Saturday--March 9, 2013

Shane Waldron/Twitter

Harry Plumer has an article about possible new helmet colors for the 2013 Minutemen. I think most UMass fans felt that the all-black uniforms did not work very well.

I liked the white helmets. Maroon helmets with maroon jerseys will make us into Temple clones. Maroon w/white travel jerseys would probably be OK.

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Bill Connelly continues his series of previewing the 2013 MAC. This time is Akron.

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Nick Underhill of MassLive wonders if Victor Cruz would leave the Giants.

A Giants blogger says there is a lot of interest in Cruz from other teams possibly including the Patriots because "you can't put it past them to try this"

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I missed this article from March 5th from the Boston Herald "NFL scouts check out UMass seniors".

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A Bleacher Report writer has the biggest Spring headache for all 127 FBS head  coaches including UMass.

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A commenter here expressed interest in UMass getting Gunner Kiel. I dunno. His next stop will be his fourth. We are no longer FCS, so he would have to sit out a year. Given his history, a year off would likely end badly. Probably a FCS team like Eastern Washington, Montana or Sam Houston would be his best bet. A Bleacher Report writer picks Kiel's five best options.

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Recruiting 2014---Jared Coker

Hudl.com image

This article says UMass has offered to Jared Coker, a 6-4 285 pound OL/DL  from Brian Woods HS, VA.

Coker is featured in this article from February.

All-District First Team Offense in 2012.

Coker holds offers from UMass and Bowling Green. Transitional FBS team Old Dominion and FCS VMI have also offered.

Friday--March 8, 2013

SB Nation continues a March review of the MAC with Eastern Michigan.

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The NCAA adopts a number of rules changes for 2013 and pauses to reconsider recent changes in recruiting regulations.

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Mike Blaudschun says the new Big East football schools want a bigger piece of the pie. He also thinks the league should be re-branded as the "Big Metro Conference".

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A Bleacher Report writer says Kansas State's 2013 meeting with two-time FCS National Champion North Dakota state will be a "cake walk" and UMass will be "easy".

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The mercurial Irish QB Gunner Keil is going to transfer according to ESPN.

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Tom Coughlin says he wants Victor Cruz to be a Giant forever.

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Recruiting 2014--Trace McSorley

Richard Lipski image

Several recruiting services show UMass has offered to Trace McSorley, a 6-0 176 pound dual-threat QB from Briar Wood HS in VA.

Scout.com page here.

This article has his 2012 stats.

Regional Offensive Player-of-the-Year.

McSorley has offers from Boston College, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia Tech and Western Michigan.

Thursday--March 7, 2013

More on next Wednesday's Night of Championships from the Minutemen Club news letter.


Night of Champions

Wednesday, March 13

Curry Hicks Cage

7 pm

Fans, students and alumni are invited to join the UMass football team on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 PM in the Curry Hicks Cage for the Minutemen's Night of Champions. The event is free and will treat those in attendance to a strength competition by members of the team, a Tug-Of-War Competition, and what promises to be an exciting Slam Dunk Contest.

Along with the competitions, fans will be treated to music, prizes, and the chance to get autographs from the players and coaching staff. Prior to the start of the event, new strength and conditioning coach Mike Golden will be available for a question and answer session.

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An SB Nation writer says UMass will be extremely young in 2013.

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Western Michigan's game with Michigan state has been moved to August 30th with possible coverage on national TV from ESPN or the Big Ten Network. That would be good exposure for the league.

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Could Temple end up a winner in the conference realignment sweepstakes?

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There's a report that the Big East and the Catholic Seven have reached a deal.

The remaining Big East schools will get around $100 million in departure fees from the breakup.

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Tom Coughlin says Victor Cruz's status is "a little frustrating".

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Recruiting 2014-- Cameron Polk II

Doug McSchooler image

Scout.com has a feature on Cameron Polk, a 6-2 175 pound WR from Fishers, IN.

I've blogged about Polk before.

The Minutemen were the first to offer Polk and he now also holds offers from Louisville and Ball State.

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Wednesday-- March 6, 2013

The following is a cut-and-paste from an e-mail from the Minuteman Club. I'm going to go if it stops snowing...

Dear Minutemen,

The University of Massachusetts Football Team invites our football alumni to come join us at the "Night of Champions" on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 7:00 PM. This FREE event will be held on the UMass Campus in the Curry Hicks Cage.

Watch selected MINUTEMEN football players attempt to break school and personal records in the: BENCH PRESS, SQUAT, and DEADLIFT!  Witness amazing vertical jumps in the Minuteman Dunk Contest, and see extraordinary speed, agility, and quickness in the Minuteman Challenge Obstacle course!

The "Night of Champions" will be a great way to get to know your Minutemen face to face AND get excited about the 2013 football season.

There will also be a FREE autograph session for you and your guests with our players and coaches at 6:00 PM.

Seating is limited, so please RSVP by replying to this e-mail. Include your name and how many people will be in your party.

Yesterday, at the UMass Pro Day at Gillette Stadium, I ran into graduated Minuteman great, Jeromy Miles. He's the subject of our fourth MINUTEMAN UPDATE:

Hi! This is Jeromy Miles. I graduated from UMass with my bachelor's degree in kinesiology in the spring of 2010.  After graduating, I signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as a college free agent.  I have just finished my third season with the Bengals, and I'm currently still on the team.  I've been spending this off-season training hard and spending time with my fiancee in Worcester. I'm looking forward to being blessed with another full season in the NFL. 

I am also working diligently to build up our alumni database. Please email my Administrative Assistant, Joann Chauvin  jchauvin@admin.umass.edu with your updated email, phone, and address. If you know of any "lost" alumni, please pass along their information to our office.

Go UMass!

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Phil Steele comments on each MAC team's 2013 schedule.

The MAC's 2013 football helmet schedule is available as a .pdf download here.

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Coach Molnar will be the guest speaker at the award of the 2013 MasterSports Winners at the New England Football Coaches Clinic Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on March 9, 2013.

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Our old playoff foe Georgia Southern, thinks the Sun Belt should offer.

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NIU blog "Red and Black Attack" looks at the Huskies 2013 schedule and says UMass is a "squash" game.

NIU's stadium will get s $650,000 upgrade.

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An ESPN writer thinks UMass will eventually join the Big East 2.0.

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Tuesday--March 5, 2013

Gazette Image

UPDATE:  The UMass website link for the Coach Molnar Chat keeps defaulting to a commercial. The Live Stream link doesn't do that.

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Harry Plumer has a story about Darren Thellen from UMass' Pro Day yesterday.

Matty V. has a story on the Gazette's website about Stephane Milhim and yesterday's Pro Day.

Former UMass Safety Jeromy Miles attended the workouts at Gillette Stadium to encourage current UMass players. Nice to see a former player still connected with the program.

Bengals image

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Remember the Coach's Chat with Coach Molnar today at 3:30 PM.

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A Seattle Sea Hawks SB  Nation writer covers UMass' Pro Day, but gets UMass affiliation wrong. Maybe someone with a SB Nation subscription could log on and correct him.

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CBS Sports has a look at Spring Football at Boston College and has a paragraph about Don Brown.

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A UConn Bleacher Report writer has an article on UConn basketball rivalries and mentions the possibility of reviving UMass-UConn.

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A Connecticut newspaper report the Huskies have added BYU to their 2014 schedule as " a team a bit better than UMass or Rhode Island".

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The Jouranl News has an update on the possible breakup of the A10. Mentions UMass will be looking for a new all-sports home.

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Akron Sports Now writer says the MAC fails at scheduling once again, but "thankfully Akron will get a shot at miserable UMass late in the season".

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Recruiting 2014--Rohan Blackwood II & Jonathan Thomas IV

I've blogged about DE Rohan Blackwood and WR Jonathan Thomas several times before. Blackwood here and Thomas here.

The Tampa Bay Times reports Toledo has offered to both players.

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Monday--March 4, 2013

Coach Molnar will be hosting a video chat on Face book on Tuesday, March 5th at 3:30 PM. Coach will talk about Spring Football and more.

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The Orlando Sentinel says its a tough life being a kicker in college football. UMass was able to bring in several All-American level kicker/punters during the Whipple era as he was one of the few coaches who would offer a scholarship directly.

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Former UNH QB Ricky Santos has joined the Wildcats as a wide receivers coach.

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Emile Igwenagu from the Eagles website.

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A Bleacher Report writer predicts the Ravens will re-sign James Ihedigbo.

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Exit negotiations for the Catholic Seven continue today.

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Recruiting 2014--Zaire Franklin II and Connor Morehart II

Yesterday, I blogged about Zaire Franklin a 6-1 215 pound LB and earlier in the week I had blogged about Connor Morehart, a 6-4 270 pound DT.

Boston College is interested in both players and the BC Blog "Soaring to Glory" has some more information.

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Sunday--March 3, 2013

A local newspaper says Mike Dawson will be missed at North Middlesex. The Eagles have Dawson's bio up.

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The MAC blog "MAC Daily" has an early look at each team's 2013 schedule.

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The Buffalo News says Buffalo's game with UMass will allow the Bulls to ease into their league schedule.

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Remember yesterday, the Boston Herald said UMass has a tough 2013 slate? Well, Lindy's Sports looks at ten teams who hope to return to a BCS Bowl this year. UMass plays three of them...

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Athlon Sports ranks all 125 FBS coaching positions for 2013. BC Interruption is not pleased with the Eagles #68 ranking.

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OT, but nice win by UMass basketball yesterday. ESPN's Bubble Watch takes note.

As of yesterday, no teams have notified the A10 that they are leaving. Yet.

The Dayton Daily News says Dayton would be a good fit for the new Big East and also comments that UMass would be looking for an all-sports home.

Recruiting 2014-- Zaire Franklin

247 Sports image

ESPN shows UMass has offered to Zaire Franklin, a 6-1 215 pound ILB from La Salle HS in Philadelphia, PA.

Franklin's ESPN page here.

247Sports page here.

Video from October 2012.

Franklin holds offers from Pitt, Temple and Villanova.

Saturday--March 2, 2013

Harry Plumer of MassLive has an article on the release of UMass' 2013 football schedule.

The Boston Herald says UMass will face a tough slate.

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Football Scoop comments on the 2013 MAC schedule.

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Kansas State has it's season ticket plan up. KSU acheived a #1 BCS rating in 2012. The Wildcats will play two-time FCS Champions North Dakota State as well as UMass and Louisiana. Mrs Blog and I have been to Manhattan twice and had a great time.

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NIU will play UMass at Gillette. The Huskies really put it on us last year. We'll see if we can do better in 2013.

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The 2013 schedule abounds with comparison games. UNH will play at at Central Michigan on Sept 7th and UMass will play at CMU on November 23rd.

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Matty V has a story about possible UMass responses to the A10 losing a couple of it's marquee teams (pay wall).

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Rick Pitino says the "Catholic Seven" deserves the Big East name.

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UMass 2013 Football schedule announced

UMass has announced the 2013 football schedule.


2013 UMass Football Schedule

Aug. 31 - at Wisconsin
Sep. 7 - Maine
Sep. 14 - at Kansas State
Sep. 21 - Vanderbilt
Sep. 28 - Bye Week
Oct. 5 - *at Bowling Green
Oct. 12 - *Miami
Oct. 19 - *at Buffalo
Oct. 26 - *Western Michigan
Nov. 2 - *Northern Illinois
Nov. 9 - Bye Week
Nov. 16 - *Akron
Nov. 23 - *at Central Michigan
Nov. 29 (Fri.) - #*at Ohio, TBA (ESPNU/ESPN3)

Composite MAC schedule for all league teams here.

Another very tough schedule for a second-year team, but we avoid the Friday work day game.

Recruiting 2014--Connor Morehart

247 Sports image

Several recruiting services report UMass has offered to Connor Morehart, a 6-4 270 pound DT from Shillington, PA.

ESPN page here.

Attended the 2/23 UMass Junior Day.

NCSA Recruiting has video highlights here.

Morehart also holds an offer from Rutgers.

Recruiting 2014--Tajee Fullwood II

A Louisville newspaper reports that Louisville Football has offered to Tajee Fullwood, a 6-2 170 pound athlete from Tampa, FL.

Story here.

I've blogged about Fullwood before.

Fullwood has offers from UMass and FCS North Carolina Central.

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Friday---March 1, 2013

Harry Plumer looks at UMass' options if the A10 breaks up as is almost certain. FWIW, I would pick an option that tries to protect UMass hoops. I travel a lot and when I talk to people in other parts of the country, they remember UMass basketball.

Staying in the rump end of the Atlantic 10 would not be good for hoops or the Olympic sports. The new Big East would be light years better, but UMass would need to commit to better facilities for football. It looks like the Big Ten will be raiding the ACC for more schools and IMHO, UConn will eventually get an ACC bid. UMass could, if Coach Molnar can make us into a winner quickly.

Joining the MAC in all sports makes the most sense in a facilities-demographics point, but UMass is a Northeast school. Temple and UConn are our natural rivals. If the MAC added Army, it would be more attractive option.

The Wall Street Journal reports the Big East breakup picks up speed.

The Tampa Bay Times says the "Catholic Seven" will take the Big East name with them.

Meanwhile, a judge refused to dismiss the ACC's lawsuit against Maryland.

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Rant Sports says the MAC will release its 2013 football schedule shortly.

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Yesterday I blogged about UMass' upcoming Pro Day. NFL.com says Pro Days are important to potential free agents---- like Victor Cruz was.

Rant Sports has tapping into Victor Cruz's money.

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Recruiting 2014--Justin Nelson

NJ.com reports that Justin Nelson, a 6-2 250 pound DE from DePaul Catholic has verbaled to Rutgers.

Nelson had an offer from UMass.

NJ.com story here.

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Thursday--February 28, 2013

UMass will hold its Pro Day on March 4th at Gillette. Working our for the pro scouts will be Stephane Milhim, Nick Speller, Darren Thellen, Perry McIntyre, Mike Cox, Hafis Williams, Deion Walker and several other players.

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This article by the Orlando Sentinel mentions many Dade County players signed with Northern teams (mentions Lorenzo Woodley signing with the Minutemen) in 2013 and wonders if Miami can regain its former dominance in signing locals.

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Speaking of the NFL draft, the Detroit News has an article on Central Michigan OL Eric Fisher may be a 1st round draft pick. The article has some of Fisher's results from the Combine.

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UMass is not the only school to have cranky professors. An Ohio University prof complains athletics are over-funded while the students are using bad grammar.

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USA Today says the Catholic Seven could break with the Big East as soon as this year.

The NY Times says the  Big East  is considering selling its name.

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