Recruiting 2017--Solomon Hunter

Several recruiting services report UMass is showing interest in Solomon Hunter, a 6-3 225 pound LB from Cisco College.

This article features Hunter and mentions UMass.

Originally signed with Louisiana Tech in 2014.

247Sports page here.

Thursday--June 30th, 2016

NBC Sports says Tajae Sharpe finished the Titans camp with the starters.

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A Bleacher Report writer ranks Don Brown as one of the top-10 defensive coordinators in the nation.

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More on the SB Nation recruiting essay I linked to yesterday. Only six blue-chip recruits came out of New England in the five years covered.

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Five wins will be enough to get a bowl bid in 2016.

More on the bowl selection process from the NCAA.

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Troy University, a 2016 UMass opponent is using high-tech movement analysis to reduce injuries.

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Wednesday--June 29th, 2016

Coach Whipple's summer message to the Gridiron Club. Note that Andrew Libby JR FB 6-1 230 was the other walk-on to receive a scholarship along with Connor Lemieux.

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A couple of posts from Phil Steele:

The 2016 experience chart. UMass goes from #1 in 2015 to #120 this year.

The two-deep class breakdown.

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ESPN breaks down the Florida Gators 2016 schedule.

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The Garnet & Black Attack looks at South Carolina's 2016 schedule and thinks the Gamecocks will win the UMass game "rather easily".

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The Boston Globe says it'll take $120 million to fix the traffic circle that would provide access to Kraft's proposed soccer stadium on UMass land in South Boston.

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Former Central Michigan RB Zirlon Tipton dies of a self-inflected gunshot wound. If UMass had a All-MAC Opponent team, Tipton would have been on it. He ran for 242 yards and 5 TD's in two games against the Minutemen in 2012 and 2013.

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SEC Country previews Mississippi State.

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SB Nation looks at the number of Blue-Chip college football players from each state over the last five years. Florida, California and Texas had a combined 655 players. Massachusetts had two.

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A financial news and opinion site picks the 50 worst places to live in the US. Fall River and Springfield make the top (or bottom) 25. Lawrence and Boston also make the list.

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Recruiting 2017--Cole McCubrey III

The Worcester Telegram has a post on 2017 verbal Cole McCubrey's signing with UMass.

I've blogged about McCubery's verbal and recruiting information before.

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Recruiting 2017--Mike Ruane III

I've blogged about Mike Ruane, a 5-11 220 pound OLB and UMass 2017 verbal a couple of times before.

This article reports on the Shore's Best Football camp. Ruane is mentioned in the body of the article. He was also named "Best Linebacker" at the camp.

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Tuesday--June 28th, 2016

Underdog Dynasty looks at the various FCS vs FBS matchups in 2016 including UMass-Wagner.

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Sports Chat place previews the 2016 Minutemen.

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Victor Cruz takes part in Paris Fashion Week. Not your usual sports blog link.

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NFL.com says Marcus Mariota and Tajae Sharpe have appeal in fantasy football.

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As many as 40 college football stadiums will offer beer this season.

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SB Nation considers if Alabama's second team could beat most Group-of-Five squads.

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Recruiting 2017--James Blackman

Allen Eyestone image

James Blackman, a 6-4 pro-style QB from Glades Central in Belle Glade, Florida announced on Twitter he's received an offer from UMass.

Twitter post here.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com video here.

This article features Blackman.

Besides UMass, Blackman has 12 offers including Temple from the Northeast.

Recruiting 2016-- Elijah Robinson IV

North Jersey.com says "electrifying" UMass WR recruit Elijah Robinson will play in the 38th annual Phil Sims North-South All-Star game.

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Monday--June 27th, 2016

Tajae Sharpe learns from Harry Douglas.

A Titans online writer thinks Sharpe is a lock to make the 53-man Tennessee roster.

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Phil Steele predicts a rebound year for Boston College.

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The Orlando Sentinel previews 2016 Minuteman opponent Louisiana Tech.

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The Virginia Pilot says students will be the big winners in Old Dominion's stadium expansion.

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An Alabama newspaper reports on the grind that is football recruiting on players.

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Some high schools coaches believe specializing in one sport increases injuries.

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UMass Recruiting 2017--Cole McCubrey verbals to UMass

Twitter image

The Minutemen pick up their second verbal in 24 hours. Cole McCubery Tweets he's committed to UMass.

I just blogged about McCubery Friday.

UPDATE: McCubery also excels in discus and shot put.

Season football stats from this December 15th article.

Congrats to Mike and Cole. Hope to see 'em on the field when we beat BC and UConn.

Recruiting 2017--Mike Ruane verbals to UMass

Twitter image

UMass received it's first verbal of the 2017 recruiting cycle when Mike Ruane announced on Twitter he's committed to UMass

I've blogged about Ruane back on June 16th.

Chose the Minutemen over offers from Bowling Green, Old Dominion and Air Force.

Recruiting 2016--Elijah J. Robinson III

Steve Hockstein image

I've blogged about WR recruit Elijah J Robinson a couple of times before.

NJ.com features Robinson in this article from yesterday.

Partial quote from the article:

"I am really excited for Elijah," said Fiore. "He has worked for everything he has received. UMass will be a great home for him and I know he is in great hands with Coach (Mark) Whipple.

Sounds like UMass has a good pipeline in New Jersey, a top recruiting pool in the Northeast.

NJ.com also has a slideshow New Jersey recruiting update. Robinson is #9 in the sequence.

Saturday--June 25th, 2016

The Sentinel & Enterprise reports Conner Lemieux has been given a scholarship.

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Former UMass assistant coach Gary Emanuel is now with the Colts.

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Boston poll Stephen Lynch opposes the proposed soccer stadium in Southie.

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Victor Cruz wants to be an actor.

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A SB Nation writer profiles Tajae Sharpe.

A Bleacher Report writer says Sharpe was a winner in the Titans mini-camp.

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Satellite recruiting camps come to the West Coast (no UMass mention), but Florida, Texas and California are  three of the  states that produce more FBS talent than the local schools can use.

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Recruiting 2017--Cole McCubrey

Image by Leominster Telegram

Cole McCubery, a 6-0 220 pound LB/FB from Boylston, MA has announced on Twitter he has received an offer from the Minutemen.

NCSA recruiting page has stats.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from November of 2015 features McCubery.

Friday--June 24th, 2016

South Carolina plays Tennessee the week after they play us. Maybe we can catch 'em looking ahead. The Minutemen play at Knoxville on November 4th, 2017.

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Boston Mayor Marty Walsh favors the UMass/Robert Craft plan to build a soccer stadium in Boston. This would not be an alternate home field for UMass football. It would bring revenue into the UMass system.

UMass vs Power Five teams will continue to be played in Gillette. Scheduled games against BC and UConn will be played there.

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An Auburn site, Track 'em Tigers previews common opponent opponent Mississippi State.

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Underdog Dynasty ranks the institutional support for AAC Teams. UConn's powerhouse basketball teams don't count for much as college football continues to dominate FBS athletic departments.

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Could helmet communications be coming to college football?

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Carson Lydon, a 6-3 237 pound LB from Virginia Tech is looking for a new home.

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Tajae Sharpe is helping under-performing Titans WR's get the point.

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Recruiting 2016-- Elijah J. Robinson II

Glen Kloss image

I've blogged about 2016 UMass recruit Elijah J. Robinson, a 6-2 170 pound WR from Montclair, NJ before.

This article from today's Montclair Time features Robinson and his participation in the Phil Sims North-South Classic.

Quote from the article:

"I’ve been working on my receiving, including running good routes and catching the ball, since the end of last season," said the soon-to-be UMass Minuteman. "There is always room for improvement and you simply have to keep working hard to get better."

Thursday--June 23rd, 2016

If you're a UMass football fan or supporter and haven't ever attended the annual golf event, it's a great time.

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The latest edition of mic'd up has UMass strength coach Connolly.

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A South Carolina newspaper previews UMass.

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SB Nation talks about the financials of Power Five teams playing teams like UMass.

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Local politicians come out against a soccer stadium on UMass owned land in Southie.

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A Sports blog about the Titans has Tajae Sharpe as a rookie to watch.

iSportsweb.com asks if Sharpe can really be the Titans featured WR?

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Recruiting 2018--Justin Johnson

247Sports image

PennLive.com reports UMass has offered to Justin Johnson, a 6-6 330 pound OL from Inhotep Charter school in PA.

Story here.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

NCSA recruiting has some stats.

Johnson holds offers from UMass and Texas Tech. Lot's more to come.

Wednesday--June 22nd, 2016

Special thanks to the blog reader who pointed me to this article by Athlon Spots ranking all 128 head coaches. The ranking includes the institutional support and situation.

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UMass recruit Tyler Thompson will play in the North-South Football Classic in New Jersey on June 27th.

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The Orlando Sentinel previews 2016 opponent Louisiana Tech.

Underdog Dynasty says the Bulldogs have become a coveted job.

The Louisiana Tech strength coach helped train Navy Seals.

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Recruiting 2017--Alec Lindstrom

Alec Lindstrom, a 6-2 240 pound OL from Shepard Hill's, MA has verbaled to BC.

His only other FBS offer was from UMass.

Since his brother already plays for the Eagles, we probably didn't have much of a chance after BC offered.

Tuesday--June 21st, 2016

Ticket plans are available for both sides of the state.

And for young alumni. I don't fall into that demographic :)

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ESPN projects the Tennessee Titans 53-man roster and includes Tajae Sharpe.

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247Sports says Victor Cruz is almost ready for training camp.

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The Tampa Bay Times has the top five story lines in the AAC conference.

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The News-Gazette ranks 2016 opponent BYU #45.

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Monday--June 20th, 2016

Reading the tea leaves.

If you've been following the recruiting news here during the Spring, it's noticeable that Whipple and staff have been active on the JUCO scene.

What positions have the UMass brain trust been recruiting? It seems they have been targeting TE's, DL's and DB's.

The 2016 UMass recruiting class is very strong in TE's and DB's. DL's are the most difficult position to recruit. We did good by our standards, but it's not the strongest position in our recruiting class.

How does this impact 2016? Well, I think at least one and maybe two of our TE recruits won't redshirt. The Minutemen's offense was 65th in total offense last year and 109th in scoring (ouch!). Whipple's pro-set offense works better with a TE. In 2015, UMass was 48th in total offense (421.8 yards/game. Last year we dropped to 399.4/yards game. In 2014 we were #75 in scoring (27.3 points/game). Scoring dropped to 22.2 points a game in 2015 (108th out of 128 teams).

Jean Sifrin made a difference.

I would think one of those JUCO TE's would realize lots of playing time should be up for grabs at UMasss for 2016.

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Rant Sports says Tajae Sharpe will be the Titans #1 receiver going into the 2016 season.

NFL.com cites Sharpe as one of two wide receivers who were winners coming out of mini-camp.

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How Victor Cruz plans to attack the six weeks leading up to training camp.

The Victor Cruz Foundation sponsors a "Father's Day" camp.

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One UMass 2016 opponent, South Carolina, previews common opponent Mississippi State.

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Sunday--June 19th Blog News

Mrs Blog and I will be up in New Hampshire's North country for the next week. As usual, I'll try to keep the blog going, but you never know how the connectivity is going to go.

Who would have thought Australia and New Zealand would have been such a Wi-Fi wasteland?

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Since I'm posting today:

A Sun-Herald writer envisions a 28-member Conference USA with UMass in the Northeast Division.

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The Garnet & Black Attack thinks the Gamecocks can win seven games in 2016 including the Minutemen game.

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Recruiting 2017--Stephon Zayas

image credit as above

Several recruiting services report UMass is showing interest in Stephon Zayas, a 6-6 weakside DE from Fort Lauderdale, FL.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Rivals three-star player.

Partial quote from a 05/23 article on Scout.com by Dave Lomonico:

“The schools I’d like to see are Pitt, Louisville, Maryland, UCF and Bowling Green,” said Zayas, whose only campus visit thus far has been to Miami. “But we’ll see what I have time for and what other schools get involved. I want to get offers from Michigan State, Syracuse and UMass. All those schools are showing interest, so I could visit them too if they offer.”

Zayas said he has “no idea” when he’d like to choose a college. He did say, however, that he’d like to take official visits before doing so."

Zayas holds 15 offers including Pitt, Rutgers and Temple from the Northeast.

Saturday--June 18th, 2016

NJ.com has news from the Penn State satellite camp I mentioned yesterday. UMass coaches attended.

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A CBS sports writer ranks the five easiest 2016 schedules and includes Florida and BC.

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The Garnet and Black Attack predicts the outcome of each of South Carolina's 2016 games.

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Bubba Burnham of the Clarksdale Press-Register says Florida may score a point a minute against UMass.

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Lamarirel Taylor says he transferred to Montana "for more of a winning culture".

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The Tennessean says Tajae Sharpe is reliable. You have to swat popup adds like flies in this link.

Titans Online report Sharpe is ahead of the curve.

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Randall Jette is still medically out of the Packers mini-camp.

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Pensacola News Journal looks at the status of Troy football.

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Recruiting 2017--Ramon Patton II

I've blogged about Ramon Patton, a 6-1 210 Safety from Jones C.C. in Mississippi before.

Hudl.com has video.

A partial quote from a June 6th article on Scout.com by Scott Eklund updates his recruiting,

"Right now I have offers from Tulane, UMass, Arkansas State, UTEP, Toledo and Tulsa," Patton said. "Arkansas State is the latest school to offer me and I have been talking to Oklahoma State, Colorado State, Memphis and Louisiana-Lafayette and I think they (ULL) is close to offering me."

As a freshman last season, Patton played mostly free safety, totaling 48 tackles, but this fall, he'll be moving down closer to the box and playing over the slot more."

Patton will have two years of eligibility after he receives his degree.

Friday--June 17th, 2016

UMass coaches attend a Penn State satellite camp.

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NFL.com's "Rookie Buzz" reports Tajae Sharpe is one of the top rookie achievers in this year's crop.

NBC Sports says Sharpe is making his way up the depth chart.

CBS Sports reports Sharpe continues to impress.

Titans Online says Sharpe has been the most consistent WR in camp.

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Tom Gilson has been playing well for the Portland Steele. I've blogged about Gilson's career in Arena Football before.

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Victor Cruz is back on the practice field.

The Wall Street Journal says Victor Cruz provide the Giants with hope.

Cruz helps sponsor a summer S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program for Paterson youths.

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Recruiting 2017--Isaiah Smith

Image credit unknown.

Scout.com report UMass is showing interest in Isaiah Smith, a 6-2 215 pound WR from Long Beach C.C. in CA.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a May 23rd story about Smith by Scott Eklund on Scout.com

"I do not have any offers at the moment, but I believe Washington State is close to pulling the trigger," Smith told JCFootball.com. "They are the first team to recruit me and Massachusetts has just started to pick things up with me too."

Smith spent his freshman season at Ellsworth in Iowa and he finished with 36 receptions for 382 yards and three scores while working his way into the Panthers' receiver rotation.

"I'm a physical possession receiver who runs precise routes and has very strong hands," Smith noted. "I feel like I have deceptive speed and I can take the top off in man-coverage."

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Thursday--June 16th, 2016

Bob Sorensen image

Infinite Tucker, a 6-5 198 pound WR member of UMass 2016 recruiting class won three state titles in the NY track and field championships.

More on Tucker's wins here.

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NewOK.com says "What's with three SEC-UMass games?"

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A Bleacher Report writer says UMass belongs in the AAC.

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Marcel Shipp is on his second year of being an assistant coach with the Jets and is still soaking up football knowledge.

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The Tennessee Titans are pushing Tajae Sharpe.

The Tennessean has 18 images of Sharpe at their camp and from UMass.

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Thorr Bjorn has been named NACDA Athletic Director-of-the-Year.

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Recruiting 2016--Michael Taylor

Twitter image/ Taylor #91

Michael Taylor, a 6-4 245 pound DE from Riverside CC has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

Hudl.com has video.

Taylor has 50 TT and 4 sacks last year.

Wednesday--June 15th, 2016

More praise for Tajae Sharpe on the Titans site.

WKRN TV says Sharpe continues to shine.

Music City Miracles says Sharpe is getting reps with the first team.

247Sports reports Sharpe continues to impress.

RotoWorld says Sharpe has a way to go yet.

Sharpe gets a "high five" ------- from the Titans GM.

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On a sad note, former UMass star and current Orlando Police officer Rene Ingoglia was at the Orlando shooting site during the incident.

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Troy HC Neal Brown talks about this year's schedule and the affects of playing three Power Five teams last year.

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College football adds five schools this year.

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Recruiting 2016--Sal Cannella

Twitter image

Several recruiting services indicate UMass has offered to Sal Cannella, a 6-6 230 pound TE/WR from Scottsdale Junior College.

Hudl.com has video.

Also a good basketball player.

Visiting UMass this weekend.

Cannella holds nine offers.

Recruiting 2017--Bentley Easley II

Back in May I blogged about Bentley Easley, a 5-1 320 pound DT from Coffeeville Junior College visiting UMass.

He ended up signing with UAB.

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Tuesday--June 14th, 2016

A CBS Sports writer looks at Power Five teams with soft schedules including BC and Mississippi State. He gets UMass' win totals wrong. I don't have a Twitter account, so maybe some other UMass fan can correct him.

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iSportsWeb reports Tajae Sharpe is tearing up the Titans' mini-camp.

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Speaking of BC, ESPN has a best-case worse case results for the Eagles in 2016.

BC also schedules a home and home with Stanford way out in the late 2020's.

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Tulane's HC previews the Green Wave's 2016 season.

Will Tulane switch to "angry wave" helmets?

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Today's SU says 2016 is BYU's audition for the Big 12.

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Recruiting 2017---Michael Ruane

247 Sports image

Michael Ruane, a 5-11 218 pound OLB from Rumson, NJ has announced he has received a UMass offer.

Twitter post here.

247 Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

NCSA recruiting has some stats.

First Team All-New Jersey on defense.

Ruane has FBS offers from Bowling Green, Air Force and Old Dominion.

Monday--13th, 2016

Former UMass DB Tracey Belton is playing for the Philadephia Soul Area league team.

Former Minutemen WR Tom Gilson is playing for the Portland Steel

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And now----Arena League football in China.

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Former UMass coach Robert Talley steps down as HC at Stonehill.

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Victor Cruz helps make Father's Day special for fathers and children.

Cruz says he might participate in the Giants mini-camp. Article has images from the Father's Day event above.

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LSU bans opposing teams marching bands from performing at halftime.

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Recruiting 2018--Devin Leary

Tim Hawk image

Dual-threat QB Devin Leary reports on Twitter he's received an offer from UMass.

Leary is a 6-2 172 pound dual-threat QB from Timber Creek, NJ.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from December of 2015 features Leary. He threw for over 2300 yards and 23 TD's last year.

Partial quote from a May 5th article on Scout.com:

The only school Leary has been to recently is Rutgers, but he’s set to see his share of campuses during the summer. In addition to Maryland, he’ll be hitting South Carolina, North Carolina, NC State, and Wake Forest on a Tobacco Road/Columbia, S.C., swing with Timber Creek. Leary would also like to see Temple, Notre Dame, Penn State and possibly more.

Leary said the Heels and Northwestern could be offering in short order, while he’s also receiving significant interest from PSU; Syracuse; Notre Dame; Oregon; South Carolina; Purdue; Iowa and Kentucky.

As of now, Leary holds seven offers including BC, Rutgers, Syracuse and Temple from the Northeast.

Saturday--June 11th, 2016

Florida State blog previews UMass' common opponent Boston College.

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South Carolina's $1.5 million payout to UMass is the most in their school's history.

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Danny Kanell trolls Florida about naming Steve Spurrier Field.

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A Blog reader sent me this link on how Jacksonville State used a creative approach to get a new stadium. They added apartments for 400 students.

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Titans QB Marcus Mariota was dead last in the NFL in completion percentage of passes over 20 yards last year. They're hoping the new WR corps, including Tajae Sharpe will help.

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Campus Insiders previews 2017 Minutemen opponent Hawaii.

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The Salt Lake Tribune thinks BYU lacks commitment to football because coach Kalani Sitake only makes $1.5 million. Which is about four times what Coach Whipple makes...

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Friday--June 10th, 2016

NJ.com has a post on a football satellite camp run by the Hun school in New Jersey. Coach Whipple was there as well as a number of other UMass coaches and we had one of the bigger presences at the event. Don Brown was there too.

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SB Nation has a long preview of the 2016 Boston College team. Getting to six wins will be a stretch for the Eagles, IMHO.

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At the UMass-Gators game on Sept 3rd, Florida will re-name their field Steve Spurrier Field.

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SEC Country looks at the best case-worst case for the SEC East, of whom we are an associated member.

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Thanks to the blog reader who sent me a link about Old Dominion's plans to build a new 22,000 seat stadium.

Something like that would be attainable for UMass. McGuirk was built in 1965 for $1.4 million, that's $11.4 million in 2016 dollars according the Dept of Commerce's inflation calculator. McGuirk was financed as a bond issue at no capital cost to the taxpayers. If UMass had a design that kept the field, the new pressbox and the performance center and just built the stadium seating and new bathrooms and food court, the cost should be considerably less than $55 million.

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The Tennessean has a story about Tajae Sharpe's number change and mentions coach Mariota saying "Tajae Sharpe is killing it in practice".

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CBS Sports looks at the over/under for the AAC and predicts under for UConn and 2016 Minuteman opponent Tulane.

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Thursday--June 9th, 2016

Eighteen red-shirt freshman will be available for the Minutemen in August. I would predict D'Shawn Harley, Brandon Mangram and Randall West will make the travel squad to the Swamp on September 3rd.

Davis Clark S
Peter Comaroto LS 5-11 222
Jack Coveney K 6-1 185
Jon Derolus WR 5-11 174
Jack Driscoll OL 6-5 263
Derek Dumais OL 6-5 321
Dejion Evans WR 6-3 203
D'shawn Harley OLB 6-3 218
Kyle Horn TE 6-5 230
Kenny Kern FB 6-0 226
Aaron Kinsey OLB 6-4 205
Brandon Mangram CB 5-11 174
Joe Parsons OL 6-4 306
Mario Patton DL 6-1 310
James Sosinski QB 6-7 253
Randall West QB 6-4 226
Mehki Williams RB 5-9 180
Mike Yeradi OL 6-4 301

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Former UMass TE Emil Igwenagu gets a try-out with the Colts.

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Florida runs a satellite camp in Jacksonville. Wonder if UMass was there.

Speaking of the Gators, Florida may get their leading WR back by August.

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Troy QB Ramsey Rigby transfers to Gardner-Webb.

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The Sun Belt conference will add a championship game in 2018.

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Recruiting 2017--Ibrahim Kante

247Sports image

247Sports.com reports UMass is showing interest in Ibrahim Kante, 6-5 240 pound DL from Trinity Pawling in NY.

Story here.

Hudl.com has video.

247Sports page here.

Kante holds offers from Old Dominion and Bowling Green in FBS.

Wednesday--June 8th, 2016

UMass-Florida will be available nationally via SEC network.

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Football schedules.com has a helmet schedule for all the Independents including UMass.

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A Syracuse blog previews UMass' common opponent Boston College.

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The Naval Academy profiles Chet Gladchuck who won the John L. Toner Award. Gladchuck is a former UMass Assistant Athletic director and holds a Master's Degree from UMass.

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GatorSports.com says Mississippi State could face a "trap game" against UMass on September 24th. It's likely not gonna happen, but a win against a SEC team would balm for the battered egos of Minutemen fans.

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UMass fans will also be able to see Louisiana Tech vs Arkansas on the SEC network on September 3rd. Athlon predicts the Bulldogs to go 7-5 and finish 2nd in the C-USA West. Louisiana Tech finished 19th in the nation in scoring (35.5 points/game) and 21st in total yardage (482.8 yards/game) in 2016. The Bulldogs have had eight or more wins in four of their last five seasons.

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Tajae Sharpe changes his Titans number from 87 to #19.

Mark Humphrey, AP image

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Recruiting 2016 -- Devon Davis

Image credit unknown

JUCO Football Frenzy reports UMass has offered to Devon Davis, a 6-0 210 pound DB from Merced, JUCO in CA.

UMass offer Tweet here.

247Sports three-star player.

His stats from last year at Merced.

According to 247Sports, Davis has 47 (!) offers including Pitt, Rutgers and Syracuse in the Northeast.

Tuesday--June 7th, 2016

UMass, Charlotte, Hawaii and South Alabama are big underdogs for Week #1 of the NCAA season

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SECsports.com says say a prayer for UMass with its SEC schedule. This year's schedule is a function of our previous A.D. leaving us with an incomplete 2016 schedule. The upside is the Minutemen will be able to praise the Lord on the way to the bank.

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Former UMass player and coach Neal Brown comments on satellite camps and the Trojans 2016 season.

Brown says satellite camps are good for his program.

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The Tennessean says Tajae Sharpe is a lock to make the Titans roster.

Sports Illustrated says (in the last section of the article) competition will be intense for the Tennessee's WR's.

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CBS Sports reports the Big 12 would make $1 billion if it expands. As in 1 X 10 to the 9th dollars...

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Recruiting 2018--Pat Freiermuth III

Jim Vaiknoras image

I've blogged about Pat Freiermuth, a 6-5 225 pound TE/LB from North Andover twice before.

Freiermuth has a UMass offer. The Eagle-Tribune reports Freiermuth has added offers from Duke, Wake Forest and Rutgers. He'll also take a North Carolina visit soon.

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Monday--June 6th, 2016

UMass coaches attend a Michigan satellite camp in southern Florida.

The Sun-Sentinel looks at five players who stood out at Harbaugh's camp.

Michigan also did a satellite camp in Australia.

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Coach Whipple attends a football camp in CT.

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KUsports looks at why Las Vegas ranked KU with North Texas, Charlotte and UMass at the bottom of the sports book 2016 total win line.

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Underdog Dynasty looks at New Mexico State's ability to cope with an independent schedule. Mentions UMass.

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An ESPN Patriots blog mentions Tajae Sharpe opening some eyes at the Titans camp.

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The Orlando Sentinel says eventually, the SEC will poach the best of the ACC.

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UMass Football History--Scans of the 1975 UMass Press Guide

I've added 9 scans of pages from the 1975 UMass press guide to the UMass History section of the Blog.

1975 was quite a year for Minutemen football. College Hall-of-Fame coach Dick MacPherson was head coach.

UMass finished 8-2: 4-1 in the Yankee Conference.

Ned Deane and Ed McAleney were Captains.

Four members of the 1975 team were First-Team All-Americans at some time in their careers. This was before FCS when there was only one division. In addition to Deane and McAleney, Ron Harris (1976) and Kevin Cummings (1977) went on to be First Team All-Americans.

Dave Croasdale CB, Ned Dean OG, Ron Harris S, Rich Jessamy RB, Gary Little DE, Ed McAleney DT, Brian McNally QB, Ross Schubarth OG and John Toner LB were First-Team All-Yankee Conference that year.

Click on the image and blogger displays a larger view.

Follow the link for the rest of the scans, which include the player profiles and and the coaches bios.

Saturday--June 4th, 2016

Some great away games this year. Mrs. Blog and I have plans to attend three of them and were invited to a fourth, which unfortunately we couldn't fit in. Hope to see some people in Maroon & White on the road this year.

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WR Lamarriel Taylor transfers to Montana.

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Former UMass assistant coach Jeff Burris is hired at Notre Dame. Burris coached DB's in 2012 for the Minutemen.

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Tajae Sharpe had another good day Wednesday at the Titans OTA's.

Today's Pigskin says it's a make or break year for the Titans receiving corps. Mentions Sharpe.

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The Orlando Sentinel previews the 2016 Boston College team as #83.

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Recruiting 2017--Tobias Larry II

247Sports image

I've blogged about Tobias Larry, a 6-2 190 pound OLB from Lakeland, FL before.

Since my previous post, Larry's recruiting has substantially expanded. He recently added an offer from Cincinnati.

His 247Sports page now lists 17 offers, mostly from Group-of-Five teams.

Friday--June 3rd, 2016

A BYU guy interviews Mark Whipple. Audio is not great, but improves as it goes along. Whipple talks about going independent, developing QB's and more.

KSL.com looks at the expectations for the Cougars 2016 season.

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Nick O'Malley of MassLive has  a post on Tajae Sharpe's good showing at the Titans Camp.

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Mid-Major Madness looks at possible replacement teams for the AAC including UMass.

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UConn attends a AAC event in Florida while keeping an eye on the Big 12.

The Tampa Bay Times ranks the 2016 AAC including UMass opponent Tulane.

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Recruiting 2017--Harrison Hand

Rivals.com image

Several recruiting services indicate UMass has offered to Harrison Hand, a 5-11 183 pound CB from Cherry Hill West HS in NJ.

This article published Tuesday by Scout.com updates his recruiting. Mentions UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

This article by NJ.com reports Hand visited UMass for one of our Junior days.

Philly.com has an article featuring Hand.

Besides the Minutemen, Hand has offers from nine other schools including, BC, Temple, Syracuse, Pitt and Rutgers from the Northeast.

Thursday--June 2nd, 2016

This article from Tennesse Titans site reports Tajae Sharpe is already taking reps with Titans starters.

Partial quote from the above article:

“He has made the plays. He has been very impressive in the one-on-ones where he is going against No.1 corners...He is playing like he has been in the league for a while.”

Sharpe, the team’s fifth-round pick out of Massachusetts, has consistently caught the football in practices. Mularkey complimented his poise, and approach."

The Tennessean says Sharpe is winning rave reviews.

Titan Sized.com says Sharpe is already standing out.

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Thanks to the blog reader who pointed me to this article about UMass' excellent bond rating. You remember McGuirk was built with a bond issue at no cost to the Taxpayers.

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CBS Sports looks at the SEC West including 2016 opponent Mississippi State.

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In 2015 UMass offered to Imhotep DE Shaka Tony. He ended up at Penn State. He says Temple could have had his whole class at state champion Imhotep Charter.

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While other NY Giants run OTA drills, Victor Cruz works out on the sidelines with a trainer.

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