Spring practice starts March 9th and the practices are open! That shows us right there a new wind is blowing through UMass football.
The Spring game will be under the lights on Wednesday, April 16th. Be there or be square.
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ESPN launches a new Digital Sports Network, which will include the MAC.
Bryan Vance of Hustle Belt looks at what it could mean for MAC fans.
Interestingly, the service will include the ACC; originally I thought that was a typo and they meant the AAC. The Boston College blog "BC Interruption" comments on the ACC being the only BCS league in service.
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James Ihedigbo speaks about locker room conduct.
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ESPN says tactics, not safety is the reason for proposals to slow down college football.
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Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Recruiting 2015-- Meiko Dotson
 |
| Andrew O'Brien image |
News article here.
Hudl.com has video highlights.
This Orlando Sentinel article features Dotson.
Had 50 TT 8 INT's and 10 BKUP's in 2013.
Dotson has an offer from Charlotte.
Thursday--February 27th, 2014
Matty V. confirms Josh Mauer will continue to broadcast UMass football and basketball (end of article).
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The success of Boston professional teams has a deep connection with Harvard, MIT and UMass.
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SB Nation looks at the Minutemen's chances in 2014 and says it can't get any worse.
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A Bleacher Report writer says one player UMass' opponents need to fear is Tajae Sharp.
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Fox Sports says Victor Cruz proves a lot of potential NFL talent does not make the Combine.
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FanIQ ranks Vanderbilt's OOC schedule (which includes UMass) as the weakest in the SEC.
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The success of Boston professional teams has a deep connection with Harvard, MIT and UMass.
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SB Nation looks at the Minutemen's chances in 2014 and says it can't get any worse.
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A Bleacher Report writer says one player UMass' opponents need to fear is Tajae Sharp.
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Fox Sports says Victor Cruz proves a lot of potential NFL talent does not make the Combine.
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FanIQ ranks Vanderbilt's OOC schedule (which includes UMass) as the weakest in the SEC.
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Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Recruiting 2014-- Andrew Libby III
I've blogged about Andrew Libby a 6-0 195 pound RB from Thornton Academy in Maine a couple of times before.
This article talks about Libby and former UMass coach Paul Gorham.
Gorham, you will remember survived a major health challenge.
This article talks about Libby and former UMass coach Paul Gorham.
Gorham, you will remember survived a major health challenge.
Wednesday--Feburary 26th, 2014
The Worcester Telegram has Mark Whipple excited to be coaching the Minutemen.
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The UMass athletic department recently had a link to this article about UMass' uniforms. It seems somewhat dated. One of the questions I'm going ask Coach Whipple if I can ever get to one of his functions is if he is planning any uniform tweaks. I haven’t really warmed up to the black helmets...
Click on the image and Blogger displays a larger view. Note the metal flake on the helmets.
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A couple of articles about Khalil Mack's fine showing at the NFL Combine: Hustle Belt has one. SB Nation has another with a clip of Mack running over Anthony Dima.
Dima has been a fine player for the Minutemen and his career here can't be defined in one play. Hope Anthony has a good showing during UMass' Pro Day.
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The UMass has an audio interview with James Ihedigbo during the George Mason game. Ihedigbo talks about UMass football and his relationship with Coach Whipple.
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The UMass Daily Collegian features Sam the Minuteman.
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Josh Maurer joins the PawSox radio team. It looks as if Josh will continue to call UMass football and basketball.
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The UMass athletic department recently had a link to this article about UMass' uniforms. It seems somewhat dated. One of the questions I'm going ask Coach Whipple if I can ever get to one of his functions is if he is planning any uniform tweaks. I haven’t really warmed up to the black helmets...
Click on the image and Blogger displays a larger view. Note the metal flake on the helmets.
A couple of articles about Khalil Mack's fine showing at the NFL Combine: Hustle Belt has one. SB Nation has another with a clip of Mack running over Anthony Dima.
Dima has been a fine player for the Minutemen and his career here can't be defined in one play. Hope Anthony has a good showing during UMass' Pro Day.
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The UMass has an audio interview with James Ihedigbo during the George Mason game. Ihedigbo talks about UMass football and his relationship with Coach Whipple.
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The UMass Daily Collegian features Sam the Minuteman.
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Josh Maurer joins the PawSox radio team. It looks as if Josh will continue to call UMass football and basketball.
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Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Recruiting 2015-- David Tolentino
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| Steve Hockstein image |
NJ.com article here.
Two time All-Area.
Hudl,com has junior highlights.
Tolentino also has offers from Nebraska, Virginia, Rutgers and UConn.
Tuesday--February 25th, 2014
Coach Whipple will address the "Super 26" Dinner held at Lantana in Randolph. The event is co-sponsored by the Gridiron Club of Boston and the Massachusetts High School football coaches association.
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MAC champions Bowling Green starts spring practice.
The Falcons change from a defensive oriented coach in Dave Clawson to an offensive guy in Dino Barbers.
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SB Nation looks at potential top-ten NFL draft pick Khalil Mack.
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ESPN thinks the top positional need for the Patriots this year may be a TE. They look at day three results from Combine and report the results from TE competition.
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CSN Baltimore looks at the Ravens safeties including James Ihedigbo.
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MAC champions Bowling Green starts spring practice.
The Falcons change from a defensive oriented coach in Dave Clawson to an offensive guy in Dino Barbers.
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SB Nation looks at potential top-ten NFL draft pick Khalil Mack.
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ESPN thinks the top positional need for the Patriots this year may be a TE. They look at day three results from Combine and report the results from TE competition.
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CSN Baltimore looks at the Ravens safeties including James Ihedigbo.
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Monday, February 24, 2014
Recruiting 2015-- Sterling Johnson
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| Johnny Johnson image |
He's 247 Sports four-star player.
This article features Johnson.
2013 highlight video here.
Johnson has offers from 19 major programs including Alabama and most of the SEC.
Monday--February 24th, 2014
The latest version of the Spring Football Roster includes the 2014 recruits with bios.
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Hustle Belt has an update from Day 1 of the Combine that is mostly about Rob Blanchflower. He attended the Combine, but did not work out.
Blanchflower's Twitter feed has some details from the Combine.
Dan Malone has a story about Blanchflower and the Combine.
The Giants blog "Big Blue View" looks at the measurables for TE's and OL at the NFL Combine.
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The Boston Globe says Mark Whipple is in a familiar spot.
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At the Combine Kent State's Dri Archer nearly broke Chris Johnson's 2008 2.24 40 record.
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NIU Head Coach Rod Carey received a contract extension after a 12-0 regular season for the Huskies.
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Ball State has three players at the Combine.
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Patriots.com looks at linebackers at the Combine including Buffalo's Khalil Mack.
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Hustle Belt has an update from Day 1 of the Combine that is mostly about Rob Blanchflower. He attended the Combine, but did not work out.
Blanchflower's Twitter feed has some details from the Combine.
Dan Malone has a story about Blanchflower and the Combine.
The Giants blog "Big Blue View" looks at the measurables for TE's and OL at the NFL Combine.
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The Boston Globe says Mark Whipple is in a familiar spot.
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At the Combine Kent State's Dri Archer nearly broke Chris Johnson's 2008 2.24 40 record.
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NIU Head Coach Rod Carey received a contract extension after a 12-0 regular season for the Huskies.
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Ball State has three players at the Combine.
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Patriots.com looks at linebackers at the Combine including Buffalo's Khalil Mack.
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Saturday, February 22, 2014
Saturday--February 22nd, 2014
Well, it was a long slippery, tiring ride back to New Hampshire after the UMass hoop game last night, but it was worth it.
OT, but Mid-Major Madness said the game lived up to the hype.
Victor Cruz got a rousing welcome from the capacity crowd. The atmosphere at Mullins was like the old days.
Victor recently had his partnership with Time Warner Cable extended.
Also in the house was Shannon James. James, you will remember, was a two-time All-American.
Hopefully, some football recruits were there too.
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Old CAA foe James Madison, is reported by the Virginia Pilot to be interested in the MAC.
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Hustle Belt looks at MAC players in the NFL Combine.
Hustle Belt also looks at who had the best defensive line the MAC in 2013. It's hard to evaluate the UMass defense for last fall because the offense was so bad. However, one thing the Minutemen defense did poorly was rush the quarterback. We were at the bottom of the league and the nation in sacks.
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OT, but Mid-Major Madness said the game lived up to the hype.
Victor Cruz got a rousing welcome from the capacity crowd. The atmosphere at Mullins was like the old days.
Victor recently had his partnership with Time Warner Cable extended.
 |
| Shannon James #6 /UMass Athletic Dept image |
Hopefully, some football recruits were there too.
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Old CAA foe James Madison, is reported by the Virginia Pilot to be interested in the MAC.
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Hustle Belt looks at MAC players in the NFL Combine.
Hustle Belt also looks at who had the best defensive line the MAC in 2013. It's hard to evaluate the UMass defense for last fall because the offense was so bad. However, one thing the Minutemen defense did poorly was rush the quarterback. We were at the bottom of the league and the nation in sacks.
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Friday, February 21, 2014
Friday--February 21, 2014
Wednesday I linked to "College football Study Hall" for an article on the effectiveness of 2013's offensive lines.
Byron Vance of Hustle Belt looks at who had the best offensive line in the MAC.
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The Sentinel and Enterprise covers Mike Dawson's promotion to assistant defensive line coach with the Eagles.
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Andy Hart of Patriots.com looks at New England's options in the NFL draft regarding TE's. The article comments on Rob Blanchflower (toward the end). It also says Blanchflower won't work out in the Combine.
The Boston Herald says Blanchflower hopes to be ready for UMass' Pro Day on March 25th.
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A Bleacher Report writer says Bowling Green will have one of the top 10 offenses in the nation in 2014.
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SB Nation looks at how local recruiting dictates what type of scheme you play. Whipple's Pro-set offense looks like a better fit for UMass than the spread.
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Two FCS teams will kick off the 2014 season on ESPN. Sam Houston State is coached by old foe K.C. Keeler.
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The new college football playoffs could negatively impact FCS team's bottom line.
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Byron Vance of Hustle Belt looks at who had the best offensive line in the MAC.
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The Sentinel and Enterprise covers Mike Dawson's promotion to assistant defensive line coach with the Eagles.
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Andy Hart of Patriots.com looks at New England's options in the NFL draft regarding TE's. The article comments on Rob Blanchflower (toward the end). It also says Blanchflower won't work out in the Combine.
The Boston Herald says Blanchflower hopes to be ready for UMass' Pro Day on March 25th.
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A Bleacher Report writer says Bowling Green will have one of the top 10 offenses in the nation in 2014.
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SB Nation looks at how local recruiting dictates what type of scheme you play. Whipple's Pro-set offense looks like a better fit for UMass than the spread.
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Two FCS teams will kick off the 2014 season on ESPN. Sam Houston State is coached by old foe K.C. Keeler.
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The new college football playoffs could negatively impact FCS team's bottom line.
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Thursday, February 20, 2014
Recruiting 2015-- Kevin Givens
Kevin Givens a 6-3 230 pound OLB from Altoona, PA has verbaled to Pitt.
Givens had offers from UMass, Temple and Western Michigan.
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Givens had offers from UMass, Temple and Western Michigan.
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Thursday--February 20th, 2014
CBS Boston has an article and an audio interview with Coach Whipple. Some interesting stuff in the audio interview and I recommend listening.
If you are at work and can't, Dan Malone has some highlights in an associated article.
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Maroon Musket says Shane Waldron will be the Minutemen's next offensive line coach.
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The Giants Blog "Big Blue" looks at the NFL draft and wonders if Rob Blanchflower can join Victor Cruz, Julian Talley and Michael Cox with the G-Men.
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NEPatriotsDraft.com mentions Blanchflower as a potential Patriot.
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ESPN ranks the PAC12's North Division's OOC schedule, which includes Colorado-UMass.
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FanIQ ranks the ACC's OOC schedule and mentions Boston College-UMass.
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Our old friends at Maize & Brew Blog look at the 2014 Penn State Nittany Lions and their schedule.
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Two former MAC quarterbacks will be pushing for better things at the NFL Combine.
Indianapolis Colts practice squad quarterback Chandler Harnish looks at what it takes for a MAC quarterback to make it at the NFL Combine.
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If you are at work and can't, Dan Malone has some highlights in an associated article.
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Maroon Musket says Shane Waldron will be the Minutemen's next offensive line coach.
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The Giants Blog "Big Blue" looks at the NFL draft and wonders if Rob Blanchflower can join Victor Cruz, Julian Talley and Michael Cox with the G-Men.
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NEPatriotsDraft.com mentions Blanchflower as a potential Patriot.
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ESPN ranks the PAC12's North Division's OOC schedule, which includes Colorado-UMass.
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FanIQ ranks the ACC's OOC schedule and mentions Boston College-UMass.
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Our old friends at Maize & Brew Blog look at the 2014 Penn State Nittany Lions and their schedule.
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Two former MAC quarterbacks will be pushing for better things at the NFL Combine.
Indianapolis Colts practice squad quarterback Chandler Harnish looks at what it takes for a MAC quarterback to make it at the NFL Combine.
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Wednesday --February 19th, 2014
One of this things that will be interesting this season will to see if Coach Whipple's offensive philosophy has changed with his NFL expienence.
In his last stint with the Minutemen, Whipple liked to go vertical. I think in 2002 or 2003, UMass had double-digit under a minute scoring drives. That meant Whipple liked having dominate "X" wide receivers. Think Adrian Zullo, Jimmy Moore and Jason Peebler.
Whipple liked having BIG offensive lines. Back in the late 1990's 300 pounders were not as common as they are now, but the Minutemen OL was one of the biggest in the FCS. Ryan Johnson 6-5 320 from this year's recruits would seem to be a Whipple-sized offensive lineman.
Whipple liked using a TE. Think Kerry Taylor. UMass recruited two highly rated TE's this year (Sifrin and Denton). Both are JUCO's.
Whipple liked to pound the ball. Think Marcel Shipp and Steve Baylark. Running back is probably the deepest offensive position we have. Many recruiting services had J.T Blyden has the top RB recruit in the MAC this year.
He also like to throw the ball out of the backfield to the Fullback. Think Rich Demers, who was fourth on the team in receiving in 2003 going 30-222 5 TD's. Demers also scored another 5 TD's rushing. Note that in 2013, the Minutemen only had 14 TD's for the whole team.
Whipple's offense was headed by a QB who was accurate and could throw the ball down the field. Since Blake Frohnapfel 6-6 225 will not be available for the Spring Game, the QB I'm most interested in seeing throw the ball would Todd Stafford 6-7 250.
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A couple of interesting articles from "College football Study Hall" one is about offensive rankings. Note that UMass was ranked 125th out of 125 teams in 2013.
Another is defensive rankings--- and the Minutemen were last on that one too.
SB Nation has "How to build a college football team: Ideal rosters for six common schemes". Read the portions on "Pro-set offense" and "3-4 defense" since it would seem we will switching to those this year.
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Speaking of quarterbacks, Liam Coen is excited to be back at UMass. Unlike FCS teams, most FBS teams recruit a QB every year. Coen and Whipple make UMass a really strong quarterback coaching team. Hopefully, some four-star QB recruit will see that and commit to UMass in the future.
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Looks like Josh Samuda was lucky to get out of Miami.
Samuda said he was not "Player A".
You remember Josh signed with the Vikings.
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In his last stint with the Minutemen, Whipple liked to go vertical. I think in 2002 or 2003, UMass had double-digit under a minute scoring drives. That meant Whipple liked having dominate "X" wide receivers. Think Adrian Zullo, Jimmy Moore and Jason Peebler.
Whipple liked having BIG offensive lines. Back in the late 1990's 300 pounders were not as common as they are now, but the Minutemen OL was one of the biggest in the FCS. Ryan Johnson 6-5 320 from this year's recruits would seem to be a Whipple-sized offensive lineman.
Whipple liked using a TE. Think Kerry Taylor. UMass recruited two highly rated TE's this year (Sifrin and Denton). Both are JUCO's.
Whipple liked to pound the ball. Think Marcel Shipp and Steve Baylark. Running back is probably the deepest offensive position we have. Many recruiting services had J.T Blyden has the top RB recruit in the MAC this year.
He also like to throw the ball out of the backfield to the Fullback. Think Rich Demers, who was fourth on the team in receiving in 2003 going 30-222 5 TD's. Demers also scored another 5 TD's rushing. Note that in 2013, the Minutemen only had 14 TD's for the whole team.
Whipple's offense was headed by a QB who was accurate and could throw the ball down the field. Since Blake Frohnapfel 6-6 225 will not be available for the Spring Game, the QB I'm most interested in seeing throw the ball would Todd Stafford 6-7 250.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A couple of interesting articles from "College football Study Hall" one is about offensive rankings. Note that UMass was ranked 125th out of 125 teams in 2013.
Another is defensive rankings--- and the Minutemen were last on that one too.
SB Nation has "How to build a college football team: Ideal rosters for six common schemes". Read the portions on "Pro-set offense" and "3-4 defense" since it would seem we will switching to those this year.
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Speaking of quarterbacks, Liam Coen is excited to be back at UMass. Unlike FCS teams, most FBS teams recruit a QB every year. Coen and Whipple make UMass a really strong quarterback coaching team. Hopefully, some four-star QB recruit will see that and commit to UMass in the future.
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Looks like Josh Samuda was lucky to get out of Miami.
Samuda said he was not "Player A".
You remember Josh signed with the Vikings.
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Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Tuesday--February 18th, 2014
A Bleacher Report writer gives the best returning player for all 130 FBS teams including Tajae Sharpe for UMass.
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Ferrum College has announced that former UMass DC Phil Elmassian will join the staff as defensive coordinator.
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NJ.com talks about Rutgers recruits who were under the radar including Marcus Applefield, who held an offer from the Minutemen.
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UMass recruit Ross Comis was one of the very few FBS-level players to come out of West Virginia in 2013.
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AAC commissioner Aresco says the league has the financial resources to pay full-cost stipends.
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Bowden is aiming to change the results and perception of Akrom football.
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NIU reflects on a 12-2 season.
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A SB Nation Blog says Khalil Mack is the best defensive player available in the 2014 NFL draft.
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Ferrum College has announced that former UMass DC Phil Elmassian will join the staff as defensive coordinator.
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NJ.com talks about Rutgers recruits who were under the radar including Marcus Applefield, who held an offer from the Minutemen.
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UMass recruit Ross Comis was one of the very few FBS-level players to come out of West Virginia in 2013.
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AAC commissioner Aresco says the league has the financial resources to pay full-cost stipends.
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Bowden is aiming to change the results and perception of Akrom football.
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NIU reflects on a 12-2 season.
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A SB Nation Blog says Khalil Mack is the best defensive player available in the 2014 NFL draft.
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Monday, February 17, 2014
Monday--February 17th, 2014
Former UMass player Mike Dawson has been promoted to assistant defensive line coach for the Eagles.
Dawson's Eagles bio.
Other Eagles coaches with UMass roots: Bill McGovern and Jerry Azzinaro.
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Rob Blanchflower gets a mention at the end of this article about TE's in the NFL draft.
Blanchflower gets a longer mention in this Packer Report on the NFL combine.
NFL.com says when TE's are considered in the Combine, there is a need for speed.
BTW, the Combine has it's own web page here.
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A couple of MAC players are among the biggest risers before the NFL Combine.
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A Bleacher Report writer says Khalil Mack vs Anthony Barr is one of the most underrated stories of the 2014 NFL Draft.
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2014 OOC opponent Penn State's drive to domination in Pennsylvania gets rolling.
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Dawson's Eagles bio.
Other Eagles coaches with UMass roots: Bill McGovern and Jerry Azzinaro.
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Rob Blanchflower gets a mention at the end of this article about TE's in the NFL draft.
Blanchflower gets a longer mention in this Packer Report on the NFL combine.
NFL.com says when TE's are considered in the Combine, there is a need for speed.
BTW, the Combine has it's own web page here.
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A couple of MAC players are among the biggest risers before the NFL Combine.
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A Bleacher Report writer says Khalil Mack vs Anthony Barr is one of the most underrated stories of the 2014 NFL Draft.
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2014 OOC opponent Penn State's drive to domination in Pennsylvania gets rolling.
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Saturday, February 15, 2014
Saturday--February 15th, 2014
 |
| Image credit unknown |
MassLIve also looks at the NFL draft and Blanchflower.
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Former UMass OL line coach Dave Johnson lands at Ohio.
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Hustle Belt also has two articles on the proposed rule change giving the defense 10 seconds to change personnel. One is here and another here.
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The American Athletic Conference is determined to make a mark.
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Victor Cruz says Michael Sam would be accepted by the Giants.
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Friday, February 14, 2014
Friday--February 14th, 2014
Happy Valentine's Day to all UMass fans.
ESPN Boston has the story how Andrew Libby, Maine's Gatorade Player-of-the-Year came to sign with UMass.
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UMass plays Penn State for the first time this year. Mrs. Blog and I will be there, Inshallah. How many of the Nittany Lions traditions will James Franklin keep?
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VanDelay Sports ranks UMass #6 in MAC recruiting. Included in the story is a down-loadable pdf with individual player rankings. The Minutemen are listed as signing the overall 6th and with6th and 7th ranked top players and the #1 running back and #1 TE.
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Former UMass offer Chase Litton, 6-6 190 pound pro-style QB has decided to spend a year in prep school.
I've blogged about Litton before.
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Football Scoop reports on why business is booming in college football.
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New Hampshire adds 13 recruits for 2014.
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OT, but Jonathan Quick is making a splash in USA Hockey.
He's also starting goalie.
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Now I've got to go shovel lots and lots of snow...
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ESPN Boston has the story how Andrew Libby, Maine's Gatorade Player-of-the-Year came to sign with UMass.
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 |
| Penn State image |
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VanDelay Sports ranks UMass #6 in MAC recruiting. Included in the story is a down-loadable pdf with individual player rankings. The Minutemen are listed as signing the overall 6th and with6th and 7th ranked top players and the #1 running back and #1 TE.
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Former UMass offer Chase Litton, 6-6 190 pound pro-style QB has decided to spend a year in prep school.
I've blogged about Litton before.
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Football Scoop reports on why business is booming in college football.
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New Hampshire adds 13 recruits for 2014.
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OT, but Jonathan Quick is making a splash in USA Hockey.
He's also starting goalie.
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Now I've got to go shovel lots and lots of snow...
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Thursday, February 13, 2014
Thursday--February 13th, 2014
Big turnout for the Signing Day Event at the Amherst Brewing Co. last night. Coach Whipple had the flu and was down for the count. All the other coaches were there.
It was fun to see other UMass fans. After back-to-back 1-11 seasons, It was good to talk to other Minuteman football junkies. I spoke with "Steve" who keeps the UMass presence up on the MAC boards. Had a good time visiting with "Top row", who's a really knowledgeable guy. I talked a little with Liam Coen, who thinks the UMass offense will be jump started this year.
Coach Shane Waldron, who is recruiting coordinator/TE coach stepped in to show the recruiting video and did a good job.
James Ihedigbo was there and if he ever needs a second career, he could make it as a motivational speaker.
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SB Nation looks at 2014 Mid-major college football recruits. Western Michigan, Toledo, Ohio and Bowling Green all signed top recruits.
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NCAA proposed rule changes for 2014. One of which would put the breaks on the no-huddle offense.
More on the proposed rule changes from USA Today.
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Colorado, one of this year's OOC opponents, is focusing on recruiting classes two years down the road.
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Buffalo will play two FCS teams in 2014. Going 3-1 in OOC play will give the Bulls a leg up on a bowl bid.
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It was fun to see other UMass fans. After back-to-back 1-11 seasons, It was good to talk to other Minuteman football junkies. I spoke with "Steve" who keeps the UMass presence up on the MAC boards. Had a good time visiting with "Top row", who's a really knowledgeable guy. I talked a little with Liam Coen, who thinks the UMass offense will be jump started this year.
Coach Shane Waldron, who is recruiting coordinator/TE coach stepped in to show the recruiting video and did a good job.
James Ihedigbo was there and if he ever needs a second career, he could make it as a motivational speaker.
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SB Nation looks at 2014 Mid-major college football recruits. Western Michigan, Toledo, Ohio and Bowling Green all signed top recruits.
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NCAA proposed rule changes for 2014. One of which would put the breaks on the no-huddle offense.
More on the proposed rule changes from USA Today.
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Colorado, one of this year's OOC opponents, is focusing on recruiting classes two years down the road.
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Buffalo will play two FCS teams in 2014. Going 3-1 in OOC play will give the Bulls a leg up on a bowl bid.
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Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Recruiting 2015--Daniel Clifford
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| Clifford far right/Hudson Reporter image |
Story here.
This article mentions Clifford.
Clifford's Rivals page.
Junior offensive and defensive highlight video above.
Wednesday--February 12th, 2014
Hope to see a lot of UMass fans at today's Signing Day event at the Amherst Brewing Company.
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The MAC has sorta released its 2014 football schedule.
If you like college football, UMass' 2014 home schedule is pretty attractive. Schools marked with a * are crossovers from the MAC's West division.
Home: Boston College (7-6) , Colorado(4-8), Bowling Green(10-4), Buffalo(8-5), Ball State(10-3)*, Eastern Michigan(2-10)*
Away: Vanderbilt (9-4), Penn State (7-5), Akron(5-7), Kent State(4-8), Miami (OH)(0-12), Toledo(7-5)*
Tough home schedule for the Minutemen. Bowling Green, Ball State and Buffalo are all good teams. Eastern Michigan looks like the best home bet. The Minutemen have a decent chance for wins on the road with Akron, Kent State and Miami (OH).
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The Boston College football blog "BC Interruption" breaks down the Eagles signing class. As I mentioned before, it was a tough year in the Bay State for the Minutemen. UMass signed one recruit that had a BC offer. The Eagles signed 10 recruits with UMass offers.
ESPN wonders if Boston College can keep it going in 2014.
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Colorado's class was ranked last in the PAC-12
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Auburn fans heckle a Alabama recruit.
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The MAC has sorta released its 2014 football schedule.
If you like college football, UMass' 2014 home schedule is pretty attractive. Schools marked with a * are crossovers from the MAC's West division.
Home: Boston College (7-6) , Colorado(4-8), Bowling Green(10-4), Buffalo(8-5), Ball State(10-3)*, Eastern Michigan(2-10)*
Away: Vanderbilt (9-4), Penn State (7-5), Akron(5-7), Kent State(4-8), Miami (OH)(0-12), Toledo(7-5)*
Tough home schedule for the Minutemen. Bowling Green, Ball State and Buffalo are all good teams. Eastern Michigan looks like the best home bet. The Minutemen have a decent chance for wins on the road with Akron, Kent State and Miami (OH).
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The Boston College football blog "BC Interruption" breaks down the Eagles signing class. As I mentioned before, it was a tough year in the Bay State for the Minutemen. UMass signed one recruit that had a BC offer. The Eagles signed 10 recruits with UMass offers.
ESPN wonders if Boston College can keep it going in 2014.
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Colorado's class was ranked last in the PAC-12
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Auburn fans heckle a Alabama recruit.
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Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Recruiting 2014---Andrew Libby
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| Greg Rec image |
Story here.
Libby was the 2012-2013 USA Today Gatoraid Maine Player-of-the-Year.
Press-Herald All-State and Player-of-the-year.
Suffered torn ACL in first game of the 2013 season.
Tuesday--- February 11, 2014
The meet & greet tour for Coach Whipple is about to kick off.
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UMass recruit Dimitri Angelas will play in a new Michigan vs Ohio All Star game
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Matt Reid, interim HC at Army baseball, talks about his father, former UMass HC Jimmie Reid.
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The 2012 MAC Freshman-of-the-Year leaves Western Michigan.
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Inside Ball State's recruiting philosophy.
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A couple more from Football Scoop.
Top Ten graphics from LOI day.
50 Million people attended a college football game in 2013. In the FCS numbers, despite Delaware and JMU, the CAA did not make the top three FCS leagues in attendence.
In our former division, the FCS tourney drew 184,279 fans or 8,012/game.
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OT, but Rutgers signs a 6-10 center who had a UMass basketball offer.
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UMass recruit Dimitri Angelas will play in a new Michigan vs Ohio All Star game
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Matt Reid, interim HC at Army baseball, talks about his father, former UMass HC Jimmie Reid.
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The 2012 MAC Freshman-of-the-Year leaves Western Michigan.
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Inside Ball State's recruiting philosophy.
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A couple more from Football Scoop.
Top Ten graphics from LOI day.
50 Million people attended a college football game in 2013. In the FCS numbers, despite Delaware and JMU, the CAA did not make the top three FCS leagues in attendence.
In our former division, the FCS tourney drew 184,279 fans or 8,012/game.
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OT, but Rutgers signs a 6-10 center who had a UMass basketball offer.
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Monday, February 10, 2014
Monday--February 10th, 2014
Thanks to the commenter who pointed out Coach Dudzinski's son Zac signed with the Albany Great Danes on Wednesday.
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I don't think I linked to this article on MAC players in the NFL Combine. Rob Blanchflower will be the only MAC player on February 22nd. The Combine will be televised on the NFL Network.
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Only 20 players remain from the Joe Paterno era at Penn State. This article shows the losses (including Alex Kenney to UMass).
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Detroitjockcity.com says Western Michigan may have signed the best recruiting class in MAC conference history.
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The MAC slogan "MACtion" has taken on a life of its own.
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UConn tries a positive spin on its recruiting class.
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Sports Illustrated says top recruits are better prepared to play early.
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Victor Cruz inspires NYC kids.
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I don't think I linked to this article on MAC players in the NFL Combine. Rob Blanchflower will be the only MAC player on February 22nd. The Combine will be televised on the NFL Network.
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Only 20 players remain from the Joe Paterno era at Penn State. This article shows the losses (including Alex Kenney to UMass).
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Detroitjockcity.com says Western Michigan may have signed the best recruiting class in MAC conference history.
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The MAC slogan "MACtion" has taken on a life of its own.
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UConn tries a positive spin on its recruiting class.
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Sports Illustrated says top recruits are better prepared to play early.
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Victor Cruz inspires NYC kids.
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Sunday, February 09, 2014
Recruiting 2014---Alfred Adarkwah
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| Image credit unknown |
Worcester Telegram has the news (scroll to end).
Adarkwah's Hudl.com page.
This ESPN story features Adarkwah.
Quote from the article above:" “I think Alfred is going to be a steal scholarship kid for somebody,” said Mulcahy.
“Who ever gets him is going to realize, he is just starting to explode right now.”
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Sunday--February 9th, 2014
AL.com ranks the rankers: looking back at past Rivals and Scout.com's recruiting rankings.
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A spreadsheet with the rushing stats for every RB in FBS.
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ESPN has more on the split in results between Boston College and UMass in Massachusetts recruiting.
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Bloguin looks at OOC rivals for ACC teams and suggests UMass-BC.
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ESPN Nation recruiting looks at the epidemic of flipping by recruits.
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UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT
Florida player sends letter-of-intent to three different schools.
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A spreadsheet with the rushing stats for every RB in FBS.
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ESPN has more on the split in results between Boston College and UMass in Massachusetts recruiting.
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Bloguin looks at OOC rivals for ACC teams and suggests UMass-BC.
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ESPN Nation recruiting looks at the epidemic of flipping by recruits.
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UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT
Florida player sends letter-of-intent to three different schools.
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Saturday, February 08, 2014
Saturday--February 8th, 2014
Byron Vance has an excellent article on how MAC recruiting ranks nationally. The article also has a spread sheet you can use to study other trends.
Note that UMass was 3rd in league in signing recruits that had BCS offers (10).
The Minutemen were fifth in the MAC in signing recruits that had other offers (10).
Not a great year for MAC recruiting. Kent State, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan in particular, had a brutally weak year.
With transfers, it looks like UMass did pretty well relative to the MAC with the limited time available. We'll have to do better to contend for the top of the league, not to mention playing 3 or 4 BCS teams a year.
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One recruiting area we got our asses kicked this year was Massachusetts.
This link has ESPN's Bay State recruits. Except for Jarell Addo and Dan DiNicola, both ESPN two-star recruits, UMass did not sign any of Massachusetts top players.
I think the training video and professor Max Page combined to make it a tough year for UMass recruiting in our home state.
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When Whipple was here before, he recruited heavily in Florida. In 2003, the Minutemen had 15 players from Flordia, second in numbers only to Massachusetts.
2003 UMass players from Florida: Steve Baylark, Andrew Blumenthal, Jeremy Cain, Mike Douglas, Jason Hill, Christian Koegel, O.J. McBride, Ryan McHugh, Justin Montgomery, J.J. Moore, Glenn Opie, Rasheed Rancher, Charles Walker, Keron Williams and Mike Ziccardi. Lots of First Team All-CAA players in that list.
Hopefully, Whipple can reestablish UMass in the Florida recruiting market. The other MAC teams do not recruit Florida heavily.
This year the Minutemen signed two Florida recruits: Zeke Edmonds and Jean Sifrin.
Edmonds was the 17th ranked recruit in Palm Beach County.
Sifrin, a three star recruit, put on a show in this game in September 2013.
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Note that UMass was 3rd in league in signing recruits that had BCS offers (10).
The Minutemen were fifth in the MAC in signing recruits that had other offers (10).
Not a great year for MAC recruiting. Kent State, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan in particular, had a brutally weak year.
With transfers, it looks like UMass did pretty well relative to the MAC with the limited time available. We'll have to do better to contend for the top of the league, not to mention playing 3 or 4 BCS teams a year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One recruiting area we got our asses kicked this year was Massachusetts.
This link has ESPN's Bay State recruits. Except for Jarell Addo and Dan DiNicola, both ESPN two-star recruits, UMass did not sign any of Massachusetts top players.
I think the training video and professor Max Page combined to make it a tough year for UMass recruiting in our home state.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Whipple was here before, he recruited heavily in Florida. In 2003, the Minutemen had 15 players from Flordia, second in numbers only to Massachusetts.
 |
| Cover 2003 UMass Press Guide |
Hopefully, Whipple can reestablish UMass in the Florida recruiting market. The other MAC teams do not recruit Florida heavily.
This year the Minutemen signed two Florida recruits: Zeke Edmonds and Jean Sifrin.
Edmonds was the 17th ranked recruit in Palm Beach County.
Sifrin, a three star recruit, put on a show in this game in September 2013.
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Friday, February 07, 2014
Signing Day 2014 -- How UMass did
When Signing Day 2014 rolled around for UMass there were several intangibles in play.
The Minutemen had struggled mightily in their first two years in FBS. For the second time in three years a new coaching staff was trying to reach recruits with only a few weeks of recruiting time.
UMass has a couple of unique circumstances going on. One was the turnover in players that occurred during the two years of Coach Molnar's era. During the UMass-Central Michigan game the announcers said the Minutemen only had about 50 scholarships in FCS (and that will get you a .500 record in the CAA) and after the turnover in players in 2013, UMass went into last year with about 40 scholarships. In FBS that will get you a 1-11 season.
In addition, one of the weakest positions on the UMass squad was quarterback. A.J. Doyle and Mike Wegzyn struggled both years. Against Central Michigan both Minutemen QB's threw INT's for touchdowns. We were next to last in FBS in scoring.
We'll never know exactly what prompted the UMass administration to replace Molnar, but in late November he told the Gazette that he was "not actively looking for a QB transfer or JUCO". Vautour probably couldn't believer what he was hearing. The hair on the heads of the Athletics Dept brass likely stood straight up. Only about three weeks later Molnar said he would bring in quarterbacks.
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For 2014, UMass needed to recruit some players to jump start the offense. Whipple also need not to lose the majority of players that had already committed to UMass.
To me, it looks like Whipple and his staff did just that. QB transfer Blake Frohnapfel, three JUCO offensive linemen, a three-star JUCO TE and a WR transfer from Penn State all filled specific needs. Twelve of the 24 recruits were from Molnar's watch so there was continuity between the recruiting efforts. The 12 players signed late in the recruiting period included the second ranked recruit Jean Sifrin.
247 Sports rates UMass 8th in MAC recruiting including the biggest signing day jump in position. They have the Minutemen as 115th nationally.
Bryon Vance of Hustle Belt also ranks UMass as 8th.
Rivals has UMass 10th in the MAC and 116th nationally.
Scout.com has UMass ranked last in the MAC and 117th nationally.
Vance critiques the rating services rankings of MAC recruits. He notes that Scout has some errors in the Minutemen's ranking.
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My feeling is the 17 high school seniors were about in the middle of the MAC for rating purposes. However, with the transfers, UMass really address some needs. The net result will be better for us than the raw numbers show.
It was a good start to the Whipple era.
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The Minutemen had struggled mightily in their first two years in FBS. For the second time in three years a new coaching staff was trying to reach recruits with only a few weeks of recruiting time.
UMass has a couple of unique circumstances going on. One was the turnover in players that occurred during the two years of Coach Molnar's era. During the UMass-Central Michigan game the announcers said the Minutemen only had about 50 scholarships in FCS (and that will get you a .500 record in the CAA) and after the turnover in players in 2013, UMass went into last year with about 40 scholarships. In FBS that will get you a 1-11 season.
In addition, one of the weakest positions on the UMass squad was quarterback. A.J. Doyle and Mike Wegzyn struggled both years. Against Central Michigan both Minutemen QB's threw INT's for touchdowns. We were next to last in FBS in scoring.
We'll never know exactly what prompted the UMass administration to replace Molnar, but in late November he told the Gazette that he was "not actively looking for a QB transfer or JUCO". Vautour probably couldn't believer what he was hearing. The hair on the heads of the Athletics Dept brass likely stood straight up. Only about three weeks later Molnar said he would bring in quarterbacks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For 2014, UMass needed to recruit some players to jump start the offense. Whipple also need not to lose the majority of players that had already committed to UMass.
To me, it looks like Whipple and his staff did just that. QB transfer Blake Frohnapfel, three JUCO offensive linemen, a three-star JUCO TE and a WR transfer from Penn State all filled specific needs. Twelve of the 24 recruits were from Molnar's watch so there was continuity between the recruiting efforts. The 12 players signed late in the recruiting period included the second ranked recruit Jean Sifrin.
247 Sports rates UMass 8th in MAC recruiting including the biggest signing day jump in position. They have the Minutemen as 115th nationally.
Bryon Vance of Hustle Belt also ranks UMass as 8th.
Rivals has UMass 10th in the MAC and 116th nationally.
Scout.com has UMass ranked last in the MAC and 117th nationally.
Vance critiques the rating services rankings of MAC recruits. He notes that Scout has some errors in the Minutemen's ranking.
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My feeling is the 17 high school seniors were about in the middle of the MAC for rating purposes. However, with the transfers, UMass really address some needs. The net result will be better for us than the raw numbers show.
It was a good start to the Whipple era.
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Friday--February 7th, 2014
Dan Malone reports Whipple's approach to recruiting has evolved.
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The Herald Star has a story on QB commit Ross Comis' signing with UMass.
WTRF channel 7 has some video from Comis' signing.
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The Leominster Sentinel & Enterprise has an article on Jarell Addo's signing day. He'll attend my old school Isenberg Business.
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The Greenwich Times has an story about local athletes, including UMass bound Jack Wynne.
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The Sun Sentinel reports two area athletes were in play for UMass on Signing Day.
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Western Michigan signs the highest rated MAC recruiting class ever.
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Temple former A10 and MAC conference member is struggling in the AAC.
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The Herald Star has a story on QB commit Ross Comis' signing with UMass.
WTRF channel 7 has some video from Comis' signing.
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The Leominster Sentinel & Enterprise has an article on Jarell Addo's signing day. He'll attend my old school Isenberg Business.
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The Greenwich Times has an story about local athletes, including UMass bound Jack Wynne.
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The Sun Sentinel reports two area athletes were in play for UMass on Signing Day.
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Western Michigan signs the highest rated MAC recruiting class ever.
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Temple former A10 and MAC conference member is struggling in the AAC.
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Thursday, February 06, 2014
Thursday--February 6th, 2014
OK, lots of material for the blog today. Let's concentrate on Signing Day information and we'll talk about how we did tomorrow and in the future.
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The official UMass 2014 recruiting list with bios, sorted by type is here.
Dan Malone talks about the Minutemen's 24 recruits and Whipple's reaction.
Chad Hunte of Hustle Belt looks at the results of yesterday's LOI Day for UMass.
Matty Vautour says LOI Day brings quarterbacks and offensive linemen to Amherst.
ABC 40 reports UMass signs 24 recruits.
The Boston Globe says UMass signs 19 recruits. Note that how the early enrollees and and the transfers are counted makes a difference. It also makes a difference in the class ranking, but we'll talk about that tomorrow.
The UMass Daily Collegian reports on the 2014 signings.
NJ.com reports on Chris Carter's signing with UMass.
The Boston Herald says transfers boost UMass' haul.
The Berkshire Eagle says walk-on Jordan Fiske will get his shot at UMass.
The MAC Report online says 10 linemen and four quarterbacks are among the UMass recruiting results.
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Hustle Belt's recruiting page has yesterday's results for many of the MAC teams.
The MAC Conference website has recruiting results for all the league's teams.
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Boston College thinks they signed a high end class.
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UConn signs fourteen.
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The official UMass 2014 recruiting list with bios, sorted by type is here.
Dan Malone talks about the Minutemen's 24 recruits and Whipple's reaction.
Chad Hunte of Hustle Belt looks at the results of yesterday's LOI Day for UMass.
Matty Vautour says LOI Day brings quarterbacks and offensive linemen to Amherst.
ABC 40 reports UMass signs 24 recruits.
The Boston Globe says UMass signs 19 recruits. Note that how the early enrollees and and the transfers are counted makes a difference. It also makes a difference in the class ranking, but we'll talk about that tomorrow.
The UMass Daily Collegian reports on the 2014 signings.
NJ.com reports on Chris Carter's signing with UMass.
The Boston Herald says transfers boost UMass' haul.
The Berkshire Eagle says walk-on Jordan Fiske will get his shot at UMass.
The MAC Report online says 10 linemen and four quarterbacks are among the UMass recruiting results.
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Hustle Belt's recruiting page has yesterday's results for many of the MAC teams.
The MAC Conference website has recruiting results for all the league's teams.
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Boston College thinks they signed a high end class.
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UConn signs fourteen.
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Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Recruiting 2014--Jordan Fiske
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| Stephanie Zollshan image |
Story here.
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Letter of Intent Day--February 5th, 2014
UPDATE: You can use the blog for more information about today's signings. There should be a white search block in the upper left hand corner of the blog page. Typing in "Chris Carter", for example, will take you to any blog posts that I mentioned his name.
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The UMass Signing Day event at the Amherst Brewing Company has been postponed to next Wednesday due to the storm. Fans having tickets to the basketball game who are unable to attend may call the ticket office and exchanged them for a later game.
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Dan Malone says transfer QB Blake Frohnapfel is not afraid to run with the ball.
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Matty Vautour reports UMass is reaching south for quarterback options.
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The Boston Herald says Whipple is mapping out a plan.
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Metro News of West Virginia has a story about QB Ross Comis' verbal to the Minutemen.
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UNH picks up a couple of recruits with UMass/Massachusetts connections.
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Former UMass defensive backs coach Greg Burns has been hired at Cal.
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This article talks about Coach Whipple's honoring the UMass offer to QB Randall West.
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Hustle Belt has a Signing Day page for all the MAC teams.
Byron Vance has more MAC Signing Day coverage.
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Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Recruiting 2014-- J.T. Williams
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| David Minton image |
Story here.
Rivals two-star player.
Besides the three schools mentioned above Williams had offers from Missouri, N. Texas, Houston and Louisiana Tech.
Williams visited Amherst this weekend. He had 67 TT 9 TFL, 5 SACKS and 2 FF in 2013.
Recruiting 2014--Blake Frohnapfel
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| Marcus Constano image |
Story here.
Frohnapfel's Marshall bio.
Frohnapfel will graduate in June, which allows him to play without sitting out a year.
Metro News has a story about the transfer.
UPDATE: Dan Malone has a story about Fronapfel's transfer to UMass.
Tuesday--February 4th, 2014
Matty V. has a story about UMass QB verbal Ross Comis. Hopefully, for both the Minutemen and Comis, he'll be the steal of 2014 class in the Northeast.
The article also says former UMass star Charles Walker will be retuning to Amherst to join Whipple's staff.
Walker's UMass bio.
Walker's Vanderbilt bio.
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It doesn't look like UMass will be getting any recruits from Hillsborough, FL for the foreseeable future. This had to have happened under Coach Molnar's watch because he was not fired until late December.
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This article mentions 2013 recruits Shaq Harris and E.J. Burston.
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Hustle Belt updates their MAC recruiting rankings as of yesterday.
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Recruiting is messy. Toledo has more verbals than they have scholarships and they've had 10 recruits flipped to other schools.
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Boston College schedules home games with Holy Cross in 2018 and 2020.
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UMass is rated as one of the Top Twenty Online degree programs in the world, but I have no idea what writer is talking about in the comment.
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The article also says former UMass star Charles Walker will be retuning to Amherst to join Whipple's staff.
Walker's UMass bio.
Walker's Vanderbilt bio.
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It doesn't look like UMass will be getting any recruits from Hillsborough, FL for the foreseeable future. This had to have happened under Coach Molnar's watch because he was not fired until late December.
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This article mentions 2013 recruits Shaq Harris and E.J. Burston.
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Hustle Belt updates their MAC recruiting rankings as of yesterday.
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Recruiting is messy. Toledo has more verbals than they have scholarships and they've had 10 recruits flipped to other schools.
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Boston College schedules home games with Holy Cross in 2018 and 2020.
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UMass is rated as one of the Top Twenty Online degree programs in the world, but I have no idea what writer is talking about in the comment.
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Monday, February 03, 2014
Monday--February 3rd, 2014
The weather is not looking good for the football signing party on Wednesday. I'd love to go, but they're talking 6 inches to a foot of heavy wet snow. It would be a long drive from Jaffrey for me.
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Hustle Belt has updates on league recruiting. UConn and Rutgers flip verbals from Ball State and Miami, while Miami grabs a Southern Mississippi recruit.
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MAC Report online has a post about the league All-Academic selections.
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UAB signs a JUCO OL that had a UMass offer.
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If college football players unionize, the NFL could form a developmental league, bypassing the colleges.
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The venerable FAX machine is still the center of the LOI Day universe.
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Phil Steele compares offensive and defensive YPG with opponents averages in 2013.
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Hustle Belt has updates on league recruiting. UConn and Rutgers flip verbals from Ball State and Miami, while Miami grabs a Southern Mississippi recruit.
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MAC Report online has a post about the league All-Academic selections.
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UAB signs a JUCO OL that had a UMass offer.
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If college football players unionize, the NFL could form a developmental league, bypassing the colleges.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The venerable FAX machine is still the center of the LOI Day universe.
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Phil Steele compares offensive and defensive YPG with opponents averages in 2013.
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Sunday, February 02, 2014
Superbowl Sunday--February 2nd, 2014
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| Coach Whipple's Twitter feed |
Liam Coen's Twitter feed.
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In Saturday's Football Scoop, it is reported that former UMass OL coach Dave Johnson has been hired at Ohio.
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On January 12th, 1967 I had just gotten out of Boot Camp at Great Lakes Training Center. I was lugging my seabag through Chicago's O'Hare airport and I noticed a big crowd around one of the airport's bar's. There were so many people that the crowd was shoulder to shoulder outside the bar as people tried to look through the bar's window to see the TV's. I walked over and asked what was going on to one of the guys on the outside of the crush. "The Jets are winning!"; he said.
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Saturday, February 01, 2014
Recruiting 2014-- Kyron Brown and Darrian Josey
Hustle Belt has an article on player visits to MAC Schools this weekend.
Listed for UMass are two players from Boyton Beach FL.
Kyron Brown is a 6-1 165 pound CB.
He's a Scout.com two-start recruit. Brown is listed as a "soft verbal" to Akron.
Brown is receiving late interest from Syracuse.
Hudl.com has senior highlight video.
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Darrian Josey is a 6-0 165 pound WR.
Hudl.com has stats (including a 4.4 forty) and video.
Quote from a November article from Scout.com: "“He’s the 100 meter champ in Palm Beach County,” said Rick Swain, Boynton Beach’s coach. “He plays both wide receiver and cornerback for us. He catches everything for us but he needs work. He has to develop stronger hands to be where he really needs to be.”
Verbaled to Hawaii on January 19th.
Listed for UMass are two players from Boyton Beach FL.
 |
| Brown #12/ Michael Laughlin image |
He's a Scout.com two-start recruit. Brown is listed as a "soft verbal" to Akron.
Brown is receiving late interest from Syracuse.
Hudl.com has senior highlight video.
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 |
| Scout.com image |
Hudl.com has stats (including a 4.4 forty) and video.
Quote from a November article from Scout.com: "“He’s the 100 meter champ in Palm Beach County,” said Rick Swain, Boynton Beach’s coach. “He plays both wide receiver and cornerback for us. He catches everything for us but he needs work. He has to develop stronger hands to be where he really needs to be.”
Verbaled to Hawaii on January 19th.
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