UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Rowan McGwin

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Rowan McGwin, a 6-6 280 pound OL from Rochester, NY has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

This article from Tuesday has a section on McGwin and his recruiting.

Besides UMass McGwin has an offer from Monmouth. A number of Northeast FCS schools are interested.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Mike Washington

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Mike Washington, a 6-2 215 pound RB from Cicero-North Syracuse HS in NY has a UMass offer.

247Sports two-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from yesterday features Washington and his recruiting.

This article from November of 2019 relates how a switch from WR to running back jump started his career.

Washington has FBS offers from UMass, UConn, Colorado State and Coastal Carolina as well as a number of FCS schools. The Minutemen really need help at running back and Washington could see the field early in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Elijah Muhammad

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Elijah Muhammad, a 6-2 220 pound OLB from Erasmus Hall HS in NY has UMass in his top-five.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has stats.

Muhammad is down to his final five. UMass, BC and Buffalo are from the Northeast. Linebacker is a position where the Minutemen need more players. He would have a real chance to play early and often in Amherst.

UMass Football News--April 27th, 2020

More stories on Isaiah Rogers:

Colts.com reports Rogers bring versatility and a spark to the Colts defense and special teams.

The Berkshire Eagle reports Isaiah Rogers and Jack Driscoll are thankful for their UMass ties.

The Tampa Bay Times reports on local players who were drafted including Rogers.

The San Diego Times gives the Colts an "A" for the 2020 draft.

UPDATE: Colts release uniform numbers for draft picks.

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And on Jack Driscoll:

Thanks to the blog reader who sent me this link to the Montgomery Adviser on Jack Driscoll living out a lifelong dream.

NBC Philadelphia says the Eagles drafted athletic, versatile Jack Driscoll.

The Hartford Courant says the Eagles nabbed local product Jack Driscoll.

Auburn Tigers.com reports on the Philadelphia Eagles drafting OL Jack Driscoll.

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All the NFL free agent signings here. So far, UMass LB Jarvis Miller has not signed.

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UMass Football News -- Isaiah Rogers drafted by the Colts

I haven't been doing blog posts on Sunday during the off season, but I'll make an exception for Rogers.

The UMass website has Isaiah Rogers selected by the Indianapolis Colts.

Mike Traini reports Isaiah Rogers drafted by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Colts Wire has three things to know about Rogers.

Stampede Blue says Isaiah was the 211th pick of the draft.

The Indianapolis Star report the Colts traded former 2nd round pick Quincy Wilson and used the pick to choose Rogers.

Full Press Coverage says Rogers will add depth to Colts secondary and special teams.

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“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

 --Calvin Coolidge

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Congrats to Isaiah! He did not quit on himself or UMass. I look forward to following his career with the Colts.

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UMass Football News--April 25th, 2020

UMass has Episode 4 of "Coffee with the UMass coaches" up. In it Coach Bell reports this Spring the Minutemen will have 67 scholarship players and 90 to 95 players in the program. Note that we are effectively missing one entire recruiting class in respect to other FBS teams as we are still 18 scholarships under the FBS limit. However, this is a big improvement over last year. I don't know how they even ran a scout team in 2019. I think UMass will be much more competitive this year and the 2021 recruiting class will move us close to where UMass fans want to be.

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Which leads us to the consideration if there will actually be a 2020 season. I'm a life-long reader of science fiction and military Sci-Fi in particular. I read so many apocalypse stories I bought a book on viruses. The SARS epidemic of 2003 was a corona virus. It jumped to the human population in a wet market in China that year. It's symptoms were very close to Covid 19. It caused 8000 infections and 800 deaths in 29 countries (note the 10% death rate). Fortunately, it burned itself out quickly; it started in February and was over by July and did not return.

Right now I don't think anyone knows if colleges will open in September. If they don't college football is unlikely in 2020. If they open late, then there will likely be some sort of season. How that will work will be the subject of another blog post.

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MassLive has a story on Jack Driscoll's journey from UMass to a mid-round NFL pick.

Cleveland.com thinks Driscoll could be a player the Browns would choose.

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The Worcester Telegram has Massachusetts prospects in the 2020 NFL draft.

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Blue & Gold.com has a post on how many contributed to Neal Brown's coaching philosophy (mentions UMass).

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Amir Renwick

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Amir Renwick, a 6-2 207 pound Athlete from Gwynn Oak, MD has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has Junior highlights.

MaxPreps has offensive and defensive stats.

Besides UMass, Renwick has FCS offers from Morgan State and Howard. He could play play either offense (averaged 6.8 yards/carry) or defense (averaged over 10 tackles/game for the last two years). In his first four games in the 2019 season, Renwick had 49 tackles, three interceptions, and two sacks. He could see a lot of playing time at safety in Amherst.

UMass Football News--April 23rd, 2020

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Really nice story about Isaiah Rogers by Joey Alimerti of the UMass Daily Collegian.

Mike Moran of the Gazette also has a story about Rogers and the NFL draft.

I certainly hope Rogers gets his chance to show what he can do. The CFL is another possibility. With his speed and that big Canadian field, he could be a good fit there.

Another possibility is coaching. With his positive attitude and perseverance he could help a lot of younger guys.

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Liberty sets kickoff times for their home games in 2020.

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The NCAA approves changes to the targeting rule and some other tweaks for 2020.

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99% of A.D.'s think there will be college football this fall.

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Yahoo Sports thinks 2020 college football will be played in 2021.

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UMass Football News--April 22nd, 2020

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The Montgomery Adviser has a post on Jack Driscoll's journey from a two-star recruit to a possible NFL draft pick.

Mel Keiper looks at Driscoll's place in the NFL draft.

NBC Sports has Driscoll #118 in the draft.

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Athlon Sports looks at Auburn's 2020 schedule.

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UConn's president Tom Katsouleas said Fall sports may have to be cancelled and then had to quickly walk back on that statement.

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Rutgers gets a commit from Max Patterson, who had a UMass offer.

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Boise State furloughs its football coaches.

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CBS Sports says college football will take on its most difficult task yet: safely starting the 2020 season.

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UMass Football News--April 21st, 2020

MassLive reports UMass A.D. Ryan Bamford and staff are planning for a number of different scenarios for the 2020 college football season.

It seems UMass could ride out most of the possible outcomes for the 2020 season. If the conferences play a conference-only schedule the Minutemen could get at least eight games by doubling up games with the other Independents. UMass played UConn twice in 1998 as a result of Northeastern dropping football. Major college football programs make millions on home games with the ticket sales, concessions and parking. That's why they can pay near $2 million guaranties. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that BYU or Notre Dame could offer UMass a guaranty game in 2020 if the major conferences go to a conference-only schedule.

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ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit says if college football has to be pushed back, so be it.

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UMass LB Jarvis Miller is inspired by Giants RB Saquon Barkley.

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A 247Sports writer ranks Auburn's 2020 opponents and has UMass last, behind FCS Alcorn State.

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Don Brown continues to collect the top football talent in New England. UMass probably would not be in the running for most of these recruits, but it's really killing Boston College to have no top local prospects.

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The popular online athletics site SB Nation furloughs writers because there is no sports news to cover.

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Against All Enemies has an early outlook for the 2020 Army team.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Ian Kipp

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Ian Kipp, a 6-2 215 pound dual-threat QB from Menton, OH has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has highlights.

MaxPreps has stats.

Division I All-Ohio.

This article from two-days ago talks about his recruiting.

This article from February features Kipp.

Besides UMass, Kipp has offers from Akron, Kent State, Bowling Green and Toledo. The Minutemen do not have a dual-threat QB in their roster and Kipp could play early and often in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Noah Bodden

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Noah Bodden, a 6-4 225 pound pro-style QB from Christ the King HS in NY has UMass in his top-ten.

247Sports three-star player.

Huddle has Junior highlights.

MaxPreps has stats.

Eight of Bodden's top ten are Power Five schools. Only UMass and Buffalo are from the Northeast. UMass is the #24 ranked public University and has the best food in FBS four year running. Bodden's family and friends could watch him play in Amherst. The Minutemen's depleted roster would mean his early playing chances would be much better than at a Power Five school.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Andrew Garwo

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Andrew Garwo, a 5-11 170 pound CB from Fairless Hills, PA has UMass in his top-ten in schools he's considering.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has highlights.

This article from 247Sports breaks down his top-ten.

Garwo's brother is a RB for Boston College. This article talks about his BC recruiting after the coaching change.

Garwo originally had 21 offers. His top-ten are mix of one Power Five school, BC and MAC schools Bowling Green, Buffalo, Akron and Central Michigan. Navy and Yale are also made the list. Lots of playing time is available in Amherst. Garwo could play early and often for the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Rolinsky Saint-Cyr commits to UMass

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Rolinsky Saint-Cyr, a 6-2 190 pound WR from Catholic Memorial in MA has committed to UMass as a PWO.

Hudl.com has highlights.

Welcome to Saint-Cyr. UMass continues to build the roster. Hopefully he'll earn a scholarship and have a rewarding career in Amherst.

UMass Football News--April 15th, 2020

Michael Curtis and Martin Mangram selected to the NFF Hampshire Honor  Society.

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Five major college football conferences ask the NCAA for relaxed Division I requirements. Thanks to the blog reader who sent me the link.

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Conference Commissioners say no college football unless campuses are open.

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Major college football conferences could lose $4 billion if 2020 season is canceled.

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ESPN's Chris Fowler says a normal college football season is "impossible"

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UConn's athletic dept is looking at a significant reduction in revenue.

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FIU football gets creative in home workouts.

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The new normal: FAU CB Meiko Dotson led FBS in interceptions in 2019. He's transferring to Florida State.

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More new normal.

OT, but the A10's woman's Player-of-the-year is transferring to Indiana.

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This year is the 50th anniversary of Apollo 13. This site (Apollo 13 in real time) has the first six hours of audio from both Capcom and Mission Control during the accident.

Apollo 13's oxygen tank explodes about five minutes into the tapes. The explosion takes out two of the three fuel cells powering the spacecraft. The remaining fuel cell is leaking. At that point Mission Control has about 90 minutes before Apollo 13 loses all communication and life support...

Turn off the awful talking heads on TV and listen to the riveting teamwork of the astronauts  and Mission control as they struggle to save the crew.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Louce Julien

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Louce Julian, a 6-3 225 pound DE from Orange, NJ has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has Junior highlights.

Julian has a paragraph in this article from two days ago.

Tied for 14th in sacks in 2019 New Jersey.

Julian has offers from Central Michigan, Kent State, Buffalo and Temple. A rush defensive end is a big need for the Minutemen. Julian could play early and often for the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting--Taevion Eades

247Sports image

Taevion Eades, a 6-3 193 pound OLM from Upper Marlboro, MD has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has Junior highlights.

MaxPreps has stats.

This article from yesterday has a paragraph on Eades.

UMass is the first offer for Eades. Linebacker is a position where the Minutemen have serious needs. There is lots of playing time available at linebacker in Amherst.

UMass historical scans---1970

University of Buffalo Library image

The above two images are not in the program scans. The UMass halfback is Pat Scavone SR 5-11 180 from Worcester. He averaged 5.4 yards/carry in 1969. The Minutemen lost to Buffalo 13-16 in front of 6206 fans out in NY.

As you can see from the top image, the UMass athletic dept did not spend a lot of money on the press guide..
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I’ve added nine images from the 1970 UMass Football press guide. The top two images in the blog post are not included. If you click on the blog post image Blogger displays a larger image. The same trick works for images in the Google Photos historical scans.

This link should take you directly to the new images.

The Minutemen went 4-5-1 in 1970 beating Maine, Vermont, Holy Cross and New Hampshire. UMass tied Uconn 21-21 and lost to BC 21-10.

Dennis Keating and John Hulecki were the UMass captains. UMass Hall-of-Fame coach Vic Fusia was head coach.

The football roster included Hall-of-Fame members Bill DeFlavio, Steve Schubert and Bob Pena.

Bill DeFlavio, Bob Donlin, John Farrelly, John Hulecki, Dennis Keating, Jim Kelliher, John O’Neil, Bob Pena, Joe Sabulis, Bill Sroka and Russ Wood made All-Yankee Conference.

Change was in the air in 1970. FCS football was not far away. The Minutemen soon start to play teams from beyond New England. 

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UMass Football News---April 11th, 2020

Sports Betting Dime.com has UMass as one of three best early  "over" win totals for 2020.

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HERO Sports says appreciate UMass-UConn and the rest of the college football games this season.

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Missouri and Kansas are setting up a four game series and that may impact UMass' home-and-home against the Tigers in 2024 and 2025.

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Mountain West Wire says stay away from betting 2020 opponent New Mexico will be "over" their projected 3.5 win total.

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Liberty A.D. Ian McCaw is hopeful for a full college football season in 2020.

McCaw also says Liberty is in a much better situation to weather the current financial situation than most other athletic departments.

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Akron loses a two-year starter on the OL to Auburn.

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New Mexico State football coach is hopeful the 2020 season will be played.

New Mexico loses a grad transfer WR to Illinois. The new normal. Spend two years recruiting a player, one red shirt year and the kid transfers in his senior year.

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Army Football coach Jeff Monken on football coaching in the age of corona virus.

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Appalachian State's A.D. warns his coaches "This is going to be painful."

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Shakhi Carson II

Shakhi Carson a 5-9 182 pound RB from Orange, NJ has a UMass offer. I blogged about Carson back in January.

He recently Tweeted UMass is in his top six.

This article from yesterday talks about recruiting.

Carson has an interesting mix of schools. Fordham and Holy Cross have that near-Ivy small campus appeal. Kentucky has the SEC big-time atmosphere to their football program. However, the Wildcats have eight three-star RB's already on the roster. UMass has two. Once he signs, I would think the Wildcats would be angling to move him to another position.

Lots of playing time available at RB in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Heinrich Haarberg II

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I blogged about Heinrich Haarberg, a 6-4 185 pound dual-threat QB from Kearney, NB back in March.

This article from yesterday updates his recruiting (mentions UMass).

This article relates Boston College (who seems to make a habit recently of following UMass offers) offered Haarberg yesterday.

This article from 247Sports also covers Haarberg's recruiting.

Haarberg has a Power Five offer from BC and FBS offers from Buffalo, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Old Dominion and Wyoming.

UMass does not have a dual-threat QB on the roster. UMass is the #24 ranked Public University and Isenberg Business school and the Sports Management major are among the top schools in the world.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Preston Carr

Carr #44/Courier Times image

Preston Carr, a 6-3 245 pound DE from Roxboro, NC has a UMass offer.

Rivals page here.

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has some stats.

This article from yesterday mentions UMass and Coach Douglas.

Carr has FBS offers from UMass and Army as well as a number of Ivies and other FCS schools. Carr can play DE and LB both positions of need for the Minutemen. He'd likely play early in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Keondre Hodges

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Keondre Hodges a 6-3 270 pound DT from Portsmouth, VA has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has Junior highlights.

NCSA recruiting profile here.

This article features Hodges' recruiting.

2nd Team All-Area.

Besides UMass, Hodges has an offer from Buffalo. Defensive tackle is an area where the Minutemen have needs. Hodges could play early and often in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Kenjuan Manuel

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Kenjuan Manuel, a 6-1 296 pound DT from St. Johns HS in DC has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

Rivals two-star.

Hudl.com has Junior highlights.

This article from Saturday has Manuel one of the Top-Ten DL's in the DMV area.

Manuel has offers from Buffalo, East Carolina, Kent State, Liberty, Ohio and Purdue. UMass has lots of playing available and the best food in college football four years running!

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Jaden Bradley

247Sports image

Jaden Bradley, a 6-4 190 pound WR from DeMantha Catholic has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

MaxPreps has stats.

Hudl.com has highlights.

This article from yesterday mentions Bradley's recruiting.

Bradley has ten offers including Power Five schools Pitt, Virginia and Wake Forest. Bradley has the size and speed to be the feature receiver in UMass' spread offense. There is lots of playing time available with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Chase Whatton

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Chase Whatton, a 6-4 235 pound DE from Elizabeth, PA has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has Junior highlights.

MaxPreps has stats.

This article has Whatton named league defensive MVP.

This article March 19th features Whatton's recruiting.

Whatton has seventeen offers including Army and Buffalo from the Northeast. He also has several MAC offers as well as a number of the Ivies. Defensive end is a position of need for the Minutemen and Whatton would likely play early and often in Amherst.

UMass Football News--April 2nd, 2020

College football extends the recruiting dead period through May 31st. Coaches can call, text and write recruits, but in person contacts are banned. In addition, recruits can not take visits to the school while the ban is in effect.

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This article covers various contingency plans for an abbreviated college football season. One option would be teams would play a league-only schedule. That would leave independents like UMass hanging out to dry. An Independent "home and home" with each of the other Independents?

The Minutemen played a four game schedule in the Fall of 1945. UMass beat Maine twice, tied Amherst and lost to Brooklyn.

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Yahoo Sports says the deciding factor on if college football will be played in 2020 is if the campuses reopen for students.

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CBS Sports looks at potential college football training starts of June 1st, July 1st and August 1st.

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Despite the Corona Virus, Troy football has high hopes.

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FIU coach Butch Davis is using the Panthers recent success as a recruiting tool.

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DraftKings predicts Auburn will get 9 wins in 2020.

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Hugh Freeze and the Liberty football staff are working through a "very weird time".

Freeze is in favor of a June "mini-camp" to get things organized if Fall practice is going to be allowed.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Ali Lee Jr.

Keith Muccilli image

Ali Lee Jr, a 5-10 170 pound RB/CB from Woodbridge HS in NJ has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has Junior highlights.

MaxPreps has stats.

This article from yesterday mentions Lee and his recruiting.

GMC 2019 offensive player of the year.

2019 All-New Jersey.

Lee has offers from UMass and Central Michigan. He would have a chance to play early for the Minutemen.