 |
| 247Sports image |
This article from NJ.com updates his recruiting.
Current leaders are Temple and Rutgers.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Recruiting 2015--Jared Southers II
This article from NJ.com updates his recruiting.
Current leaders are Temple and Rutgers.
Recruiting 2015-- Danile Clifford IV
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| Clifford family image |
This article from NJ.com updates his recruiting.
His current top four are Iowa State, UConn, ECU and Buffalo.
Thursday--July 31st 2014
In his latest installment of his "Top-25" UMass players, Dan Malone discusses JUCO transfers Liam Porter and Ryan Johnson.
Johnson's UMass bio.
Porter's UMass bio.
I've blogged about the potential 2014 offensive line several times before. In an earlier interview, Whipple said he hoped the O-line would be able to go "7 or 8 deep". As Dan says, I would expect either or both Porter and Johnson to start. For one thing, they're older and UMass will start a very young team on August 30th. Boston College is likely to start five seniors on their offensive line that day.
My take on the top eight would be:
Rob Blanchflower suffered a high ankle sprain in Steelers training camp.
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Matt Kier, a 6-2 215 pound QB playing for California (PA) had a offer from UMass.
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The BC blog "Soaring to Glory" looks at the Eagles path to a bowl game. They count UMass as a given win.
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The Toledo Rocket's football building gets a $5.5 million facelift.
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Johnson's UMass bio.
Porter's UMass bio.
I've blogged about the potential 2014 offensive line several times before. In an earlier interview, Whipple said he hoped the O-line would be able to go "7 or 8 deep". As Dan says, I would expect either or both Porter and Johnson to start. For one thing, they're older and UMass will start a very young team on August 30th. Boston College is likely to start five seniors on their offensive line that day.
My take on the top eight would be:
- Tyrell Smith RSSO 6-5 295
- Elijah Wilkinson SO 6-4 330
- Matt Sparks JR 6-4 290
- Josh Bruns RSJR 6-5 285
- Tyshon Henderson SO 6-7 339
- Liam Porter RSJR 6-6 293
- Ryan Johnson JR 6-5 320
- Fabien Hoeller SO 6-3 290
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UMass football breaks out on snapchat.
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Mike Wegzyn's Tennessee bio is up.
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Rob Blanchflower suffered a high ankle sprain in Steelers training camp.
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Matt Kier, a 6-2 215 pound QB playing for California (PA) had a offer from UMass.
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The BC blog "Soaring to Glory" looks at the Eagles path to a bowl game. They count UMass as a given win.
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The Toledo Rocket's football building gets a $5.5 million facelift.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Wednesday--July 30th, 2014
I had an appointment at VAMC Northampton yesterday. I stopped in to see how the Performance Center was progressing. The work site was busy. The center and the press box are not finished. It looks as if they will be working right up to September.
The new field turf looks great! I spoke with some of the field workers and they thought the "UMass" logo came out especially good. They liked the Maroon & white colors with the gray and black shading. The press box, the performance center and the field turf are outstanding, but there's only so much lipstick you can put on the stadium itself. It's still an old 50's structure.
There were no UMass coaches or players around. The door to the new weight room was propped open and I asked one of the workers if I could look inside and they said "Sure, why not?". I didn't want to push it so I just took a few images from the doorway. The weight room is going awesome.
Click on the images for a larger view. I set up a Picasa web album with ten or so images here.
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The UMass website has video from the "We built it" weekend.
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Dan Malone has MAC West season preview. He also teams up with Collegian sports editor Mark Chiarelli for a podcast about the changes to the UMass football team.
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Dan also continues the "Top-25" UMass players for 2014 with a post on Blake Lucas. Lucas' UMass bio here.
We will hope that Lucas got his "sophomore slump" season out of the way last year. In 2013, the Minutemen lost two games by one point. Sometimes the margin of victory (or loss) is razor thin. UMass finished 9th in the MAC going 12-19 .632 AVE.
Other kickers on the Spring roster are RSFR Marcus Colin and true freshman Matthew Wylie.
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A Bleacher Report writer includes Victor Cruz as an athlete everyone should root for.
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The new field turf looks great! I spoke with some of the field workers and they thought the "UMass" logo came out especially good. They liked the Maroon & white colors with the gray and black shading. The press box, the performance center and the field turf are outstanding, but there's only so much lipstick you can put on the stadium itself. It's still an old 50's structure.
There were no UMass coaches or players around. The door to the new weight room was propped open and I asked one of the workers if I could look inside and they said "Sure, why not?". I didn't want to push it so I just took a few images from the doorway. The weight room is going awesome.
Click on the images for a larger view. I set up a Picasa web album with ten or so images here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The UMass website has video from the "We built it" weekend.
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Dan Malone has MAC West season preview. He also teams up with Collegian sports editor Mark Chiarelli for a podcast about the changes to the UMass football team.
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Dan also continues the "Top-25" UMass players for 2014 with a post on Blake Lucas. Lucas' UMass bio here.
We will hope that Lucas got his "sophomore slump" season out of the way last year. In 2013, the Minutemen lost two games by one point. Sometimes the margin of victory (or loss) is razor thin. UMass finished 9th in the MAC going 12-19 .632 AVE.
Other kickers on the Spring roster are RSFR Marcus Colin and true freshman Matthew Wylie.
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A Bleacher Report writer includes Victor Cruz as an athlete everyone should root for.
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Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Tuesday--July 29th, 2014
Dan Malone continues his "Top-25 UMass players for 2014" series with a post about Shane Huber and Steve Casali.
Huber's UMass bio. Casali's UMass bio.
Lots of dynamics in play for these two UMass linebackers. One thing you couldn't fault about Charlie Molnar was his recruiting. Casali and Huber were highly rated members of Molnar's second recruiting class. They were expected to add speed and athleticism to a Minuteman front seven that badly needed both quantities.
I don' have images of either player because both DNP in the practice I attended or the Spring Game. Casali was injured early in the season and received a medical redshirt. Huber suffered a torn MCL and ACL late in the season. The conventional wisdom is that it takes a year to come back from torn ligaments. Keep in mind that college students usually don't have the five-hours-a-day rehab time that the pros do.
Unless there are some sort of complications, I would expect Casali to be ready to go by August 30th. Huber is another story. If he's not ready to go until late in the season, would UMass redshirt him? It would seem a waste to activate him for four games or so. OTOH, UMass needs wins. The conference affiliation clock is ticking. The Spring depth chart had Trey Seals listed as one the first unit's OLB's. Seals is really more of a stand-up DE kinda guy. If Casali is ready to go, I think he would be playing one OLB slot.
Shane Allen of Hustle Belt predicts Huber to have a breakout season in 2014.
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Dan also reviews the various college football publications and finds UMass is ranked last in MAC East in all of them.
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Hustle Belt previews Miami (Ohio), a team that is being ranked ahead of UMass despite going 0-12 in 2014.
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The Boston College blog "Soaring to Glory" looks at BC being tabbed as a 14.5 point favorite over UMass.
Speaking of BC, a Hampton Roads reporter ranks the ACC OOC schedules.
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A New Orleans sports writer thinks UMass has a shot at the AAC conference.
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The Sports Network previews the 2014 MAC.
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Steelers Depot reports Rob Blanchflower is doing well at blocking (scroll all the way to "final thoughts").
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Huber's UMass bio. Casali's UMass bio.
Lots of dynamics in play for these two UMass linebackers. One thing you couldn't fault about Charlie Molnar was his recruiting. Casali and Huber were highly rated members of Molnar's second recruiting class. They were expected to add speed and athleticism to a Minuteman front seven that badly needed both quantities.
I don' have images of either player because both DNP in the practice I attended or the Spring Game. Casali was injured early in the season and received a medical redshirt. Huber suffered a torn MCL and ACL late in the season. The conventional wisdom is that it takes a year to come back from torn ligaments. Keep in mind that college students usually don't have the five-hours-a-day rehab time that the pros do.
Unless there are some sort of complications, I would expect Casali to be ready to go by August 30th. Huber is another story. If he's not ready to go until late in the season, would UMass redshirt him? It would seem a waste to activate him for four games or so. OTOH, UMass needs wins. The conference affiliation clock is ticking. The Spring depth chart had Trey Seals listed as one the first unit's OLB's. Seals is really more of a stand-up DE kinda guy. If Casali is ready to go, I think he would be playing one OLB slot.
Shane Allen of Hustle Belt predicts Huber to have a breakout season in 2014.
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Dan also reviews the various college football publications and finds UMass is ranked last in MAC East in all of them.
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Hustle Belt previews Miami (Ohio), a team that is being ranked ahead of UMass despite going 0-12 in 2014.
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The Boston College blog "Soaring to Glory" looks at BC being tabbed as a 14.5 point favorite over UMass.
Speaking of BC, a Hampton Roads reporter ranks the ACC OOC schedules.
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A New Orleans sports writer thinks UMass has a shot at the AAC conference.
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The Sports Network previews the 2014 MAC.
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 |
| Image credit unknown |
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Monday, July 28, 2014
Recruiting 2015--Lee Moses
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| Moses #23/ Bob Breidenbach image |
247 Sports page here.
Hudl.com has video.
Ranked #2 in potential recruits from Maine, Vermont, RI and New Hampshire.
This article from the Warwick Beacon features Moses.
Moses and a teammate raced to help people involved in a fiery crash on I-95.
Monday--July 28th, 2014
 |
| From the UMass feed |
Hustle Belt has superlatives from the MAC Media Day.
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Western Michigan could start 14 true freshmen says Broncos HC P.J. Fleck.
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Ex-Georgia Southern QB Greg Hill remembers his championship loss to UMass.
The Statesboro Herald looks at GSU's move the the Sunbelt conference.
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The Buffalo Bulls hope to keep their 2013 success going this year.
EMU, who will play at Gillette on October 18th, welcomes a well-traveled quarterback.
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Steve Addazio wants college football's next Tim Tebow to play for the Eagles.
BC also debuts their season poster. Meh.
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The Colorado Buffs were picked last in PAC-12's Southern Division but avoided the league cellar in the media poll.
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Penn State's latest depth chart.
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Victor Cruz looks to be a good influence on the Giants rookies.
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Saturday, July 26, 2014
Saturday--July 26th, 2014
Lots of images from the Football Alumni tour of the new Performance Center on the UMass Athletic Dept main page. Check it out.
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There is also a video interview of Stanley Andre, Tajae Sharpe and Mark Whipple from the MAC Media Day.
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Former UMass player E.J. Barthel joins the Rutgers football staff. E. J. 's UMass bio.
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Dam Malone interviews Terry Bowden about Akron's climb in the MAC standings and the Minutemen's attempt to do the same. Bowden has a point. UMass lost two league games by a total of two points. If we had an offense, we could have put a serious scare into Vanderbilt. There's a fine line between winning and losing. That said, we still need more time to make all the reforms needed for the move to FBS. I'm impressed (really impressed) with what Whipple has accomplished since his arrival, but he's going to need more than one year to start beating BCS teams and the cream of the MAC. That said, I'm going to enjoy the ride and for the first time I think UMass will show some flashes of what we can be.
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UMass adds some banners to McGuirk for 2014. If you're a UMass fan and are not local, be aware the basic concrete structure of McGuirk, is pretty deteriorated. New England weather is not kind to concrete.
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Cleveland.com says the Toledo Rockets eye the MAC East title.
They also review Bowling Green and says the Falcons start their conference games with MAC doormat UMass.
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A long blog post from the Steel Curtain looks the Steelers used SPARQ info to focus on athleticism and Rob Blanchflower's excellent numbers.
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An Arizona State beat writer tries to do a college football workout.
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There is also a video interview of Stanley Andre, Tajae Sharpe and Mark Whipple from the MAC Media Day.
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Former UMass player E.J. Barthel joins the Rutgers football staff. E. J. 's UMass bio.
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Dam Malone interviews Terry Bowden about Akron's climb in the MAC standings and the Minutemen's attempt to do the same. Bowden has a point. UMass lost two league games by a total of two points. If we had an offense, we could have put a serious scare into Vanderbilt. There's a fine line between winning and losing. That said, we still need more time to make all the reforms needed for the move to FBS. I'm impressed (really impressed) with what Whipple has accomplished since his arrival, but he's going to need more than one year to start beating BCS teams and the cream of the MAC. That said, I'm going to enjoy the ride and for the first time I think UMass will show some flashes of what we can be.
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UMass adds some banners to McGuirk for 2014. If you're a UMass fan and are not local, be aware the basic concrete structure of McGuirk, is pretty deteriorated. New England weather is not kind to concrete.
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Cleveland.com says the Toledo Rockets eye the MAC East title.
They also review Bowling Green and says the Falcons start their conference games with MAC doormat UMass.
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A long blog post from the Steel Curtain looks the Steelers used SPARQ info to focus on athleticism and Rob Blanchflower's excellent numbers.
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An Arizona State beat writer tries to do a college football workout.
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Thursday, July 24, 2014
Thursday---July 24th, 2014
UPDATE: Very limited Wi-Fi where I'm staying, so the blog will not be updated until probably sometime Saturday.
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Good morning. I'll be on the road the next three days. As usual, I'll try to keep the blog going if I have a WI-FI connection. If not, I'll be back late Saturday.
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UMass was picked last in the MAC East again. Note that we were picked last by a substantial margin. Below winless Miami. UMass has not finished last in either 2012 or 2013. I don't we'll be last in 2014.
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Dan Malone reports on Coach Whipple's debut in the MAC media world. Whipple brought the white helmet to the show. A hint for 2014?
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During the TV interview, the announcers asked Whipple about Blake Fronapfel, but didn't seem aware UMass has signed Drew Harris. Dan Malone thinks those two players will make an impact for UMass this year.
Remember this article about Harris from NJ.com?
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Dan interviews MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher about UMass' departure from the MAC. Basically, when Temple jumped, UMass' rational for joining the MAC left too.
Steinbrecher was optimistic about the new college playoff system.
He also is not in favor of paying student athletes.
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Matty Vautour reports Mark Whipple expressed confidence at the Media Day convention.
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The Boston Globe reports UMass was picked last in the MAC and New Hampshire first in the CAA.
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Watch Victor Cruz propose to his fiancee.
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Good morning. I'll be on the road the next three days. As usual, I'll try to keep the blog going if I have a WI-FI connection. If not, I'll be back late Saturday.
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UMass was picked last in the MAC East again. Note that we were picked last by a substantial margin. Below winless Miami. UMass has not finished last in either 2012 or 2013. I don't we'll be last in 2014.
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| UMass white helmet |
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| 247 Sports image |
Remember this article about Harris from NJ.com?
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Dan interviews MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher about UMass' departure from the MAC. Basically, when Temple jumped, UMass' rational for joining the MAC left too.
Steinbrecher was optimistic about the new college playoff system.
He also is not in favor of paying student athletes.
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Matty Vautour reports Mark Whipple expressed confidence at the Media Day convention.
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The Boston Globe reports UMass was picked last in the MAC and New Hampshire first in the CAA.
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Watch Victor Cruz propose to his fiancee.
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Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Wednesday --July 23rd
 |
| A.J. Doyle |
Doyle's UMass bio here.
In 2013 Doyle went 11-9 Starts 99.1 EFF 128-235-11 54.5 Pct 1274 YARDS 6 TD 55 Long 115.8 AVE/G.
In 2013, UMass QB pass efficiency was 12th in a 13 team league. Doyle threw almost twice as many interceptions as TD's.
Let me be first to state I think A.J. will play better this year. I still think Blake Fronapfel will start, but when Doyle gets in the game, he will look better. First, he'll be healthy, something he hasn't been often in his Minutemen career. Second, even though being under center is new to him, he'll have a better offense around him. I keep saying that a good rushing offense makes a QB look good. I hope Drew Harris lives up to his recruiting commentary.
Doyle should get better WR play this year. Mike Cassano is the new WR coach. Last year Doyle had at least two TD passes dropped. In addition, there was some piss-poor route running. If you were not a UMass fan during Whipple's last era with the Minutemen, know that he does not take dropped passes or catch one yard shy of a first down lightly. Do that and Whipple will grab your face mask when you come off the field and he'll explain your deficiencies to you ---- loudly.
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Today is MAC Media Day. The event starts at noon. It will be televised on ESPN3.
Coach Whipple and Stanley Andre and Tajae Sharpe will be there.
Cleveland.com has an article on the league's Media Day.
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The Boston College Blog "BC Interruption" looks at the betting odds for the Eagles and thinks BC will win easily over UMass, Maine and Colorado State.
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The MAC Blog Hustle Belt held its own media poll and picks UMass last in the league.
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Victor Cruz thinks he'll prosper in the Giants new offense.
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Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Recruiting 2015---Ronnie James
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| Lori M. James image |
NJ.com recruiting article here.
247 Sports three-star recruit.
Hudl.com has video.
Besides UMass, James has offers from Army, Rutgers, Pitt and Syracuse.
Tuesday--July 22nd, 2014
Former UMass star Peter McCarty has been hired as defensive line coach for UNH.
McCarty was a four-year letter (1974, 75, 76, 77). He was captain in 1977. He was All-Yankee Conference in his senior year.
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Penn State has five players on the preseason All-Big 10 list.
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News from the MAC
Akron has the look of a contender says Cleveland.com
Kent State looks to return to winning ways.
Syracuse has a lot of assistant coaches with MAC roots.
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Victor Cruz win "Party like a Sports Star" award.
Victor's also officially engaged.
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I was watching a replay of the Rose Bowl last evening on ESPNU. Stanford plays the 3-4 defense. The Cardinal was very successful last year in rushing defense; they ended up 3rd in the nation at 89.4 yards/game. Stanford missed going 12-0 in regular season by nine points.
Stanford sometimes added two stand-up defensive ends (or linebackers) to the three down linemen to play a five-man front. Sometimes they'd move a linebacker into the gaps. In passing situations they would only rush the three down linemen (and usually got a pretty good push against Michigan State) and drop everyone else back. The camera always stays close to the ball, so it was hard to see what else they were doing, but Stanford was able to use the 3-4 to play great rush defense all season.
In the Rose Bowl the Cardinal held Michigan State to 35-65 1.9 AVE rushing...
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McCarty was a four-year letter (1974, 75, 76, 77). He was captain in 1977. He was All-Yankee Conference in his senior year.
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Penn State has five players on the preseason All-Big 10 list.
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News from the MAC
Akron has the look of a contender says Cleveland.com
Kent State looks to return to winning ways.
Syracuse has a lot of assistant coaches with MAC roots.
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Victor Cruz win "Party like a Sports Star" award.
Victor's also officially engaged.
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I was watching a replay of the Rose Bowl last evening on ESPNU. Stanford plays the 3-4 defense. The Cardinal was very successful last year in rushing defense; they ended up 3rd in the nation at 89.4 yards/game. Stanford missed going 12-0 in regular season by nine points.
Stanford sometimes added two stand-up defensive ends (or linebackers) to the three down linemen to play a five-man front. Sometimes they'd move a linebacker into the gaps. In passing situations they would only rush the three down linemen (and usually got a pretty good push against Michigan State) and drop everyone else back. The camera always stays close to the ball, so it was hard to see what else they were doing, but Stanford was able to use the 3-4 to play great rush defense all season.
In the Rose Bowl the Cardinal held Michigan State to 35-65 1.9 AVE rushing...
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Monday, July 21, 2014
Recruiting 2015--George Wilson
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| Wilson #8/ Joshua Sudock image |
This article says his commitment may not be solid.
Hudl.com has highlights.
This article covers his recruitment.
Utah has had six offensive coordinators since 2009. Wilson would probably shine in Whipple's Pro-set offense.
Besides Utah, Wilson has offers from San Jose State and UMass.
Monday--July 21st, 2014
An Oregon writer looks at the PAC-10's non-BCS opponents including UMass.
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The Hartford Courant looks at UConn's FCS opponent Stony Brook. The Courant thinks UMass transfer Stacey Bedell will be backing up RB Marcus Coker.
Bedell's Sea Wolves bio.
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Boston College's ACC Media Day transcript. Mentions UMass.
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The non-Power Five conferences were not enamored with June Jones suggestion they move football to a Spring sport.
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Hustel Belt previews Kent State's OOC opponents.
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Fan Sided reviews every teams ESPN football logo.
Quote about Boston College's logo : "Like everything Boston College, this logo is wicked mediocre at best"
Speaking of mediocre, the Times says the ACC has mediocrity in the middle.
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Attention UMass football team! The Moscow Times reports no sex, no success, World Cup study finds. Print a copy for your girlfriend.
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The Hartford Courant looks at UConn's FCS opponent Stony Brook. The Courant thinks UMass transfer Stacey Bedell will be backing up RB Marcus Coker.
Bedell's Sea Wolves bio.
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Boston College's ACC Media Day transcript. Mentions UMass.
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The non-Power Five conferences were not enamored with June Jones suggestion they move football to a Spring sport.
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Hustel Belt previews Kent State's OOC opponents.
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Fan Sided reviews every teams ESPN football logo.
Quote about Boston College's logo : "Like everything Boston College, this logo is wicked mediocre at best"
Speaking of mediocre, the Times says the ACC has mediocrity in the middle.
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Attention UMass football team! The Moscow Times reports no sex, no success, World Cup study finds. Print a copy for your girlfriend.
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Saturday, July 19, 2014
Recruiting 2016-- Ted Field III
I've blogged about Ted Field, a 6-6 325 pound OL from Springfield, PA several times before.
Yesterday he verbaled to Rutgers .
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Yesterday he verbaled to Rutgers .
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Recruiting 2015-- Griffin Clancy
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| 247Sports image |
Hudl.com has highlight video.
247Sports page here.
Drawing interest from Albany, New Hampshire, JMU, Syracuse and UMass among others.
Saturday--July 19th, 2014
Matthew Dixon of Vavel.com previews the 2014 Minutemen.
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UMass CB Trey Dudley-Giles has been named to the College Football Performance Center Punt Returner Trophy List.
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This article about the 25th Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl mentions UMass recruit Andrew Libby.
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Cleveland.com says the MAC West needs quarterbacks.
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SMU coach June Jones says the non-power five conferences should move football to Spring.
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A SB Nation writer looks at the Philadelphia Eagles TE's as training camp opens.
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UMass CB Trey Dudley-Giles has been named to the College Football Performance Center Punt Returner Trophy List.
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This article about the 25th Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl mentions UMass recruit Andrew Libby.
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Cleveland.com says the MAC West needs quarterbacks.
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SMU coach June Jones says the non-power five conferences should move football to Spring.
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A SB Nation writer looks at the Philadelphia Eagles TE's as training camp opens.
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Friday, July 18, 2014
Friday--July 18th, 2014
Dan Malone looks at the Minutemen's defensive ends for 2014.
Peter Angeh's UMass bio.
Sha-Ki Holnes UMass bio.
Enock Asante's Minutemen bio.
The UMass defensive line did well during the Spring game. They mostly controlled the line of scrimmage against a bigger offensive line. The Minutemen are going to be small by FBS standards this year. I was flipping through Lindy's looking for other teams that run the 3-4. UMass' starting three will probably be NT Daniel Maynes 6-285 and two of the three Asante 6-2 260, Holines 6-2 260 or Angeh 6-245. West Virginia plays the 3-4 and their starting three are 6-4 295, 6-4 293 and 6-3 303. Navy's three down are 6-2 251, 6-1 303 and 6-1 246.
UMass will have to play with a high intensity and get some rotation with the second string guys. Michael Dowe, Jr 6-2 240 and Joe Tyo 6-5 250 played DE in the Spring game.
Back a year or so ago when Holines verbaled to UMass, I received an e-mail from a Springfield fan who said Holines was a good pickup for UMass. The writer said Holines was an excellent athlete and had a big upside.
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ESPN looks at Colorado's OOC schedule including UMass.
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Jesse Allen of Hustle Belt previews UMass-Vanderbilt and predicts a big Commodores victory.
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Cleveland.com says veteran quarterbacks abound in the MAC East.
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Speaking of quarterbacks, Penn State's Christian Hackenberg has been named to the O'Brien watch list.
Penn State is also in college football's top-25 in ticket prices.
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The MAC will receive a much higher payout from the new college football playoff structure.
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USA Today previews #53 Toledo. UMass plays @ Toledo on 10/25.
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Steelers Depot thinks Rob Blanchflower will make the team.
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A Bleacher Report writer thinks Michael Cox will make the Giants 53-man roster.
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Peter Angeh's UMass bio.
Sha-Ki Holnes UMass bio.
Enock Asante's Minutemen bio.
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| Peter Angeh gets a sack in the Spring game |
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| Enock Anante rushes A.J. Doyle |
UMass will have to play with a high intensity and get some rotation with the second string guys. Michael Dowe, Jr 6-2 240 and Joe Tyo 6-5 250 played DE in the Spring game.
Back a year or so ago when Holines verbaled to UMass, I received an e-mail from a Springfield fan who said Holines was a good pickup for UMass. The writer said Holines was an excellent athlete and had a big upside.
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ESPN looks at Colorado's OOC schedule including UMass.
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Jesse Allen of Hustle Belt previews UMass-Vanderbilt and predicts a big Commodores victory.
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Cleveland.com says veteran quarterbacks abound in the MAC East.
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Speaking of quarterbacks, Penn State's Christian Hackenberg has been named to the O'Brien watch list.
Penn State is also in college football's top-25 in ticket prices.
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The MAC will receive a much higher payout from the new college football playoff structure.
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USA Today previews #53 Toledo. UMass plays @ Toledo on 10/25.
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Steelers Depot thinks Rob Blanchflower will make the team.
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A Bleacher Report writer thinks Michael Cox will make the Giants 53-man roster.
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Thursday, July 17, 2014
Thursday--July 17th, 2014
Penn State transfer Alex Kenny is the subject of Dan Malone's latest installment of his UMass Top-25 players for 2014.
Kenney's UMass bio.
As Dan points out, last year the Minutemen had Tajae Sharpe as a WR threat, but not much else. It will be interesting to see if Whipple can integrate all that speed Kenney possesses into the passing offense. If UMass has a deep threat that opposing defenses have to respect, it would open up the shorter stuff.
I hope Blake Fronapfel will be able to call when in a "21" personnel-- two RB's and a TE: "I Weak Right 639"!
Harris is in the I, the fullback sets up on the Weak Side, Tajae runs a curl, the TE runs an out and Alex (the "Z" receiver) runs a "9" route (Fly)....
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A sports writer looks at making the jump from FCS to FBS. Mentions UMass.
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The kickoff time between UMass and Penn State won't be decided until September.
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Bryon Vance of Hustle Belt looks at the MAC's 2014 TV schedule. UMass will make four TV appearances. The previous link about Penn State says every Nittany Lion game for the last ten seasons has been televised, so UMass should make an appearance on the Big Ten Network in addition to the four games listed by Hustle Belt.
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SEC Media Days reports on Vanderbilt.
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The NY Giants running back coach Craig Johnson says don't count out Michael Cox.
G-Men HQ has more on Cox including a video highlight.
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Several writers think Emil Igwenagu will have a tough battle to make the Eagles roster: here and here.
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Kenney's UMass bio.
As Dan points out, last year the Minutemen had Tajae Sharpe as a WR threat, but not much else. It will be interesting to see if Whipple can integrate all that speed Kenney possesses into the passing offense. If UMass has a deep threat that opposing defenses have to respect, it would open up the shorter stuff.
I hope Blake Fronapfel will be able to call when in a "21" personnel-- two RB's and a TE: "I Weak Right 639"!
Harris is in the I, the fullback sets up on the Weak Side, Tajae runs a curl, the TE runs an out and Alex (the "Z" receiver) runs a "9" route (Fly)....
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A sports writer looks at making the jump from FCS to FBS. Mentions UMass.
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The kickoff time between UMass and Penn State won't be decided until September.
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Bryon Vance of Hustle Belt looks at the MAC's 2014 TV schedule. UMass will make four TV appearances. The previous link about Penn State says every Nittany Lion game for the last ten seasons has been televised, so UMass should make an appearance on the Big Ten Network in addition to the four games listed by Hustle Belt.
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SEC Media Days reports on Vanderbilt.
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| Mike Roy image |
G-Men HQ has more on Cox including a video highlight.
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| Igwenagu #82/ Stephanie Maksin image |
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Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Recruiting 2015-- Ryan Adzima II
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| Todderick Hunt image |
This article from NJ.com updates his status.
Quote from the above article:
"As a junior in 2013, Adzima threw for 3,229 yards (2nd most in the state) and 32 TDs (tied for third most), connecting on 221-of-375 passes (59 %). He has been most heavily recruited by Maryland, UMass, Cincinnati and the service academies."
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Wednesday--July 16th, 2014
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| Joe Phelan image |
I've blogged about the 6-0 195 pound Libby before.
Whipple is one of the few modern coaches who utilizes fullbacks in his offense. His fullbacks rarely carry the ball, but do get to catch the ball out of the backfield.
ASFAIK, the only listed fullback on the roster is RSFR Daquan Mack 6-1 255. If Drew Harris ends up being the #1 running back, I'd speculate Shadrach Abrokwah SO 5-9 200 gets a chance as a FB. He's got the strength and build for it; he's played too well to to be buried in the depth chart.
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The MAC is allowing fans and students to be part of the conference Media Day.
Eight MAC Conference players have been chosen to the college football "Good Works" team.
Hustle Belt ranks the MAC conference 2015 recruiting totals as of yesterday.
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UMass is not in the bottom five of this betting sheet's power rankings.
They do have UMass as 100-1 odds to win the MAC championship (scroll).
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Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Tuesday--July 15th, 2014
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| New UMass Turf |
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The Boston College Blog "BC Interruption" does a UMass preview. It's a fair and non-snarky look at the Minutemen from their perspective. I think the game will be closer and I'll detail that when I do a BC preview.
BC Interruption also comments on the new UMass football facilities.
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The Giants Blog "Big Blue View" looks at Julian Talley's chances to make the G-Men's roster.
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Fox Sports says new Vanderbilt HC Derek Mason is putting his stamp on the Commodores program.
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WR Kevin White is having a good career for West Virginia after choosing the Mountaineers over an offer by UMass among others.
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USA Today ranks the MAC ahead of Conference USA and the Sun Belt conferences.
Saturday Blitz.come ranks the MAC #6 in conference QB play.
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The University of Colorado is offering a "Football 101" clinic for women tomorrow and campus feminists are outraged.
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Monday, July 14, 2014
Monday--July 14th, 2014
Dan Malone has another chapter of his Top-25 UMass players for 2014
This time he covers JUCO TE's Jean Sifrin 6-7 250 and Jon Denton 6-6 260. As Dan says, Whipple has moved aggressively to fill holes in the UMass roster, especially on offense.
Sifrin's UMass bio.
Denton's UMass bio.
The Spring depth chart listed three returning TE's
This time he covers JUCO TE's Jean Sifrin 6-7 250 and Jon Denton 6-6 260. As Dan says, Whipple has moved aggressively to fill holes in the UMass roster, especially on offense.
Sifrin's UMass bio.
Denton's UMass bio.
The Spring depth chart listed three returning TE's
- Brandon Howard RSJR 6-5 240 4-55 career catches 0 career starts
- Shawn Campbell RSSR 6-2 205 Not on current roster
- Rodney Mills JR 601 205 5-47 career catches 4 career starts
TE's have always been a large part of Whipple's offense. In our championship year of 1998, Kerry Taylor had 74-854 11.5 AVE 5 TD's 40 LONG 56.9 AVE/game
The next year Sean Higgins had 51-615 12.1 AVE 2 TD's 31 LONG 47.3 AVE/game (second on the team).
Sifrin appears to be the better pass catcher. His size should make him a mismatch against most teams UMass plays. Denton seems to be more of a blocker, but Whipple's vertical offense means the QB has to stay upright while the WR's go long. If Denton can block at an FBS level he would contribute a lot.
The UMass roster also lists FR TE's
- Jordan Fiske 6-3 225
- Jon Lucier 6-6 215
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MAC Conference Media Days will be July 22nd and 23rd.
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A Vanderbilt blog reacts to ESPN's prediction the Commodores will finish on the bottom of the SEC.
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Steelers.com gets to know Rob Blanchflower.
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The Indy Star previews Ball State who will visit McGuirk on Black Friday.
USA Today ranks Ball State #57
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Penn State makes big gains in the weight room.
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Saturday, July 12, 2014
Saturday--July 12th, 2014
Dan Malone continues his Top-25 UMass players for 2014 with a post on Marken Michel.
Michel's UMass bio.
Michel went 6-6 GP-GS 28-229 8.2 AVE 0 TD 35 LONG 18.7 AVE/G in 2012.
As Dan says, the Minutemen offensive needs all the playmakers it can get. 229 yards would have placed him third in total receiving in 2013 if he had been playing. UMass was 12th in the MAC in pass offense last year and 111th out of 123 teams.
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Charles Doss over at Hustle Belt reports on UMass recruiting Hergy Mayala, a 6-2 190 athlete from Trinty-Pawling school in NY.
Rivals page here.
This article from March in NJ.com co-features Mayala.
Mayala has offers from UConn, Rutgers and Old Dominion.
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Hustle Belt also has a story on UMass WR Tajae Sharpe.
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CBS Sports talks about the new college sports safety guidelines.
The Hampshire Gazette has an editorial on the subject. Remember, football ranks lower than several other college sports in concussions.
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Brandon London led all the Larks receivers in Montreal's 34-33 loss to Winnipeg.
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Michel's UMass bio.
Michel went 6-6 GP-GS 28-229 8.2 AVE 0 TD 35 LONG 18.7 AVE/G in 2012.
As Dan says, the Minutemen offensive needs all the playmakers it can get. 229 yards would have placed him third in total receiving in 2013 if he had been playing. UMass was 12th in the MAC in pass offense last year and 111th out of 123 teams.
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| Mayala #1/Dave Sidaway image |
Rivals page here.
This article from March in NJ.com co-features Mayala.
Mayala has offers from UConn, Rutgers and Old Dominion.
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Hustle Belt also has a story on UMass WR Tajae Sharpe.
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CBS Sports talks about the new college sports safety guidelines.
The Hampshire Gazette has an editorial on the subject. Remember, football ranks lower than several other college sports in concussions.
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Brandon London led all the Larks receivers in Montreal's 34-33 loss to Winnipeg.
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Friday, July 11, 2014
Recruiting 2015---Adrian Green
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| Green #27 |
Green's 247 page here.
Hudl.com has video and says Green ran a 4.39 forty.
Ran a 11.43 100 meters in 2014.
Green also has an offer from Georgia State.
Thursday--July 11th, 2014
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| From the UMass Nation feed |
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A short video of Coach Whipple introducing the new UMass locker room to the team.
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| UMass O-line |
Henderson's UMass bio.
During his previous stint with the Minutemen, Whipple fielded one of the largest offensive lines in FCS. Henderson, at 6-7 340 has the size Whipple favors.
In pro football, the highest paid player is usually not the media-favorite quarterback; it's the LT guarding his blind side. Henderson's size makes him an obvious pro prospect. A couple of All-MAC years would build Henderson's resume.
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Speaking of offensive tackles, Penn State's Donovan Smith (good name) is a good one.
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Boston College gets new video boards--- better than the one's at Gillette.
The BC Blog "Soaring to Glory" has the top-five impact players for the Eagles in 2014.
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Never let Monty Python design your game uniforms.
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Thursday, July 10, 2014
Thursday--July 10th, 2014
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| Offensive line Spring Game |
Sparks UMass bio.
During the Spring game the starting OL was:
- LT Tyrell Smith RSFR 6-5 295 12 career starts
- LG Elijah Wilkinson FR 6-4 330 0 career starts
- C Matt Sparks SO 6-4 290 14 career starts
- RG Josh Burns JR 6-5 285 0 career starts
- RT Tyshon Henderson JR 6-7 339 1 career start
Your LT, playing the quarterback's blind side is generally usually assigned to the OL's best player. Teams generally run right most of the time, so the RT is the best run blocker.
I think everyone expects Liam Porter 6-6 293 JR transfer from Dean College to make a strong bid to start. The same argument can be made for Ryan Johnson JR 6-5 320 transfer from Garden City Kansas.
Johnson played mostly guard at Garden City. I believe Porter was an OT at BC before being moved to TE. If he plays that position at UMass, Smith or Henderson could be moved to OG.
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The BC Lions gave up during their loss to Montreal said Brandon London.
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A Pacific Takes.com author thinks UMass could be a trap game for Colorado.
Jesse Allen of Hustle Belt previews the UMass-Buffs game.
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Idaho officially announces Charlie Molnar has joined to Vandal's staff.
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ESPN's SEC blog projects Vanderbilt to win about five games in 2014 (one of them being UMass).
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The Orlando Sentinel ranks Penn State as #48 and says NCAA sanctions will continue to be a problem for the Nittany Lions.
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Wednesday, July 09, 2014
Wednesday--July 9th, 2014
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| From the UMass feed |
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Dan Malone continues his UMass Top-25 players series, this time with Jalen Williams.
Williams UMass bio.
I attended Whipple's first meeting with the UMass community (I think it was upstairs in the Student Union). Someone asked Whipple about his offense. He replied "All UMass passing records will last two years." Whip was wrong. It took only one year to most UMass passing records to fall.
Todd Bankhead went 303-525 20 TD's and 3919 yards in 1998. Compare that with 2013's 177-339 1877 yards.
In addition to Bankhead Whipple had Jimmy Moore, Adrian Zullo and Kerry Taylor.
Williams looks as if he could be a big cog in this year's offense. At 6-3 205, he's got FBS size. After this year, I would hope UMass fans will be talking about the 2014 Minutemen battery of Tajae Sharpe, Jalen Williams, Shakur Nesmith and Alex Kenney.
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Matty Vautour looks at the new NCAA restrictions on contact during practices.
The Indianapolis Star says the new rules won't change much.
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Meanwhile, the Boston City Council looks to mandate college player rights.
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At Penn State two players, Christian Hackenburg and Jordan Lucas are on watch lists. Lucas chose the Nittany Lions over an offer from UMass.
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ESPN Boston looks at the upcoming local HS football season. Mentions UMass commit Joe Parsons.
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Steve Buckley of Comcast Sports New England says UMass is going to rain on Boston College's hopes for a good season on August 30th.
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ESPN thinks Rob Blanchflower has a good chance to make the Steelers' roster.
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Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Recruiting 2015---Jared Southers
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| Rivals image |
NJ.com article from yesterday here.
Rivals three-star player.
Southers was OL MVP at the Rivals New Jersey camp.
Besides UMass, Southers holds FBS offers from Rutgers, Buffalo, UConn and Temple.
Tuesday--July 8th, 2014
Dan Malone continues his Top-25 UMass players for 2014 season with Daniel Maynes, a 6-2 285 senior DL.
Maynes' UMass bio here.
As the article says, Maynes is the Minutemen's only senior defensive lineman. In UMass' first three FBS recruiting seasons, offense received the larger number of recruits. This year class finally had a crop of defensive linemen.
Seniors
Maynes' UMass bio here.
As the article says, Maynes is the Minutemen's only senior defensive lineman. In UMass' first three FBS recruiting seasons, offense received the larger number of recruits. This year class finally had a crop of defensive linemen.
Seniors
- Daniel Maynes
Juniors
- Al Leneus 6-2 295
- Robert Kitching 6-1 300
RSSO
- Michael Dowe, 6-2 240
- Leo Krizanovic 6-2 260
- Adam Richard 6-3 220
SO
- Peter Angeh 6-2 245
- Elijah Wilkinson 6-4 330
RSFR
- Joe Tyo 6-5 250
- Sha-Ki Holines 6-3 260
FR
- Da'Sean Downey 6-5 240 (listed as a DL on the roster)
- Jack Wynne 6-5 243
- Joe Previte 6-2 285 (listed OL/DL)
- Basit Dennis 6-2 280 (listed OL/DL)
- Jake Largay 6-6 280
- Chris Carter 6-4 260
- Josh Smiley 6-6 235
- Lucas Kolter 6-3 310
You can see the trend in recruits getting bigger. Maynes reported to UMass at 6-1 230.
The 3-4 defense is not a "glory" defense for defensive linemen. The NT has to play the "A" gaps on both sides of the center. He gets blocked from three sides. The three DL's need to occupy the offensive linemen so the LB's are free to make the play. The ideal NT makes the OL double team him so that one of the four LB's is free. One other fact to note in the 3-4 is that all three defensive linemen are usually line up over an opposing player, i.e. the NT lines up over the center and the two DT's line up over the offensive tackles.
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| How it's supposed to work, three OL are blocking Maynes while Downey gets the sack |
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Jamall Stephenson, a former player of Whipple's at Brown has been appointed Scouting Director for the Vikings. Lots of mentions of Whipple and one of Don Brown.
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Rant Sports previews #49 Bowling Green. The potential MAC champions will play at McGuirk on 09/27.
Rant also previews #50 Ball State, who play in the Black Friday game at McGuirk on 11/12.
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Monday, July 07, 2014
Monday--July 7th, 2014
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| Downey #41 |
Downey (UMass bio) at 6-5 240 has FBS size. As Dan relates, he looked like the best defensive player on the field at the Spring game. He chose UMass over offers from BC, Penn State, Duke, Old Dominion and UConn.
Last year's experiment with the 3-4 didn't work. If it's going to work this year, the linebackers have to make plays. With Steve Casali and Shane Huber still recovering from injuries, Downey looks like a potential starter on August 30th.
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Gmenhq.com reports on the history Michael Cox's number 29 for the Giants and tells about its most iconic wearer----Alex Webster.
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Las Vegas Informer talks about Eastern Michigan's silver field and UMass' conference dilemma.
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Hustle Belt has a MAC Conference recruiting database.
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Athlon Sports has experts pick the top-ten college football stadiums. Hint, UMass is playing in one this year.
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Brandon London went 5-51 in the the Larks 24-9 win over BC.
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James Ihedigbo says the Lions have championship DNA.
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