UMass Football News--February 28th, 2023

 UMass adds former BC player and staff assistant Steven Daniels as a defensive analyst. Daniels Eagles player bio .

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A Sports Illustrated write names former UMass player Brandon Collier as one of the 20 most influential black figures in college football.

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UMass and New Mexico State will be one of the first four games of the 2023 season. 

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Penn State opens as a big favorite against Neal Brown's West Virginia team. The Nittany Lions should also sweep their other two non-conference games: Delaware and UMass.

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2023 opponent New Mexico looks to improve their dismal offensive numbers this season.

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The Big Ten may add up to four teams.  Adding Washington and Oregon would give the league a coast-to-coast footprint

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Florida State and Clemson could leave the ACC if they can clear some financial obstacles. I think the AAC would strongly consider UConn as a potential member if those two schools leave. The Huskies have the stadium and the financial support to make the switch.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2024--Ty Curran

Twitter image

 Ty Curran, a 5-11 185 pound Athlete from Chelmsford, MA has UMass interest.

247Sport page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Visited UMass in November.

Curran has offers from Charlotte and Bowling Green. Curran could play several positions and could play in front of friends and family in Amherst. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2024--Dominic Silvia

Twitter image

 Dominic Silvia, a 6-6 310 pound OL from Bridgewater, MA has UMass interest.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Will visit Liam Coen and Kentucky this spring.

Silvia has seven offers including several Ivies. Also drawing interest from Boston College. Silvia could play in front of friends and family as well partaking in the finest dinning in college football with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2024--Aiden Lynch

Twitter lmage

 Aiden Lynch, a 6-6 280 pound OL from Flanders, NJ has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video. 

NCSA Recruiting profile here. 

Lynch has nine offers including UMass, UConn and Temple from the northeast. Several Ivies have also offered. The Minutemen offer a quality education plus a chance to play against some notable Power Five teams.

UMass Football News--February 23rd, 2023

 UMass promotes three to fill staff vacancies. Coach Ryan Partridge will add recruiting coordinator to his duties as WR coach. Matt Layman will coach TE's and Mike Livingston will coach DB's.

Staff turnover is standard procedure. The three are young and energetic coaches and should have a positive affect on the team.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" joins the crew at the New England Football Journal for a video discussion of the state of UMass football.

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FBS Schedules has an interesting post on nine college football teams that do not play a Power Five school outside of their league schedule.

Boston College, looking to bounce back from last year's debacle,  plays Northern Illinois, Holy Cross, Army and UConn. That should be enough (providing they actually beat UConn this year) to get them to at least 6-6.

Liberty, who has been beating Power Five teams regularly, does not play a Power Five opponent again until 2027. Liberty should be a lock for the C-USA title game and the Flames could be looking at 9+ wins a season for the foreseeable future.

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Former UMass assistant coach Leonard Hankerson has been interviewed for the open WR coach position at Miami.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2023--Matt Smith

Duke Athletic Dept image

 Matt Smith (good name), a 6-4 240 pound TE transfer from Duke has a UMass offer.

 YouTube highlights.

Duke bio here.

Smith has offers from a number of FCS schools including New Hampshire. The Minutemen are thin at TE and there is a lot of playing time available in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2024--Xavier Gilliam

Twitter image

 Xavier Gilliam, a 6-3 245 pound Edge from Columbia, MD has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has junior highlights.

This article covers his visits to ACC schools.

Gilliam has multiple Power Five offers including Penn State, Pitt and BC from the northeast. UMass and Liberty have offered from Group-of-Five. Gilliam could play for the best defensive coach in college football, and in addition, be eligible for a lot of playing time with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2024--Nick Rubino

 

QB Hit List image

Nick Rubino, a 6-2 185 pound QB from Wallingford, CT has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

QB Hit List has a short bio of Rubino.

Rubino has offers from three Ivies and UMass  from FBS. He could play top FBS teams in Amherst and still get a quality education.

UMass Football Recruiting 2024--Davin Brewton

Twitter image

 Davin Brewton, a 6-0 220 pound LB from Red Bank, NJ has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

This article talks about Brewton's connection with Pitt LB SirVocea  Dennis.

This article covers his visit to Syracuse. 

Brewton has at least six offers with West Virginia, Marshall, Tulane, Maryland, Syracuse and UMass. The Minutemen offer a greater chance for playing time than a Power Five school and the opportunity to play for the best defensive coach in college football.

UMass Football News--February 17th, 2023

 The Scoop reports former student assistant Jake Lane has been hired as a defensive graduate assistant for the Minutemen.

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UMass athletic dept image

Former UMass player Randell Jette has been hired as DB coach for New Hampshire.

Jette earned four letters for the Minutemen in 2012, '13,'14 and '15.

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The New England Football Journal says UMass needs to figure out their quarterback situation this spring. 

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The Big Twelve could target four current Pac-12 teams.

Tulane to the Pac-12? 

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UMass Football Recruiting 2024--John Lee Honorat

 

Hudl.com image

John Lee Honorat, a 5-11 170 pound athlete from Naples, FL has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

NCSA recruiting profile here.

The speedy Honorat has Power Five offers from Maryland, BC, Louisville and Iowa State. Buffalo and UMass have offered from the Northeast. He could find a lot of playing time available in the revived Minuteman offense.

UMass Football News-- The Ides of February 2023

 UMass loses TE and Recruiting Coordinator Jeff Moore to be HC at Tabor Academy.

The New England Football Journal has a post on Moore being named HC at Tabor.

The Minutemen now have two open positions as DB coach Darrell Perkins had left earlier.

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Former UMass LB Jovan Santos-Knox joins the Ottawa Red Blacks of the Canadian League.

Santos-Knox lettered for the Minutemen in 2012, '13,'14 and was Captain in 2015.

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College Football Insider says Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC "worked out perfectly".   

This will very probably effect UMass' 2024 season as the Minutemen are scheduled to play three SEC teams that year.

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A FURTHER SIGN THAT THE APOCALYPSE IS UPON US.

Someone is selling a jar of sand from the exact spot where Tom Brady announced his retirement.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2024--Cameron Monteiro

Twitter image

 Cameron Monteiro, a 6-3 170 pound WR from Brockton, MA has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star recruit.

Hudl.com has video.

Will visit Kentucky, Vanderbilt, BC and Pitt this spring.

Monteiro has nine offers including UMass and UConn. Liam Coen and Scott Woodward are recruiting him for Kentucky. He could make an impact in the soon to be revived UMass offense.

 

UMass Football Recruiting 2024--Casious Johnson

Robin Chan image

 Casious Johnson, a 6-0 205 pound RB from Plymouth, MA has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has junior highlights.

Ran for 339 yards and six TD's in a 2021 game (partially pay-walled).

This article from August 2022 features Johnson.

UMass is currently the only offer for Johnson. He'll have more by the end of the 2023 season. He could play in front of family and friends with a team that wants to run the ball in Amherst.

UMass Football News--February 11th, 2023

 

UMass will start Spring Practice March 28th and the Spring Game will be April 29th. Like last year practices are open to the public, but you must contact the athletic dept to notify them you'll be there.

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UMass' Jalen Mackie makes the SIS defensive All-Independent team.

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Black Shoe Diaries takes a look at the Nittany Lions' 2023 schedule.

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It's all been changed. Texas and Oklahoma will join the SEC in 2024 after all.

UMass plays Mississippi State and Georgia in 2024. It would seem likely at least one of those games will be bought out to accommodate revised SEC scheduling. 

Hopefully, Bamford will drive a hard bargain. 

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UMass Football Recruiting 2024--Jasen Kelley

BCSNation.com image

 Jasen Kelley, a 6-1 205 pound LB from Toledo, OH has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

This article has a paragraph on Kelly and his recruiting.

Kelly has Power Five offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky and West Virginia. UMass and five MAC schools have also offered. Kelly could play for the best defensive coach in college football with the Minutemen.

UMass Football recruiting 2024--Tony Phillips

David Volden image

 Tony Phillips, a 5-6 170 pound RB from Kankakee, IL has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star recruit.

Hudl.com has video.

This article features Phillips' recruiting.

This article from May 2022 talks about Phillips track career and his joining Kankakee football.

Phillips has double-digit offers including Power Five schools Arkansas, Tennessee and Syracuse. UMass needs team speed everywhere and Phillips could find a lot of playing time in Amherst.

UMass Football News--February 8th, 2023

 A 247Sporta article looks at the projected win totals of SEC teams and concludes Auburn will win against UMass "just by showing up"

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An Athlon Sports article considers the Pac -12 transfer portal rankings and says LB Jerry Roberts's transfer to UMass is a significant loss. 

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On3.com thinks UMass' out-transfer Max Longman will have an impact at Indiana.

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UMass QB Chase Brewster has entered the transfer portal. Probably more departures will occur in the QB room after the Minutemen signed three QB's in 2023.

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A Bleacher Report writer ranks all the college conferences after the 2022 season.

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UMass Football News--February 7th, 2023

Arizona athletic dept image

UMass announced another two transfers have completed their paperwork for joining UMass.

Defensive lineman JB Brown.

I blogged about Brown back on December 15th.

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Also officially joining the Minutemen is LB Jerry Roberts.

I blogged about Roberts on January 21st and January 17th.

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Both Brown and Roberts are seniors and should provide a lot of leadership and experience to the resurgent Minuteman defense. I'm looking forward to seeing both of them play this fall.

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If you missed the UMass Signing Day Show (as I did), it's available on YouTube here.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2023--RJ Edwards.

Arizona athletic dept image

 UMass has added RJ Edwards, a 6-2 222 pound LB transfer from Arizona as a PWO.

Edwards Arizona bio.

MaxPreps has HS stats. In his senior year he had 42 UT 105 TT 19 PD and 2 FF.

In addition, he was a HS All-American in lacrosse. Was recruited by Ohio State, Michigan and St. John's for Lax.

Edwards is the seventh Wildcat to join UMass. He should prosper in Amherst playing for Coach Brown. He could also have an opportunity with the Gorillas. 

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UMass Football Blog News--Feb 5ht, 2023

 Hi everybody. I've been cranking out posts seven days a week since August. Now that Signing Day is over, college football news generally slows down until Spring Ball.

So, I'm not going to be posting on Sundays until things speed up.

Hope all is well with everyone and I'll see you tomorrow.

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UMass Football News--February 4th, 2023

 Syracuse hires UMass DB coach Darrrell Perkins. Coach Brown is heavily interested in defensive backs and Perkin's replacement will have to be compatible with Brown's involvement.

Sports Illustrated also has an article on Perkins being hired by the Orange.

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Texas and Oklahoma will not join the SEC in 2024. If they had, Georgia might have had to buy out the 2024 UMass-Georgia game.

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The New England Football Journal takes a look at UMass' 2023 schedule and thinks the Minutemen might be bowl eligible. I applaud their optimism  and will also take hit on whatever they're drinking.

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Our old friends over at BC Interruption take a look at the Eagles 2023 season.

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SAW THIS ON ONE OF THE BOARDS I VISIT.

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UMass Football News--Febuary 3rd, 2023

 The UMass Daily Collegian says Don Brown leaned heavily on the transfer portal for his second recruiting class.

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FBS Schedules reports UMass officially announces its 2023 schedule. 

UMass official announcement here.

2023 Football Schedule
Aug. 26     at New Mexico State 
Sept. 2     at Auburn 
Sept. 9      Miami (Ohio) 
Sept. 16     at Eastern Michigan 
Sept. 23     New Mexico 
Sept. 30     Arkansas State  
Oct. 7      Toledo 
Oct. 14      at Penn State  
Oct. 28     at Army 
Nov. 4     Merrimack 
Nov. 18     at Liberty 
Nov. 25     UConn  

UMass has two byes: Oct 21st after Penn State and November 11th after Merrimack. The bye after Penn State should help in recovery and bye after Merrimack comes before the last two games of the season and winning one of them would help morale.

The Minutemen should be competitive with New Mexico State, Miami (Ohio), Eastern Michigan, New Mexico, Arkansas State, Merrimack and UConn.

Toledo competes for the MAC crown nearly every year and Liberty should be (again) one to the Group-of-Five's top teams.

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2023 opponent Merrimack adds Virginia-Lynchburg to its schedule.

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Meanwhile, Boston College fires their OL coach.

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UMass Football News--February 2nd, 2023

 The Daily Hampshire Gazette has UMass adds talent and experience with 13 transfers.

The New England Football Journal has UMass continues to build through the transfer portal. 

NESN will have a UMass Insider signing show today at 1:00 pm

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One player signed I have not covered here is Shambre Jackson, a 6-3 280 pound Edge transfer from Florida State.

Jackson was a 247Sports four-star player out of HS.

I'm excited about Jackson's signing with the Minutemen. He's a body type we have not had at DE since we moved to FBS. He had multiple Power Five offers out of HS. Jackson adds another dimension to Don Brown's improving UMass defense. Jackson has three years of eligibility and I'll be following his career with the Minutemen.

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Not included with yesterday's signees were OL Marcellus Anderson, WR Shawn Harris and WR Christian Wells. They will join UMass in the summer.

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Coach Don Brown also stated yesterday UMass was still recruiting OL transfers.

I think UMass will try to add two more OL before Fall camp. The offensive line for 2023 is still a work in progress.

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UMass Football News--Febuary 1st, 2023

 

Today we get to know which recruits will be in for Spring ball. 

UPDATE: I'm told NESN will have a UMass Signing day report tomorrow at 1:00pm.

UPDATE II: UMass announces the addition of 13 transfers.

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Barry Trammel thinks the college football calendar needs a complete overhaul.

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Athlon Sports gives Don Brown a "D" for his first year back in Amherst.

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Syracuse adds UConn to their 2024 schedule. A UMass-Syracuse game in the Carrier Dome would be a nice road trip for Minuteman fans some time..

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Former UMass assistant coach Scott Woodard and Liam Coen land a top transfer QB for Kentucky.

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