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UMass has announced that Justin Anderson, a 6-5 280 pound DL from Maryland has transferred to UMass.
Matty V. has a story about Anderson here.
Anderson's Maryland bio here.
Anderson had a productive sophomore season for the Terps with 22 TT 5.5 TFL and 2 sacks. He would probably be most effective for the Minutemen as a DE, but the UMass DL is short on size, which means Anderson might end up playing DT. He could be an impact player if healthy.
Hafis Williams 6-1 295 and Charles Thompson 6-2 282 graduated. That leaves Kevin Byrne 6-3 290 and Robert Kitching 6-1 300 as the heavyweights on UMass' DL.
Other DL:
- Stanley Andre 6-2 240
- Galen Clemons 6-2 275
- Trey Seals 6-4 231
- Brandon Potvin 6-1 282
- Daniel Maynes 6-2 230
In addition, UMass has four DL recruits coming in. Bios on them here.
- Peter Angeh 6-2 245
- Enock Asante 6-2 260
- Peter Ngobidi 6-2 260
- Elijah Wilkerson 6-4 310
It's easier to play defense. I would expect several of the freshmen to get some PT in 2013. Anderson adds depth to the UMass DL. The Minutemen defense lost late leads in a couple of games last year. It looks as if we will have greater depth, which means more players being rotated during the game. Hopefully that means individual players won't be gassed in the fourth quarter and a stronger UMass defense in 2013.
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Phil Steele has an performance measure he call his stock market indicator. One of the "Bull Market" teams slated for improvement is UMass, which is tied for fifth most improved in 2013. Read the article for the methodology and what the numbers mean.
Bull Market:
- UMass 4.5
- B.C. 3.5
- Miami (Ohio) 3
- Wisconsin 3
- Western Michigan 2.5
- Eastern Michigan 2
- UConn 1.5
Bear Market:
- Vanderbilt -5
- Bowling Green -4.5
- Central Michigan -4
- Ball State -4
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NCAA Football.com says the Northern Illinois Huskies are eager to show their worth.
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Meanwhile, in other college football news, the SEC has racked up its sixth major NCAA infraction in four years. Only the MAC and the Big 12 have avoided a post season ban in any sport.
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