants receiving corps are catching on.
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In Coach Molnar's speech to the Sports luncheon last Wednesday, he emphasized recruiting in: 1. Massachusetts, 2. New England, 3. the Northeast, 4. the East Coast---and not much in Florida.
This article enumerates the FBS signings per state after the 2011 LOI date.
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The MAC Football All-Academic team has been announced.
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 |
| Andrew Mills/US Presswire image |
Latino News says Kevin Morris put Cruz on the right track.
ESPN says the Giants receivers don't care who's #1.
Boston.com says Cruz and the Giants receiving corps are catching on.
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In Coach Molnar's speech to the Sports luncheon last Wednesday, he emphasized recruiting in: 1. Massachusetts, 2. New England, 3. the Northeast, 4. the East Coast---and not much in Florida.
This article enumerates the FBS signings per state after the 2011 LOI date.
- Massachusetts 12
- Connecticut 6
- Maine 1
- New Hampshire 0
- Rhode Island 0
- Vermont 0
- New York 29
- New Jersey 45
- Pennsylvania 60
- Florida 344
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Saturday--January 14th, 2012
The MAC had more than its share of entertaining games this season.
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The Packers Grant says Cruz won't be dancing this weekend.
The NY Times says the Giants are unlikely to redo Cruz's contract.
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Jeromy Miles was part of the best kickoff coverage team in the NFL.
Another story here.
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Jeremy Horne set a couple of personal bests in 2011 for the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Congrats to UMass hockey for their domination of Boston College last night.
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The Packers Grant says Cruz won't be dancing this weekend.
The NY Times says the Giants are unlikely to redo Cruz's contract.
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Jeromy Miles was part of the best kickoff coverage team in the NFL.
Another story here.
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Jeremy Horne set a couple of personal bests in 2011 for the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Congrats to UMass hockey for their domination of Boston College last night.
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Recruiting 2012---Edens Sineace II
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| Scout.com image |
This article says he is still uncommitted.
He's a Rivals three star recruit.
Besides UMass, Sineace has offers from FIU, Middle Tennessee State, Kentucky, Marshall and Bowling Green.
Friday--January 13, 2011
Matty V. has more on Coach Molnar's talk at Wednesday's sports luncheon. One of his contentions that UMass will not schedule FCS teams in the futures, will I think, be revised eventually. Nearly all FBS teams, including the MAC, schedule at least one FCS team per year. It counts towards bowl eligibility and it generally cost 1/3 of the contract for an FBS team. In addition, there is no home and home requirement. I think UMass will need the wins and the money eventually.
More Molar quotes via Matty.
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New MAC foe Central Michigan's OOC for 2012 includes Michigan State, Iowa, Navy and FCS Southeast Missouri State.
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MassLive talks to John McCutcheon about the NCAA's pay-for-play proposal.
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The Worcester Telegram mentions friends James Ihedigbo and Victor Cruz.
Victor says the Giants receivers will be sleeveless for Sunday's game and says his coldest game was in the 30's at UMass. Was he active for that Hofstra game in 2008?
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More Molar quotes via Matty.
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New MAC foe Central Michigan's OOC for 2012 includes Michigan State, Iowa, Navy and FCS Southeast Missouri State.
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MassLive talks to John McCutcheon about the NCAA's pay-for-play proposal.
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The Worcester Telegram mentions friends James Ihedigbo and Victor Cruz.
Victor says the Giants receivers will be sleeveless for Sunday's game and says his coldest game was in the 30's at UMass. Was he active for that Hofstra game in 2008?
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Recruiting 2012---Jaurice Jones II
A commenter pointed out I had the wrong Jones.
Checking further he seems to be correct. When I checked on the link, I misread the posting date.
Sorry for the confusion.
Checking further he seems to be correct. When I checked on the link, I misread the posting date.
Sorry for the confusion.
January 12, 2012
I can't find a way to link to it directly, but the UMass Athletic Site has a 30 minute video of Coach Molnar's speech to the Wednesday Sports Luncheon. If I understood his answers correctly during the Q&A (it was hard to hear the questions by the audience), he made some of the following points:
MarketWatch says UMass is upgrading its online video transfer abilities to increase coverage of Minutemen athletics.
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Former UMass All-American Kole Ayi of UMass gets a mention in this article on new Colts GM Ryan Grigson.
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Another big milestone for Victor Cruz. He has a daughter.
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- None of the previous staff was retained.
- He will have about 80 to 81 scholarships this year, the minimum to be in FBS.
- About 20 recruits will visit UMass in the next week, followed by another group of three or so the following week.
- All the new coaching staff will have I-A/FBS expierence as coaches not just as graduate assistants.
- He seemed to be say that he and his staff were mostly bringing in his recruits, not the group recruited by the previous staff.
MarketWatch says UMass is upgrading its online video transfer abilities to increase coverage of Minutemen athletics.
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Former UMass All-American Kole Ayi of UMass gets a mention in this article on new Colts GM Ryan Grigson.
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Another big milestone for Victor Cruz. He has a daughter.
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Wednesday-- January 11, 2012
Dick Baker of MassLive attends the "Frozen Fenway" game and runs into Coach Molnar.
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Keeper College football rankings final FCS report for 2011 has UMass at #51.
His MAC FBS rankings:
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Former Minuteman star Mike Dawson takes charge at North Middlesex athletics.
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The Hartford Courant says contract details derailed Coach Brown's Yale bid.
More from the Yale Daily News.
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I has a post about former UMass assistant coach Ted Roof joining Penn State yesterday. Roof will be defensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions.
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This is nice. A video about Victor Cruz spending time with his family and reflecting on his accomplishments this year (note that you have to sit through a commercial before it starts).
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I thought this was an interesting read: an article on a FBS playoff system based on leagues that were set up according to proximity of the schools to each other. It includes UMass as a member of a new Northeast Conference.
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Off Topic: Coach Cal comments on coaching against Tony Barbee.
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Keeper College football rankings final FCS report for 2011 has UMass at #51.
His MAC FBS rankings:
- #36 Northern Illinois
- #39 Toledo
- #63 Ohio
- #64 Temple
- #83 Western Michigan
- #94 Ball State
- #96 Kent State
- #97 Bowling Green
- #99 Miami of Ohio
- #110 Buffalo
- #120 AKRON
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Former Minuteman star Mike Dawson takes charge at North Middlesex athletics.
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The Hartford Courant says contract details derailed Coach Brown's Yale bid.
More from the Yale Daily News.
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I has a post about former UMass assistant coach Ted Roof joining Penn State yesterday. Roof will be defensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions.
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This is nice. A video about Victor Cruz spending time with his family and reflecting on his accomplishments this year (note that you have to sit through a commercial before it starts).
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I thought this was an interesting read: an article on a FBS playoff system based on leagues that were set up according to proximity of the schools to each other. It includes UMass as a member of a new Northeast Conference.
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Off Topic: Coach Cal comments on coaching against Tony Barbee.
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Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Tuesday--January 10, 2012
More from the Daily Yale news.
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NBC's "Inside the Irish" blog says Coach Molnar was going to be let go by Notre Dame before he was hired by UMass.
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Former UMass assistant coach John Strollo (1992-95 has joined the Penn State staff. The article also mentions former UMass coach Ted Roof (1994-96) as a possible hire for Bill O'Brien. That brings the known Penn State staff to seven.
I've blogged about Strollo and Roof several times in the past.
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Speaking of coaching staffs, wasn't UMass' staff supposed to be complete by last week?
Still no announcement from the UMass Athletic Dept.
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No news on recruiting either.
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Monday, January 09, 2012
Monday--January 9, 2012
Allmediany.com gives Victor Cruz the "Most improved Player' award for the NFL.
Victor declined an invitation to "Dancing with the Stars".
Cruz drew extra defensive attention during yesterday's playoff game and that opened up some space for Hakeem Nicks.
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Northern Illinois stomped Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl to run the MAC's bowl season to 4-1.
Bowl wins by conference. The surprises are the MAC, which could have gone 5-0 and the ACC, who went 2-6.
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Bill O'Brien added another coach to Penn State football, who was not from UMass.
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Victor declined an invitation to "Dancing with the Stars".
Cruz drew extra defensive attention during yesterday's playoff game and that opened up some space for Hakeem Nicks.
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Northern Illinois stomped Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl to run the MAC's bowl season to 4-1.
Bowl wins by conference. The surprises are the MAC, which could have gone 5-0 and the ACC, who went 2-6.
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Bill O'Brien added another coach to Penn State football, who was not from UMass.
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Sunday, January 08, 2012
Sunday--January 8, 2012
Steve Spagnuolo reflects on his coaching career including his start at UMass. Now that he has been fired as HC for the Rams, there has been a lot of talk on Giants boards that he will return to the G-men as defensive coordinator.
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Northern Illinois hopes to continue the MAC's bowl success tonight against Arkansas State.
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Past Giants Super Bowl hero David Tyree lauds Victor Cruz.
Tyree says Cruz is "Like me on steroids".
The NY Times says Tyree and Cruz are united in Giants lore.
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North Dakota's defense, which had previously shut down prolific offenses from teams like Georgia Southern, did it again yesterday. The Bison's "D" held Sam Houston State to 6 points and won the National Championship for North Dakota.
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The Boston Herald has a story about Bill O'Brien being an unknown to many former Penn State players.
O'Brien has hired an assistant coach who is not from UMass.
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Northern Illinois hopes to continue the MAC's bowl success tonight against Arkansas State.
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Past Giants Super Bowl hero David Tyree lauds Victor Cruz.
Tyree says Cruz is "Like me on steroids".
The NY Times says Tyree and Cruz are united in Giants lore.
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North Dakota's defense, which had previously shut down prolific offenses from teams like Georgia Southern, did it again yesterday. The Bison's "D" held Sam Houston State to 6 points and won the National Championship for North Dakota.
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The Boston Herald has a story about Bill O'Brien being an unknown to many former Penn State players.
O'Brien has hired an assistant coach who is not from UMass.
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Saturday, January 07, 2012
Saturday--January 7, 2012
UPDATE: MassLive.com reports new Penn State HC Bill O'Brien is interested in two of Coach Molnar's staff at UMass. If they leave, it could put a dent in UMass' recruiting.
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The Attleboro Patch mentions Matt Campbell and UMass' new berth in the MAC East.
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The Berkshire Eagle features Victor Cruz's journey from UMass to the NFL.
Big Blue Blog talks about Cruz as the NFL's 2011 Rookie-of-the-Year.
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Northern Illinois talks about the now symmetrical MAC schedule and says they're looking forward to playing UMass.
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NBC Sports has an article on Don Brown's interviewing for the Yale job.
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The FCS Championship Game is today at 1:00 pm. The game will be on ESPN 2 and ESPN3.
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The Attleboro Patch mentions Matt Campbell and UMass' new berth in the MAC East.
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The Berkshire Eagle features Victor Cruz's journey from UMass to the NFL.
Big Blue Blog talks about Cruz as the NFL's 2011 Rookie-of-the-Year.
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| poster credit unknown |
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Northern Illinois talks about the now symmetrical MAC schedule and says they're looking forward to playing UMass.
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NBC Sports has an article on Don Brown's interviewing for the Yale job.
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The FCS Championship Game is today at 1:00 pm. The game will be on ESPN 2 and ESPN3.
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Friday, January 06, 2012
Friday--January 6, 2012
When I work out, one of the songs in my exercise mix is Metallica's "Jump in the fire". Turn your computer speakers all the way up. UMass joins FBS by full immersion.
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The NY Giants Blog "Big Blue View" has "The Legend of Victor Cruz".
BTW, could Cruz's next contract be for $45 million?
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Winners and losers in the MAC's realignment.
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UMass was named one of the Top 100 Public college and Universities by Kiplingers recently. UConn is ranked 30th and reflects the $3.0 billion spend by the state of Connecticut in the 90's and early 00's.
IMHO, much of the support by Connecticut was because of the Huskies high-profile athletic programs.
It would really nice to have UMass move into the Top 50.
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Towson, who went worse to first in the CAA, had their HC Rob Ambrose win the 25th Eddie Robinson Award as the top coach in FCS.
New Hampshire LB Matt Evans won the Buck Buchanan Award for the top defensive player in FCS.
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An honorary Boston driver's license goes out to this New Hampshire driver.
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