UMass Football News--February 27th, 2026

 

The UMass Spring game will be on April 25th. Last year's game started at Noon.

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Some staff additions:

 

Click on image and Blogger displays a larger view

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And a couple of articles have further adventures in AI-written sports journalism.

College Football News has MAC Conference Spring Football rankings.  If you don't recognized the listed UMass transfer-in and transfer-outs scroll down to Toledo.

• a human sports writer would probably chosen Pop Watson or Joseph Griffin Jr as UMass' top incoming transfer 
• a human sports writer probably would not have ranked Sacramento State as #7 in the league..

Hustle Belt has getting acquainted with Sacramento State Football. 

• See the section on Sacramento State's stadium and attendance. The AI doesn't know UMass is a member of the MAC

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UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Jay Rawls

 

Jay Rawls, a 6-6 195 pound WR from Goodyear, AZ has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video highlights 

Rawls has a pro-sized frame and UMass appears to be his first FBS offer. He could hone his talent and get an excellent education with the Minutemen in Amherst. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Jordan Davis

 

WCPO Cincinnati image

UMass has offered to Jordan Davis, a 5-11 195 pound RB from Cincinnati, OH.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

MaxPreps has stats. In 2025 Davis went 145-674 4.6 AVE 41 LONG 21 TD's.

Besides UMass, Davis has offers from Kent State, Miami (Ohio) and Toledo. He could find a home in Amherst and get a great East Coast education as well. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Brady Bermant

 UMass social media reports Brady Bemant, a 6-0 180 pound Kicker from Roslyn Heights, NY will join the Minutemen as a preferred walk-on.

All-State NY. 

Except for 2025, kicking has been a thorn in the side of UMass football fans since the move to FBS. We wish Bemant a highly productive career--and a scholarship with the Minutemen! 

 

UMass Football News--February 23rd, 2026

 Hustle Belt has what's good and bad about Sacramento State joining the MAC

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The President of Sacramento State has a "X" post on what FBS brings to the University.

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The Toledo Blade has a story on what teams should be considered for future MAC expansion. 

There are some interesting names in the article: UConn and Liberty are powerhouse athletic programs. South Dakota State has a flood of Permian Basin oil money. Western Kentucky has a basketball program all UMass fans could envy.

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Speaking of UConn, they just released their 2026 football schedule. 

Something called the the UConn round table has what reads like a AI-written post on UConn's schedule and calls UMass an FCS team..

 The Huskies 2026 schedule is significantly stronger than 2025. I think UConn's win total will drop sharply this year. 

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UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Ahkir Morgan

Hudl.com image

 Social Media reports Ahkir Morgan, a 5-10 170 pound WR/Athlete from West Orange, NJ will join UMass as a preferred walk-on.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

This article covers his signing with UMass. in 2025 Morgan went 34-588 5 TD's, on defense he had 27 TT and 2 INT's 

UMass needs productive WR's. Morgan should have a chance to develop  his craft, earn a scholarship and  make an impact with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Maurice Barnes, Jr

 

UMass social media reports Maurice Barnes, Jr, a 6-2 200 pound LB from Harrisburg, PA will join the Minutemen as a preferred walk-on.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

Raw Sports has a capsule post on Barnes.

Barnes had multiple offers back in 2024 including MAC teams Kent State and Akron. The Minutemen need defensive improvement and Barnes should have a wide open chance to earn a scholarship and make an impact in Amherst. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Isaiah Simmonds

 

Isaiah Simmonds, a 5-9 175 pound WR from West Roxbury, MA has committed to UMass as a preferred walk-on.

Hudl.com has video. 

MaxPreps has stats. In his senior season Simmonds went 27-427 17.1 AVE 5 TD's receiving. Also rushed for 24-388 16.2 AVE and 2 TD's.

UMass needs offensive talent and Simmonds should be in a place where he can develop and earn a scholarship. It will be interesting to follow his career with the Minutemen. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Jake McGrath

 

Jake McGrath, a 6-7 295 pound OL from Cambridge, MA has committed to UMass as a preferred walk-on.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

UMass needs offensive linemen and has an excellent weight-training and performance facility. McGrath has a pro-sized frame and should have a great opportunity to develop a and earn a scholarship. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2028--David Sanger

 

The Minuteman Command has a post on David Sanger, a 6-4 285 pound OL from Williston-Northampton.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

I saw his father David Sanger punt for the Minutemen back in the day. The elder Sanger's punting rank in the UMass record book is:

1. 2nd in career punting yards 236-9574
2. 2nd in punt attempts 236
3. 6th in average yards/attempt 40.57

His father was 2nd team All-American in 2001 and 1st team All-Atlantic 10 the same year.

Sanger the younger could keep the family streak going in Amherst.  

 

UMass Football News--February 16th, 2026

 

Two sources report Sacramento State will join the MAC as a football-only affiliate member in 2026.

They wouldn't let UMass do that, but I don't mind. One big negative of being an independent was no league media revenue. In 2027 the MAC's current media contract expires. There is hope the MAC will sign a much more lucrative contract at that time. College sports is one of the few popular TV offerings these days. MACtion has been a ratings success. 

Sacramento is a much bigger media market than Akron or Athens. This would be good for the league and UMass. And the Minutemen's share of the $15 million entry fee would not hurt either..

Hustle Belt reports here. 

Yahoo Sports reports here. 

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UMass adds Rich Worsell as offensive analyst. Worsell has extensive coaching experience including time in the MAC at Toledo.

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And from the invaluable Babylon Bee: 

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UMass Transfer Portal 2026--How we did--Defensive backs

 BTW, the first 2026 UMass football roster is up.

The Minutemen had a dismal defensive result in 2025. A big part of the 0-12 result was from the UMass pass defense.

Temple (a 5-7 team) went 22-29 246 yards and 6 passing TD's against the UMass defense. Bryant (a 3-8 FCS team) threw for 318 yards and 3 TD's, which included a seemingly effortless game winning drive in the fourth quarter.  

The Minutemen were #56 in pass yards given up, but were #116 in yards per completion.

UMass was #135 (next to last) in pass defense efficiency. 

UMass added Jahmad Harmon from Ball State/Kent State,  Isaiah Reed from Brown and Chris Stanley from Garden City C.C.

They also added Michael Robinson   (corrected name) from Rutgers in the STAR position.  

Reed should be an instant starter at one corner.  Both Harmon and Stanley should compete to start on the other side.

Nick Sabin probably made the STAR position famous at Alabama. The STAR is usually a hybred linebacker/strong safety. Teams usually pull the MLB and use the STAR (as a fifth defensive secondary guy) in pass coverage, but also are responsible for run defense and can also blitz. The STAR position is sorta like a weak side linebacker with more coverage radius.

Robinson should know Harasymiak's defense coming from Rutgers. He should give Minutemen DC Jared Keyte some package options. 

I would give the transfer additions as a potential sold "B". I think UMass added a starter at one corner and maybe the other side too.  

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--GaVin English commits to UMass

 

UMass gained their first commitment of the 2027 recruiting cycle as GaVin English, a 6-4 285 pound OL from Springfield, MA has committed to the Minutemen.

I've blogged about English before. 

Great that UMass has added some Western Mass talent to the roster. I look forward to following English's career with the Minutemen. 

UMass Football News--February 12th, 2026

 The MAC-centric website "Hustle Belt" is closing. The site was a high quality source for information and news of MAC teams.

With the dead tree media effectively--- dead, sites like Hustle Belt provided a lot of interesting news and commentary for a Group-of-Five league. 

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Yahoo Sports reports Sacramento State is looking to join a FBS conference with the MAC as one of the top interests.

The MAC's media package is up for bids in 2027. With the popularity of college football in an all-time high, the MAC should be able to negotiate a considerable increase in media money. Sacramento State is in a good media market and that would help.

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The Mountain West  eyes streaming media for additional revenue. 

Hey, I'm paying ESPN+ $12.99/month to watch UMass men's and women's basketball and hockey. I could be paying that to the UMass athletic dept..

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And finally,

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UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Aidan Canty-Whitt commits to UMass

 

Aidan Canty-Whitt, a 6-3 285 pound IOL from Concord, MA has joined the Minutemen as a PWO.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

Also did track and Field. 

UMass needs offensive linemen. Canty-Whitt has good skills and has a chance to earn a scholarship and beyond in Amherst. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--GaVin English

 

UMass has offered to GaVin English, a 6-4 285 pound OL from Springfield Central HS in MA.

The Minuteman Command has an interview with English during his Junior Day visit to UMass. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

UMass needs offensive linemen. English could play in front of friends and family in Amherst and join the Pop Warner and Joe Griffin talent pipeline with the Minutemen. 

UMass Transfer Portal News--How we did--Offensive Line

 If you missed it, all the original starting offensive linemen from 2025 left/graduated. LT Luke Painton, LG Sullivan Weidman, C Benjamin Roy, RG Mao Glynn and RT Ryan Mosesso all are gone.

The offensive line was not a strong point last year. I went to most of the games and watched 'em all on DVR. I can't think of a game where we dominated the line of scrimmage. I've blogged about our nearly last in FBS rushing totals. 

For the season, UMass went 54-172 31% on third downs. The Minutemen went 6-26 on fourth downs 23%. Those are really bad numbers. A stop on fourth down is a turnover. Stops on 3rd downs are effectively turnovers. A first down at the end of the game would have won the Bryant and Buffalo contests. A lot of that was due to offensive line play.

Brock Taylor started some games later in the season. Jaxon King, Payton Miller and Zachary Franks are probably the top returning offensive linemen.

UMass added Aitor Unionabarrenechea from Colorado State. Greg Knox from McNeese State, and Greg Klingensmith from William & Mary. All three will probably start.

Still, I think this leaves the O-line room pretty thin. I would grade the potential improvement here as a "C" (primarily because of numbers). 

If I was coach and I had enough NIL money for two additional players, I'd spend it on two offensive linemen. If I had NIL for three, I'd spend it on three offensive linemen. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--

 

Hudl.com image

UMass has offered to Josiah Wallace, a 6-8 300 pound OT from Glen Ellyn, IL

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his offer from Northwestern. 

Wallace has Power Four offers from Cincinnati, Kansas State, Northwestern and Purdue. Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan have offered from the MAC. UMass needs offensive linemen and Wallace could be in the mix early in Amherst. 

UMass Football News--February 6th, 2026

 

UMass formerly announces hiring Max Warner as offensive coordinator.

Hopefully, Warner will have a lot more offensive talent to work with this year. Former Minuteman OC Mike Bajakian directed the worst offense in college football, but was hired away by Power Four Michigan State, which leads to the conclusion the problem was talent, not coaching.

The Daily Collegian has a post on Warner's hiring. 

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Western Michigan's DC is hired as defensive coordinator for the Los Angles Chargers. 

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Miami (of Florida) signs an OT with a $1.9 million NIL tag.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Don Spillers

USA Today image

  UMass has offered to Don Spillers, a 6-2 195 pound WR from Detroit, MI

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

This article covers his recruitment by Michigan State. 

This article discusses his recruitment by Power Four teams. 

Spillers has fifteen offers including Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and more. Bowling Green, Toledo, Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan have offered from the MAC. Spillers is a versatile athlete and he would have a chance to play early in Amherst.

UMass Transfer Portal News--How we did--Receivers

 Like every other stat for 2025 receiving totals were dismal. UMass lost T.Y. Harding for the season early and that made a big dent in playmaking. Harding accounted for 719 total yards in 2024 (receiving 334, punt returns 109 and kickoff returns 276). 

Jacquon Gibson was the only WR threat in 2025. Gibson went 63-613 9.8 yards/catch. But he had ZERO TD's. Of UMass' 8 receiving TD's, four were caught by TE's. Gibson left in the transfer portal and ended up with Virginia. 

I think UMass made a big signing with Joe Griffin Jr. He had a productive career with Boston College.  I think he has the size and skills to to make an impact for the Minutemen.

The T.Y. Harding, Joe Griffin combo should give UMass an effective passing threat.  

UMass also added DII Devin Matthews. He went 36-649 yards and 7 TD's in 2025. Matthews is 5-9 and probably will play the slot receiver.

The Minutemen also signed a talented freshman class with Drew Alsep,  Tavian Dashell, David Moore and Kai Owens. I can see several of those players contributing in 2026. Wide receiver is one position a true freshman can play.

Owens is one of the highest-rated true freshmen ever to sign with UMass. If he gets in and is productive, I'd burn his redshirt (if he agrees) if needed.

I'm excited about the 2026 WR room and I think that room added the most talent on offense. 

I'd give the 2026 WR additions a potential grade of "A". 

UMass Transfer Portal News--How we did--Running backs

 Last year's rushing results for the Minutemen were horrifying. We finished #131 out of 134 in rushing offense.

Against Temple, (who finished 5-7 in 2025) we had 103 net yards rushing and 41 of those 103 came on one rush by Rocco Griffin (who had a good opening quarter against the Owls and then disappeared for the rest of the year). 

Against a 3-8 FCS team Bryant, we rushed for 101 yards and 19 (one fifth) came on one play by Grant Jordan. One rushing first down at the end of the game would have won it for UMass.

Against Buffalo, the game we came the closest to winning, we rushed for 187 yards, but 90 of those yards came on one play by Brandon Hood. For the rest of the game we rushed 43 times for 97 yards.

In the last game of the season in the "Bottom Bowl" against Bowling Green, on our own field, UMass rushed 29 times for 69 net yards,  2.4 yards/rush.

Being unable to run the ball makes the QB look bad. If the defense can disregard the running game, they can pin their ears back and rush the passer, which they did with abandon in 2025.

Fixing the run game will make a major impact on UMass' chances in 2026.

UMass added Jordan Washington. He has good size and had a decent season for the Racers in 2025.

The Minutemen also added Justin Williams-Thomas a transfer from Cal/Marshall.  Williams-Thomas was a highly rated RB out of HS, but so far has been unable to generate much playing time in college. 

I really like true freshman recruit TK Davis. I'm also high on true freshman Justin Lewis.

A freshman can play in four games without burning their redshirt. If I  were the UMass coach, I'd get Davis and Lewis reps in eight games this year. We need production.

I'd give the potential upgrade here as a B minus. We did not sign an instant All-MAC running back , but the expectation is UMass will move up from awful. I think Davis and Lewis have talent to move the meter even further in future years.

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Chad Willis

On3.com image

 UMass has offered to Chad Willis, a 6-2 185 pound WR/Athlete from Orchard Lake, MI.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his recruiting by Michigan. 

This article writes about his offer from Michigan State. 

Willis has over 20 offers including Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati and more. Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, Western Michigan and  Kent State have offered from the MAC. Willis would have the opportunity to start early in Amherst and also get an East Coast education.

UMass Football Blog News--February 1st, 2026

 I got sucked in by the excitement of the transfer portal and resumed Sunday blogging. Now that it seems the bulk of the transfers have arrived, I'm going  back to taking Sundays off until Fall camp starts.

Everybody stay warm and I'll see you tomorrow! 

UMass Transfer Portal News--How we did -Quarterbacks

 Except for the the Andrew Ford and Blake Frohapfel era during Coach Whipple's second stint at UMass, the Minutemen have not had effective quarterbacks during our FBS era.

Last year AJ Hairston had a 89.2 EFF. Grant Jordan had a 108.1 EFF. Brandon Rose had a EFF of 96.5.

UMass' collective 2025 quarterback opponents had a EFF of 169.0.

Some of the quarterbacks problems were due to a total lack of a running game and very poor pass blocking, but still..

Jordan was clearly the best QB. He scored 33% of UMass' rushing TD's and did make some plays (usually running for his life from the opponents pass rush).

All three left in the transfer portal. Jordan signed with Power Four Oklahoma State.  AJ Hairston signed with FCS Merrimack. So far, I could not find any news for Rose.

UMass added Pop Watson. On paper, he seems a big improvement. However, Watson was unable to break into the starting position at Virginia Tech. He appeared in 11 games and started two in three years with the Hokies. He needs to get out of the gate fast in 2026. UMass needs offensive production and Watson needs to provide it. He'll have the keys to the car starting the season, but if the UMass offense sputters (again), he could be pushed by RJ Johnson III. Last year Johnson had a QB EFF of 146.4 and threw for almost 2,600 yards.

 The UMass QB room also adds true freshman Aedan McCarthy. I like his background and he should be a solid future starter. UMass also has Will Perry who, you will remember, engineered a nifty scoring drive against UConn two years ago.

So how'd we do? 

I would rate the signings as a B+. Both Watson and RJ Johnson III have the potential to jump start the UMass offense. On paper, the quarterback room seems to have substantially more talent than last year. However, Watson's career as a backup at Virginia Tech and Johnson's lack of FBS time will mean we'll have to wait to September to see the results..

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Jaylen Mercer

 UMass has offered to Jaylen Mercer, a 6-5 230 pound Edge from Cincinnati, OH.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his recruitment by Arizona. 

This article talks about his offer by Minnesota. 

Mercer has 23 offers including a laundry list of Power Four teams such as Michigan, Wisconsin, BC, Texas A&M and more. UMass, Toledo and Western Michigan have offered from the MAC. Mercer would have the opportunity to play early and often in Amherst. 

UMass Transfer Portal News--January 29th, 2026

 

The Minuteman Command has the complete snapshots of the 2026 transfer portal class.

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I subscribe to 247Sports, but I don't know if this link will be available to non-subscribers.

247Sports ranks UMass' transfer portal class as #2 in the MAC. 

If you can't see it, the MAC transfer portal rankings are

1. Toledo
2. UMass
3. Miami (Ohio)
4. Ohio
5. Ball State
6. Buffalo
7. Akron
8. Bowling Green
9. Central Michigan
10. Eastern Michigan
11. Western Michigan (corrected. I was thinking of Northern Illinois

Toledo had 14 three-star transfers. UMass had 12. Nobody else had more than nine.

247Sports has UMass #103 in FBS transfer portal ranking. The Power Four conference teams occupy (roughly) transfer portal slots 1-65. The Group-of-five teams, again roughly, compete for the slots 66-136, as they do for freshmen recruiting.

At #103 UMass in just into the top half of Group-of-Five teams.

Boston College is ranked #62, which sorta reflects their current status as the bottom of the ACC and near the bottom of the Power Four.

UConn is ranked #71, which is indicative of their  9-4 record  and status as one of the top Group-of-Five teams..

We'll see how it all plays out in 2026! 

 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Alijah Shaw

 UMass has offered to Alijah Shaw, a 6-8 275 pound OT from Leawood, KS.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his visit to Iowa State. 

Florida Atlantic and UMass (his first FBS offer) have offered from Group-of-Five. Power four Arkansas, Minnesota, Iowa State, Northwestern and Wisconsin have also offered.

Shaw could get an East Coast education and be in line for some early playing time in Amherst. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Jameer Henry

Hudl.com image

 UMass has offered to Jameer Henry, a 6-5 300 pound DL from Detroit, MI.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

Has offer from Michigan State. 

Henery has 23 offers including Power Four Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas and more. Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Miami (Ohio) have offered from the MAC.  

Henry would have a chance to start early in Amherst and make an impact on the program. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--DaWayne Jones

 UMass has offered to DaWayne Jones a 6-3 265 pound DL from Tulsa, OK.

247Sports has him as a high three-star recruit. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

This article covers his recruitment by Arizona. 

Jones has 23 offers including multiple offers by Power Four programs. LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Kansas State and others have offered. UMass and several other Group-of-Five teams have also offered. He would play earlier with the Minutemen and would be a big signing. 

UMass Transfer Portal News--Jahman Harmon

 

The Minuteman Command has a post interviewing former Lawrence Central coach William Patterson about incoming transfer Jahman Harmon.

UMass was #133 out of 134 FBS in team pass defense efficiency in 2025. Anyone who wanted to pass against the Minuteman defense could do it. UMass gave up 29 passing TD's, which was the most in FBS.

Harmon could push TJ Magee for a starting CB position right away. 

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Justin Williams-Thomas joins UMass

 Justin Williams-Thomas, a 6-0 210 pound RB transfer from Cal/Marshall has signed with UMass.

Williams-Thomas' Herd bio here. 

This article features Williams-Thomas. 

Williams-Thomas was a four-star recruit out of HS, He had multiple Power Four offers. So far, he has not been able to generate much playing time. The UMass RB room was the worst in the nation in 2025. Williams-Thomas should add depth and potential for this year. 

UMass Football News--January 23rd, 2026

 

 

The Minuteman Command has a post and interview with DE transfer Justin Krueger.

DE's who can rush the passer are in high demand. Kreuger has a chance to get some stats that would draw attention of a Power Four program. He'd also make a positive impact on UMass' results.

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UConn's home 2026 schedule includes UMass. 

The Huskies 2026 schedule is significantly more difficult than last year's.  IMHO, another 9-4 season is unlikely.

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 A blog reader sent me the obituary of John Allen, who won letters for the Minutemen in 1979 and 1980. 

Click on any image in the Blog and Blogger displays a full size image. 

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UMass Football News--January 22nd, 2026

 

Kendric Council, who was reported on social media as joining UMass has officially signed.

I blogged about Council on January 19th. 

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Wisconsin Sports Heroics has a post on former Badger WR Joseph Griffin rejoining former teammate Pop Watson in Amherst. 

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The New England Football Journal comments on the impending Pop Watson-Joe Griffin connection. 

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Western Michigan earned a couple of votes in the finial AP top-25 2025 poll.

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Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan agree to a two-year series at the Detroit Lion's Ford Field. 

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Aubrey Melvin transfers to UMass

 Aubrey Melvin, a 6-2 320 pound DL transfer from UConn has joined UMass.

Melvin was a high three-star recruit out of HS.  Melvin had Power Four offers from BC, Pitt, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.

This article from 2024 talks about his commitment to UConn. 

UMass continues to stockpile DL talent. Melvin was rated by 247Sports as a top-100 DL recruit nationally and a top-20 recruit from the state of Maryland. He has Power Four size and he should make an immediate difference in Amherst.

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UMass Football News--January 20th, 2026

 The Minuteman Command has a post on DL transfer Kamarion Thomas.

Thomas was a 247Sports three-star player and ranked as a top-20 defensive player from NY out of HS. 

UMass considerably strengthened the DL with transfer portal recruits with Zakar Morris, Zachary Betts, Justin Krueger, William and Andrew DePaepe along with Thomas. This is a strong group and should make an impact in 2026.

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Akron adds a new transfer QB. 

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Bowling Green adds a former four-star QB transfer from Oregon. The Falcons were almost  as bad at passing as we were in 2025.

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UMass Football News--January 19th, 2026

 

Social media reports Kendric Council, a 6-1 220 pound ILB from St. Francis FCS visited UMass this weekend.

Council's St. Francis bio here. He had 53 TT 2 SACKS 4 deflected passes and 6.5 TFL in 2025.

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Hustle Belt has highlights from the MAC Conference bowl season.

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Gotta cheer for Indiana in tonight's college football championship. They deserve it. 

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UMass Transfer Portal News--January 18th, 2026

 UMass had a productive Saturday as the Minutemen reeled in six transfers.

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UMass closed the deal with 6-4 210 pound WR Joseph Griffin Jr. 

Griffin's Wisconsin bio here. 

The Minuteman Command has a post on Griffin joining the Minutemen. 

Griffin had a productive two years with BC but was unable to crack the starting rotation at Wisconsin. He could do his career (and UMass) a big favor by catching everything in sight in 2026. The Minutemen's long ball passing ability in 2025 was non-existent. 

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 UMass filled a real need with the addition of 6-1 215 pound RB Jordan Washington.

Washington's Racers bio here. 

Washington went 12 GP 86-340 4.0 AVE 3 TD's 24 LONG as a RB. Also caught the ball out of the backfield 22-206 9.4 AVE 3 TD's 60 LONG. And he's big enough to help with pass blocking..

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 UMass signed Justin Krueger a 6-4 250 DL from William & Mary.

Krueger's Tribe bio here. 

Krueger had excellent stats in 2025. He went 12GP 20 UT 32 AT 52 TT 8 TFL (!) 2.0 SACKS and 5 QBH. Those are really good numbers for a down lineman. May he bring that kind of production to Amherst.

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UMass also signed Glen Klingensmith a 6-5 300 OL from William & Mary.

His Tribe bio here.

This article from August of 2025 features Klingensmith. 

Klinggensmith started all 12 games in 2025. He should be an instant starter for UMass.

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Joining the Minutemen is Devlin Matthews, a 5-9 185 pound WR from East Texas A&M.

Devlin's Lion's bio here. 

Devlin went 11GP 30-649 18.0 AVD 7 TD's 59 LONG in 2025. He has the potential to add more firepower to UMass' passing attack.

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 UMass also signed RJ Johnson III, a 6-2 210 pound QB from Florida A&M/Toledo.

Rockets bio here. 

Johnson was All-State in Georgia in HS. He's a capable QB who could insure the UMass offense does not come to a complete halt if Pop Watson gets nicked up.

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UMass Football News--January 17th, 2026

 The transfer portal closed yesterday. That's for players entering the portal.

For players already in the the portal:

•  Once a player is already in the portal:They remain available for recruitment indefinitely.

• Coaches can continue contacting them, hosting visits, and finalizing deals.

• They can commit or officially sign with a new school at any time afterward—no signing deadline is imposed by the portal closure.

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UMass currently has  21 true freshmen recruits for 2026. 

WE have have 18 (counting two players who entered the portal and re-signed with UMass) incoming transfers. 

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The Minuteman Command has an interview with incoming DL transfer Zakar Morris. 

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UMass Football News--January 16th, 2026

 No updates in incoming transfers so far today.

IMHO, still need a RB, FB and an additional OL.

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The Minuteman Command has an interview with Springfield's Central HS head coach Bill Watson-----and father of Pop Watson. 

Coach Watson relates UMass is making a pitch for Joseph Griffin late of Boston College/Wisconsin.

Griffin's Badgers bio here.  

Griffin is a Springfield native and a former teammate of Pop Watson. UMass totally lacked a deep-threat WR last year. The season's longest completion was by TE Max Dowling. Griffin would be a great addition to the 2026 Minutemen.

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One thing did go well in 2025..

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AJ Hairston signs with Merrimack.

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Tim Passmore, Jr and Kendall Bournes re-sign with UMass

 Still looking for a RB and a 240 pound FB..

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 Defensive lineman Tim Passmore, Jr has been re-signed by UMass after entering the transfer portal.

Passmore's UMass bio here. 

In 2025, Passmore went 12 GP 2 UT 13 AT 15 TT. 

D-linemen are the scarcest recruits. Passmore should help in the rebuilding of the Minuteman defensive front. 

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 Also re-signing with the Minutemen is Safety Kendall Bournes. 

Bournes UMass bio here. 

In 2025, Bournes went 12 GP 28 UT 34 AT 62 TT 2 TFL and 1 FF. Keeping him is a strong positive for the Minuteman defense.

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UMass Football Transfer portal News--Five players commit to UMass

 You know UMass football had a good day when number of commits names won't fit in Blogger's title block..

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 Khari Bendolph, a 6-1 205 pound LB transfer from Jacksonville State had committed to UMass.

Jacksonville State bio here. 

173 TT in his HS junior and senior year.  Bendolph should be a solid addition the the middle of the UMass defense. 

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Greg Knox, a 6-6  305 pound OL transfer from McNeese State has joined the Minutemen.

McNeese bio here.

Rated as a three-star transfer by On3.com.

The Minuteman Command has an interview with Knox. 

Knox should be in contention to start immediately. Run blocking and pass protection was a major problem last year. Knox could change that around.

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 Isaiah Reed, a 6-0 180 pound DB from UCF/Brown has committed to UMass.

UCF bio here.

At Brown, Reed was a team captain and nominated for a number of FCS awards. He should supply senior leadership and contend for a starting position.

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Jahmad Harmon, a 5-10 180 pound DB from Ball State/Kent State has transferred to UMass

Cardinals bio here. 

Harmon should supply depth and talent to a UMass secondary that was next-to-last in team pass defense efficiency in 2025. 

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Zachary Betts, a 6-2 245 pound LB transfer from St. Francis has committed to UMass.

St. Francis bio here. 

Another bio here. 

Betts has the size to play up close to the line of scrimmage. He should be an excellent addition to the Minuteman defense.

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Randal King and Andrew & William Depaepe commit to UMass

 

Randall King a 6-2 205 pound WR transfer from Campbell has joined the Minutemen.

Camels' bio here. 

King was 2024 Phil Steele Freshman All-American. In 2025 he went 59-689 and 5 TD's. Last year an injury to one WR (TY Harding) put the UMass passing game into a dead stop. King should be an excellent target for Pop Watson to throw to.

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Social media is reporting Andrew and William Depaepe defensive linemen from Indiana are transferring to UMass .

Andrew Depaepe was a four-star recruit out of HS. 

William Depaepe

William Depaepe was a high three-star recruit by 247Sports. 

Sports Illustrated has a story on  the Depaepe brothers leaving Indiana.

Andrew Depaepe could the the highest rated recruit ever to play for the Minutemen. Both should be a huge addition to the UMass defensive front.

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