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This article from 2020 reports he had nine Power Five offers coming out of HS.
Was third on the team with total tackles and had 9 TFL in 2023 (good numbers for a DL) .
Gillespie has ten total offers with UMass as the only offer from FBS. He could be on the field against a bunch of Power Five teams if he signs with the Minutemen.
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Gaurdin took a visit to UMass on December 8th. He was fourth in TT's for Dartmouth in 2023. Overall he went 10 GP 48 TT 35 UT 18 AT 8 PBU"s 2 FF.
Gaudrin has FBS size and he could be on the field against Missouri next year, if he signs with UMass.
The UMass Midnight Ride Collective has the latest edition of their podcast up.
They discuss recruiting and also OL transfer Brayden Rohme checks in for the show.
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UMass OL Wyatt Terlaak made the Academic All-District team.
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On a cold, rainy, dreary day in Fenway, Boston College beat SMU to improve their record to 7-6.
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UConn signs 16 players in the early signing period.
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Army cancels it's 2024 game against Syracuse. No word yet on UMass' 2024 game with the Black Knights.
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Hudl.com has senior highlights.
Sarkodieh is a big DB. He could grow into the Viper position or even a OLB. He had seven offers with UMass as the only FBS team. He can play in front of friends and family in Amherst and he should have a lot of room for growth.
Frank Ladson, a 6-4 205 pound transfer WR from Clemson has committed to UMass
Ladson was a four-star recruit out of HS.
Ladson's Clemson bio here.
Ladson was Clemson's highest ranked recruit in their 2019 class. He had 32 offers coming out of HS. For the Tigers, he went GP-GS 30-8 21-428 6 TD's. Ladson has reportedly battled injuries for a significant portion of his career. If healthy, he could make an impact for UMass. With one year left to play, he could also improve his chances in the NFL draft.
Amherst Wire has a nice article on the gains and losses of UMass football in this season's transfer portal.
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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has "What we learned from the early signing period".
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SI.com has a short post on Cal offensive lineman Brayden Rhome transferring to UMass.
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2023 opponent Arkansas State lost to Northern Illinois in the Amelia Bowl.
The Red Wolves high-powered offense, which scored 52 against UMass and 77 against Texas State was held to 19 points.
Arkansas State HC Butch Jones had an serious meltdown after a controversial call at the end of the game.
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2023 opponent Eastern Michigan had a total flame-out in the Ventures Bowl totaling only 150 yards of offense and lost 59-10.
An Eagles' player sucker-punched a South Alabama player well after the game was over and started an epic brawl.
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If you're looking for a game to watch, try finding the D-III championship game between Cortland State and North Central.
I watched a replay of that game last evening. It was 7-3 at halftime. Then nine touchdowns in the second half..
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Mrs Blog and I wish all blog readers, UMass football fans, players and staff a wonderful Christmas.
May your holidays be merry and bright! And may Santa bring us victories and a bowl game in 2024..
Brayden Rohme, a 6-6 290 pound OT transfer from Cal has committed to UMass.
Started 15 games for the Golden Bears.
Rohme should be in contention for a starting slot in Amherst. He's an excellent addition for Minutemen football.
In 2023, Mazotti was San Jose State's third leading receiver totaling 11 GP 23-322 2 TD's.
Mazotti has one season of eligibility. He's an athletic TE who could make an immediate impact on the UMass offense.
Keeney-James' Eastern Washington bio.
Keeney-James went 61-825 and 4 TD's for the Eagles. He's fast and has a pro-sized body. He should supply senior leadership and should be in the mix for a starting job right away in Amherst.
The UMass website has a post on the ten early signings from yesterday.
The Hampshire Gazette has a story on the ten recruits with some quotes from Coach Brown.
WBNG.com has a short post on OL Tanner Burlingame signing with the Minutemen.
YouTube has Coach Brown video on the ten signings.
Recruiting sure has changed a lot in a short time. Yesterday's signees are probably only about a third of the players who will join UMass this year.
I like QB AJ Hairston. He should team with Ahmad Haston to give UMass a serious dual-threat QB room for the foreseeable future.
Also like WR's Kezion Dia-Johnson and Kenyon Massey. Dia-Johnson is one of the highest ranked players to sign with UMass and Massey was a top-50 player out of the powerhouse NJ Paramus Catholic program. Both should give UMass some "long-ball" receiving threats.
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The Milford Daily News has a story on former UMass QB Brady Olsen joining Central Connecticut State. Olsen's a classy guy. Hope he finds success with CCSU.
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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on the expected early signers for the 2024 class.
The UMass football Twitter feed has real-time updates as the fax machine spits out the players paperwork.
Twelve recruits are expected to sign today, which could be only about 1/3 of the total new arrivals. The NCAA allows a one-for-one replacement for players who enter the transfer portal plus the normal 20+ recruits .
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New Mexico State suffered a offensive letdown against Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. The Bulldogs held the prolific Aggies offense to just 200 total yards and ten points, their lowest total of the year.
The game was played on rival New Mexico's field and Aggie coach Jerry Kill described New Mexico's hospitality as "chicken shit".
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MAC champion Miami-of-Ohio lost to Appalachian State in the Cure Bowl.
The Redhawks punted five times and lost three fumbles to hold their point total to nine.
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| NEO athletic dept image |
247Sports also has video highlights.
Had 40 TT's and two INT's for 2023.
This article from 2022 has a capsule on Gibbs.
Gibb had 14 offers including an FBS offer from Louisiana Tech. He should have a great time playing the viper position in Don Brown's attacking defense.
Ellis was second team All-Conference in 2023. He was a three-year starter for Bryant and has impressive career totals in defensive statistics. He should bring experience and leadership to the Minutemen secondary. He'll get to try his game against three Power Five teams in 2024.
Painton is an athletic big man. He played as a TE at Columbia and as DL in high school. The Minutemen need to rebuild their OL and Painton should find a lot of opportunity for playing time in Amherst.
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| Coastal Carolina image |
Coastal Carolina bio here.
Proche was a three-star recruit coming out of JUCO. He played in thirteen games in 2022 and had 31 TT's. In 2023 he played in three games and had three TT's. Proche had a Power Five offer from Kansas State coming out of junior college.
Coach Brown loves CB's and has put a lot of them into the NFL. Proche should be in contention for significant playing time in Amherst.
In 2022, Pinkney had 50 TT's and 2 INT's. In 2023 he appeared in seven games and had seven TT's. He would have one year of eligibility left.
Pinkney would be a good fit in Don Brown's attacking defense.
Tipton has five offers including UMass, Louisiana Tech and soon-to-be-FBS Delaware. There is a lot of playing time available at TE in Amherst and Tipton could find a home with the Minutemen.
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| Cathedral Prep image |
Rushed for 332 yards and four TD's in this game.
Totaled 2565 yards, 9.3 yards/carry and 38 TD's in his prep career.
UMass was the first FBS offer for Hollingsworth. He's the younger brother of Jyree Roberts and Jerry Roberts.
UMass wants to run the rock. Good luck to Hollingsworth in his career in Amherst.
There is lots of playing time available on the Minutemen offensive line. Edwards could find a home in Amherst.
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