Wednesday, March 03, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Kyle Lewis

 

Twitter image

Kyle Lewis, a 6-1 195 pound OLB/athlete from East Orange, NJ has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

First Team All-Division 2020.

MaxPreps has some stats.

Lewis has FBS offers from Buffalo, Kent State and Temple. He has a good-sized frame and would likely grow in a college training program. He can play multiple positions and UMass has lots of playing time available.

Tuesday, March 02, 2021

UMass Football recruiting 2022--Sam Martin Jr II

 

Twitter image

Sam Martin, Jr, a 6-0 190 all-purpose RB from Paramus, NJ has UMass in his final seven.

I blogged about Martin back on December 22nd

Updated 247Sports page here.

This article by Rivals.com has quotes by Martin about his top-seven schools including UMass.

UPDATE: SILive has a post on Martin selecting seven schools in his offer cutdown.

Martin has a list of some fine academic schools. At the Power Five teams he'd be joining a much deeper roster. In Amherst, he'd have a chance to play early and often.

Monday, March 01, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Martin Latham, jr commits to UMass

 

Twitter image
Martin Latham Jr, a 6-2 200 pound WR from Holy Cross has announced he will transfer to UMass as a PWO.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

Latham had FCS offers from Holy Cross and Cornell before deciding on the Minutemen. Hope he earns a scholarship and has a great career in Amherst.

Saturday, February 27, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Ashton Daniels

Twitter image

 Ashton Daniels, a 6-3 200 pound pro-style QB from Buford, GA has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Led Buford to the 2020 AAAAAA state championship.

Daniels has eleven offers including UAB, Middle Tennessee State, Troy, FAU, FIU Charlotte, Bowling Green and Appalachian State. UMass is the only offer from the Northeast although Harvard is interested.

Friday, February 26, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Cam Reirden commits to UMass

 



Cam Reirden, a 6-0 185 pound WR/S from Belmont Hill HS in Belmont, MA has committed to UMass as a PWO.

I blogged about Reirden back in December.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

Welcome to the Minutemen and I hope he has a highly successful career in Amherst.

Thursday, February 25, 2021

UMass Football News--February 25th, 2021

 

UMass names Kyle Segler as TE's coach. He replaces Jon Bills.

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Speaking of TE's, Vols Wire has an audio interview with Coach Bell discussing his coaching career.

In the interview Coach Bell speaks highly of the Minutemen's tight end room and says UMass will be playing a lot of "12" offensive packages.

In package designations the first digit is the number of running backs and the second the number of TE's, so 12 means one back two TE's.

That also determines the number of wide receivers on the field (i.e. 11 players, five linemen + the QB minus the number of backs and TE's, so two WR's in a "12" package.

00-- no RB's, no TE's, five WR's

01--no RB's 1 TE, 4 WR's

02--no RB;s, 2 TE's, 3 WR's

10--1 RB, 0 TE's, 4 WR's

11--1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR's

12--1 RB, 2 TE's, 2 WR's

13-1 RB, 3 TE's, 1 WR

20--2 RB's, 0 TE's, 3 WR's

21--2 RB's, 1 TE, 2 WR's

22--2 RB's, 2 TE's, 1 WR

23--2 RB's, 3 TE's, 0 WR's (usually called the "Jumbo" package)

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UConn is "amped" for Spring football and Coach Edsall is enthused about RB Kevin Mensah.

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2021 opponent Florida State is looking for their first winning season since 2017.

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College Football News has UMass #130 in power ratings going into Spring ball.

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Wednesday, February 24, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Kevin Lemieux II

Syaracuse.com image

 Kevin Lemieux, a 6-4 252 pound DT from Syracuse has entered the transfer portal. He's from Ashburnham, MA.

Lemieux's Syracuse bio here.

I blogged about UMass offering Lemieux back in February of 2019.

Lenmieux redshirted in 2020 so he should have four years of eligibility. He's the eleventh Orange player to declare for the transfer portal this year.

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

UMass Football News--February 23rd, 2021

 Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has another UMass sports update with some football coaching changes.

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UMass Football blog image

Former UMass player and coach Charles Walker joins the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff. 

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Could UMass' Cato June be a candidate for LB coach at Michigan?

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Fellow Independent New Mexico State was crushed by FCS Tarleton State 43-17 in its Spring opener.

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How hardcore "NCAA Football 14" fans have kept the game alive for the past eight years.

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Monday, February 22, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Willensky Nicolas

 

Hudl.com image

Willensky Nicholas, a 6-1 180 pound athlete from Brooklyn, NY has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from September 2020 features Nicolas.

Also ran track.

UMass is the first offer for Nicholas. Also drawing interest from Northeast schools Syracuse, Buffalo and BC.

Saturday, February 20, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Frankie Richardson

Richardson center blocking/Darryl Wheller image

 Frankie Richardson, a 6-5 300 pound OL from Gettysburg, PA has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video.

There are several articles mentioning the UMass offer. The Gettysburg Times has articles here and here.

Besides UMass, Richardson has an offer from Coastal Carolina. Also drawing interest from a number of FCS schools including Ivies.

Friday, February 19, 2021

UMass Football News--February 19th, 2021

 


Frederick Walker joins the Minutemen staff as quarterback coach. He replaces Angelo Mirando, who left to pursue private interests.

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UConn finalizes its 2021 schedule. Note it is likely UMass-UConn in 2022 will be in November.

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Former UMass LB Xavier Steele lands at Arizona State.

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Spring football for FCS teams starts tonight, but it looks like most will be on the for-pay ESPN+ service.

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If you didn't see the Notre Dame-Clemson game in November, YouTube has a commercial-free full game replay. If you like college football, this is a great game.

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Thursday, February 18, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022---Johnny Garrett

Twitter image

 Johnny Garrett, a 6-5 265 pound TE/DE from Scituate, MA has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here

Hudl.com has video.

TE is a position where the Minutemen need players. Garrettt could see playing time early in Amherst. Besides UMass, he has offers from Dartmouth and Boston College.

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

UMass Football News--February 17th, 2021

 Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post that includes some coaching changes at UMass football and more.

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Former UMass RB Jared Cole gets a PWO offer from Virginia Tech.

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UConn will play Yale this year for the first time since 1998. The Huskies beat Yale 63-21 that year. UMass fans remember UConn beat UMass twice in 1998, our National Championship year.

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Business Journal says the return of EA Sports College football will be a big boost to the Orlando economy.

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FCS football returns this weekend with a number of games mostly on ESPN+. No CAA games.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Jaylen Nobles

Hudl.com image

 Jaylen Nobles, a 6-1 210 pound RB from Slocomb, AL has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has some stats. 3618 rushing yards and 57 rushing TD's in three years.

WTVY Player-of-the-Year.

UMass is the first offer for Nobles. Drawing interest from Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Toledo and Troy.

Monday, February 15, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Xavier Scott

Drew McDonald image

 Xavier Scott, a 6-0 180 pound athlete from Palm Beach Gardens, FL has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here

Hudl.com has video.

Sun Sentinel All-Palm Beach 8A-6A first team offense.

From the above article:

"Scott was a jack-of-all-trades for the Panthers. He ran the ball 10 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He caught 13 passes for 239 yards and another three touchdowns. He added 109 kickoff-return yards and had a touchdown. On defense, he had 17 tackles and four pass deflections."

This article features Scott. 

Besides UMass, Scott has FBS offers from FAU and Pitt. He could follow Isaiah Rogers from UMass special teams to the NFL.

Saturday, February 13, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Octavian Smith, Jr

George C. Smith image

 Octavian Smith, Jr (good name), a 6-1 170 pound athlete from Burtonsville, MD has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has some stats.

Ran a 4.32 (stopwatch) in November 2020.

Smith probably projects as a WR/CB in college has offers from Air Force and Old Dominion. He's a versatile athlete who could play on either side of the ball in Amherst.

Friday, February 12, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Jaylen Sanchez

 

Twitter image

Jaylen Sanchez, a 6-1 190 pound WR from St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

MaxPreps has stats.

Sanchez has eight FBS offers. UMass, UConn, Buffalo, Central Michigan and Old Dominion from the Group-of-Five and Power Five offers from Syracuse and Indiana. Sanchez is a pro-sized WR who could play early in Amherst.

Thursday, February 11, 2021

UMass Football News--February 11th, 2021

 College Football News has the 2021 Independents composite schedule.

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The Maine Black Bears will receive $300k for their visit to McGuirk in November.

“We go into those games looking to win,” UMaine head coach Nick Charlton said. “We won a game a few years ago and have been competitive in others.”

UMass is 1-1 against Maine since the Minutemen moved to FBS.

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College Football News looks at New Mexico State's 2021 schedule.

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CFN looks at Army's 2021 and expects the Black Knights to be bowl eligible.

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CFN also looks at UConn's 2021 season and says at UMass is a "must win" game.

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Former UMass QB Scott Woodard joins Liam Coen on Kentucky's staff.

Woodard lettered with the Minutemen in 2006, '07,'08 and 2009.

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Wednesday, February 10, 2021

UMass Football News--February 10th, 2021

 A petition has been started to allow UMass athletes to practice and have their season.

The Minutemen athletes have been among the best in the nation in managing their COVID exposure. Punishing them for other students bad behavior is just wrong. This blanket policy should be amended to allow UMass athletes to practice and play.

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Army announces their 2021 season. UMass plays at the Black Knights on November 20th.

Record Online previews Army's schedule including a capsule on each opponent.

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A Sea of Red reports the Flames are ranked #43 in a preseason power ranking.

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Tuesday, February 09, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Nick Del Grande

Twitter image

 Nick Del Grande, a 6-4 260 pound OT from Landisville, PA has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

MaxPreps has some stats.

2020 All-State at linebacker.

Del Grande, an athletic big man, has offers from Army, Coastal Carolina, Kent State and Navy. He would find the best food in College football and a chance of a lot of playing time in Amherst.

Monday, February 08, 2021

UMass Football News--February 8th, 2021

 

Well, this sucks, --- and to me does not make a lot of sense. UMass athletics seems to have done an excellent job managing exposure to the virus. One of the best in the nation in fact.

I would think having the athletes working in their normal routine, supervised by the coaches would create less risk than returning them to regular student venue. They all want to play, or prepare for spring ball in the case of the football team. Peer pressure would help the players behave responsibly and be careful in their activities.

In December I came across an article that stated there had not been one documented case of COVID transmission on the football field. I meant to link to that article and now I can't find it again.

So all those bitter hysterical articles over the summer on how school athletics departments were sacrificing players safety because of greed were flatly wrong. If there had been on the field transmission, we could be sure the media would be trumpeting it to the high heavens. 

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Meanwhile, EA Sports may be bring back College Football. Hopefully, UMass will have the brains to allow the Minutemen to be included. 

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Saturday, February 06, 2021

UMass Football News--February 6th, 2021

 Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has what we learned from UMass' National Signing Day 2021.

I like the fact Coach Bell and and his staff used COVID chaos to bring in some Power Five transfers. In addition, his 2019 class will be in their third year in the program. I would like to see some progress this year. UMass should beat the two FCS teams. We should be competitive with the Group-of-Five FBS programs. No more 40-0 blowouts. 

UMass plays three Power Five teams (Pitt, BC and Florida State). We also play the two best teams in the Group-of-Five (Coastal Carolina and Liberty) away. Of the remaining seven games, going 3-4 is not unreasonable. Since we get Eastern Michigan (2-4 in 2020) and UConn (DNP in 2020) at home, beating at least one of them should be possible. New Mexico State DNP in 2020. The Aggies will play a somewhat strange (Division II?) schedule this spring.

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College Football News has the best case-worse case season for the 2021 Minutemen. CFN says best case could be a 5-7 season; worse case 1-11.

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The Boston Herald reports UMass adds Colorado transfer Tyler Lytle on National Signing Day.

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Friday, February 05, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Jonathan White signs with the Minutemen

 One player who signed with UMass on Wednesday was Jonathan White, a 5-10 205 pound RB from Hutchinson Community College. His commitment to the Minutemen had not been previously published on social media.

I blogged about White back in October.

White's UMass bio.

White's signing adds significant depth to a position that had only two recruited players. Joining White in this year's class is Kay'Ron Adams, a transfer from Rutgers.

They will join Ellis Merriweather and Jared Cole in the UMass backfield. I don't think either Merriweather or Cole had a chance to show what they could do in 2020. Hopefully, better run blocking will make the running game will make the strength this year.

Thursday, February 04, 2021

UMass Football News--February 4th, 2021

 


UMass added seven players to the 2021 recruiting commits

Kyle Grabowski of the Hampshire Gazette has a post on the recruits.

Joey Aliberti of the Daily Collegian has what you need to know about yesterday's recruit signing. 

Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle reports UMass football and Coach Bell wrap up the 2021 recruiting season

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The Athletic Dept also announced the fall football schedule and Home game events.

UMass fans could see three or four home victories in 2021. Boston College and Toledo (the Rockets just signed their fifth straight best-in-MAC recruiting Class) will be tough. The Minutemen should be competitive with Eastern Michigan, UConn and Rhode Island and Maine.

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Browns Nation recaps the football career of UMass legend Milt Morin.

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Former UMass signee (2018) Josh Jefferson joins Grambling State

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Wednesday, February 03, 2021

UMass Football News--February 3rd, 2021


 UMass will have a Football Signing Show today at noon.

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on what to expect.

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This is an unusual year due to the COVID changes in recruiting. There were extended "quiet" periods and the NCAA is allowing transfers without penalty. It is uncertain if the turnover in rosters will be the "new normal". You will remember there were a large number of players in the transfer portal in 2019.

The UMass coaching staff stated they would take the full number of recruits allowed (25) in this recruiting cycle.

This class is unusual in the fact the Minutemen are taking six transfers as part of the 2021 class. Recruiting rating services rate by the number of recruits as well as the individual player rankings. They don't consider transfers in the rankings. Six transfer slots has reduced this year's 247Sports recruiting ranking down from last year's.

UMass' decision to take more transfers was probably related to the fact a lot more desirable players were available. The other consideration was probably the state of the UMass roster, which is very thin in upperclassmen

The regular recruiting class still has 13 three-star recruits, which was twice Whipple's last class. If UMass gets significant contributions from three or four of the transfers, this class will be a big help getting the Minutemen back to respectability.

It will continue to build the number of players on the roster. The Minutemen won't hit the NCAA FBS maximum of 85 this year, but they should get UMass out of the FCS-level number of scholarships. 

We'll all know how it went in a couple of years.

Go UMass.

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Tuesday, February 02, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Lorenzo Vitti

Twitter image

 Lorenzo Vitti, a 6-1 170 pound athlete from Dearborn, MI has received a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

This site has some recruiting quotes from Vitti.

All-Catholic league in 2020.

Honorable Mention Detroit Free Press All West High School for 2020. 

Vitti can play on either side of the ball, which should allow him plenty of opportunities in Amherst.

Monday, February 01, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--A.J. Swann

 

Rivals image

A.J. Swann, a 6-2 200 pound dual-threat QB from Canton, GA has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

MaxPreps has stats. 4764 yards and 43 TD's in three years.

QB hit list has some scouting on Swann.

This article mentions Swann.

Swann is a high three-star and has 10 FBS offers including one Power Five school. UMass offers a high-quality Northeast education and a chance to make an impact in Amherst.

Saturday, January 30, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Kyle Louis

Hudl.com image

 Kyle Louis, a 6-1 195 pound OLB from East Orange, NJ has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has highlights.

MaxPreps has some stats. 42 UT in seven games.

First Team Liberty White Division All-Conference in 2020.

Besides UMass, Louis has an offer from Temple. The Minutemen are light on linebackers and Louis could find a lot of playing time in Amherst.

Friday, January 29, 2021

UMass Football News--January 29th, 2021

 


UMass has released its 2021 schedule. Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on the schedule.

The big news is Boston College will play at UMass for the first time since 1982. I was at the 1982 game. The game was a near sellout with over 16,000 fans attending. The game was close for three quarters with UMass losing 34-21. Everyone was predicting a BC blowout as UMass was 3-5 going into the contest. The Minutemen had been crushed 42-6 at BU two weeks earlier.  

After 1982 BC announced they were dropping UMass from their yearly schedule and the two teams would not play again until the 2000's.

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Sports Illustrated looks at BC's 2021 schedule.

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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at Pitt's 2021 season.

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Chop Chat, a Florida State blog has some thoughts on FSU's 2021 season.

College Football looks at the best case-worse case outcomes for the Seminoles in 2021 and thinks FSU beats UMass either way.

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In 2021 UMass will play:

9/4 - @ Pittsburgh

9/11 - vs Boston College

9/18 - vs Eastern Michigan

9/25 - @ Coastal Carolina

10/2 - vs Toledo

10/9 - vs Connecticut

10/15 - BYE WEEK

10/23 - @ Florida State

10/30 - @ Liberty

11/6 - vs Rhode Island

11/13 - vs Maine

11/20 - @ Army

11/27 - @ New Mexico State

This is a tough schedule for the Minutemen. UMass plays three Power Five teams. In addition, many predictions have Coastal Carolina and Liberty in the preseason Top-25.

UMass gets UConn and Eastern Michigan at McGuirk. The Minutemen should beat the two FCS schools. A road win over New Mexico State could give UMass a 3-1 record over the last four games and some moral-boosting for the battered egos of Minutemen fans.

Best case 5-7 with wins over Eastern Michigan, UConn, Rhode Island, Maine and New Mexico state.

Worst case 2-9 as UMass loses to Maine and squeaks by New Mexico State. 

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Thursday, January 28, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Brian Parish transfers to UMass


Twitter image

 Brian Parish, a 6-5 305 pound OT from North Texas has announced he will transfer to UMass.

I blogged about Parish back on January 18th

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on Parish's transfer to the Minutemen.

Parish is the sixth transfer to sign with the Minutemen in the 2021 class (three offense and three defense).

Parish has the potential to step in and be the starting LT replacing Larnel Coleman who elected to declare for the NFL draft.

2021 is an unusual class as players can transfer without sitting out a year and are also immediately eligible. Coach Bell apparently took the opportunity to add some experience to a young Minutemen roster and possibly do some upgrades. Five of the six transfers are from Power Five schools.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Jalen Huskey

Twitter image

 Jalen Huskey, a 6-1 170 pound DB from Middletown, MD has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has highlights.

Had 13 INT's 29 UT's and 3 TFL in 2019.

This short article from October of 2019 features Huskey.

UMass is the first offer for Huskey. He could find a lot of playing time early in Amherst.

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Braelin Moore

 

Twitter image

Braelin Moore, a 6-3 290 pound OG from Bethlehem, PA has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here

Hudl.com has junior highlights.

This article covers Moore's recent offer from Virginia Tech.

UMass was the first offer for Moore. He also has a Power Five offer from the Hokies.


Monday, January 25, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Andre Oben

 

Hudl.com image

Andre Oben, a 6-4 280 pound OL from St. Peters Prep has a UMass offer.

Oben's 247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

This article from August of 2020 features Oben.

Besides UMass, Oben has northeast offers from Syracuse and Temple.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Sam Slade

 

Mark Wyville image

Sam Slade, a 5-10 180 RB from St. Peters Prep has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here

Hudl.com has junior highlights.

MaxPreps has some stats.

Slade gets a mention in this article from October 2020.

Besides UMass, Slade has FBS offers from Liberty, Missouri, Toledo and Tulane. The Minutemen are light on running backs and Slade could find lots of playing available in Amherst.

Friday, January 22, 2021

UMass Footnall News--January 22nd, 2021

 


UMass has the formal announcement that Savon Huggins has been named running backs coach.

As I mentioned in my previous post  Huggins is an alum of New Jersey power St. Peter's Prep. 

According to 247Sports he's already offered to two St. Peters Prep prospects for the 2022 season. I'll be doing a post on them shortly.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired former UMass player and coach Joe Cullen as defensive coordinator.

Cullen lettered for the Minutemen in 1986,'87,'88 and was captain in 1989. Cullen was All-Yankee Conference for three years. He was UMass DL coach in 1991 under Jimmie Reid.

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Thursday, January 21, 2021

UMass Football News--January 21st, 2021

 Former Buffalo graduate assistant Savon Huggins has joined UMass as running backs coach.

This article from Scarlet Nation features Huggins and his hiring by the Minutemen.

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" also has a post on Savon Huggins and A. T. Turner joining the Minutemen staff.

This should be a good hire for UMass. Huggins is from New Jersey playing at powerhouse St. Peters Prep. He should have good connections to an area the Minutemen want to recruit.

Fixing the UMass run game needs to be a top priority for 2021. The Minutemen were next to last in FBS football in yards/carry in 2020.

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Meanwhile, the fecal particulate hit the rotary oscillator in Tennessee. The Vols and the Minutemen inhabit different football universes, but some of the Tennessee players hitting the transfer rolls could draw interest in Amherst.

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IN A PANDEMIC YEAR, IT'S REASSURING THE UNIVERSITY IS STILL FUNCTIONING.

A UMass biologist is helping analyze a fossilized dinosaur butthole.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2021

UMass Football News--January 20th, 2021

 The Pro Football Writers of America have named former UMass CB Isaiah Rogers to the NFL All-Rookie Team.

Rogers' Colts bio.


Congrats to Rogers! Hope he has a great career with the Colts.

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Everyone probably knows former UMass coach Don Brown has been hired as defensive coordinator for the University of Arizona.

Thanks to the blog reader who brought to my attention that former UMass defensive coordinator Keith Dudzinski has joined Brown in Arizona.

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Tuesday, January 19, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Cade Parrish

247Sports image

 Cade Parrish, a 6-5 295 pound OT from Snow College, Utah has received a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Decommitted from Arizona back in October

Parrish has 10 offers including Arizona, Hawaii, Oregon State, Liberty and more.

Mrs Blog and I have actually walked around the campus of Snow College. At one time we were looking at property in nearby St. George. UMass offers a quality East coast education and a chance to play early and often in rural western Mass.

Monday, January 18, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Brian Parish

North Texas Athletic Dept image

 Brian Parish, a 6-4 305 pound OT from North Texas has entered the transfer portal and has received an offer from UMass.

Parish's North Texas bio.

This article covers Parish's transfer recruiting.

Parish's 2017 recruiting profile from 247Sports.

Parish had four FBS offers out of HS. He should have two years of eligibility and could be fighting for a starting job right away in Amherst.

Sunday, January 17, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Tyler Lytle and Bryce Watts transfer to UMass

 UMass added two Power Five transfers with QB Tyler Lytle (Colorado) and DB Bryce Watts (North Carolina) joining the Minutemen.


Tyler Lytle is a 6-5 220 pound pro-style QB. Lytle's Colorado bio.

This article from February of 2020 features Lytle.

This article covers his entering the transfer portal.

Lytle had 26 offers coming out of HS. He had Power Five offers from Colorado, Indiana, Arizona State, Baylor, BC, Cal, Illinois, Miami, Pitt, Purdue and Vanderbilt.

With two years of eligibility, Lytle can provide some breathing room to develop or recruit QB's already on or to the roster. He should be in the mix to start immediately. 

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Bryce Watts is a 6-1 175 pound DB from North Carolina. 

Before North Carolina, Watts played two seasons for Virginia Tech. Watts Hokies bio. (with some stats)

This article covers his decision to leave Virginia Tech.

Watts had 10 offers in HS including northeast Power Five teams Rutgers, Virginia Tech, BC, Pitt and Syracuse.

Watts is the third transfer on the defensive side of the ball. He should help continue the resurgence of the Minutemen defense.

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Saturday, January 16, 2021

UMass Football News--January 16th, 2021

 


UMass acted quickly to fill Matt Shadeed's spot as Director of Sports Performance. A.J. Turner has been hired. He was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida.

I was hoping for a hire from FBS and from a Power Five team. The Minutemen have one of the better performance centers in the Group-of Five and UMass needs all the leverage we can get for recruiting and on the field performance.

Coach Turner recently authored an article on the "Importance of a disciplined Team"

The assistant strength and conditioning coach for football is Joel Reinhart who was hired in 2019.

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Friday, January 15, 2021

UMass Football News -- January 15th, 2021

 Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on coaching changes in Amherst.

I've already done a blog post on Alex Miller joining the Minutemen as OL coach and run game coordinator.

UMass was #126 (out of 127) in rushing offense with 67.2 yards/game in 2020. A good running game usually means an effective offense and also makes a quarterback look good. When the opposing defense knows you can't run the ball, it makes defending the pass a lot easier. When a quarterback is usually facing third-and-long, it doesn't do anything for his stats either.

The Minutemen did not get good run blocking in 2020. In addition, even Group-of-Five teams have four or five scholarship running backs. UMass currently has two and a transfer coming in. The Minutemen were dead last (#127) in total offense this year. We need to fix the run game to improve in 2021.

Mike also reports UMass strength and conditioning coach Matt Shadeed has left to join the South Alabama staff.

In Neolithic times (say back in the 1970's or earlier) strength and conditioning was not a factor at most teams. Legendary coaches like Vince Lombardi discouraged weight training as it was supposed to make people slow and nonathletic. Then came Nebraska...

For about four or five years until everyone caught up, the Huskers just blew away everyone physically.

The strength coach probably spends more time with the players than any other coach. The strength and conditioning coach is an important hire in 21st century football.

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Thursday, January 14, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Kay'Ron Adams transfers to UMass

Mike Lawrence image

 Kay"Ron Adams, a 5-10 198 pound RB from Warren, OH is transferring to UMass

247Sports page here.

Rutgers bio here. Adams averaged 4.54 yards/carry for the Scarlet Knights.

This article features one of Adams' games for Rutgers.

Adams had eleven offers coming out of HS including Power Five offers from Iowa and Rutgers. With the Minutemen only having two recruited RB's (Rutgers has eight) Adams could be in the mix early in Amherst.

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

UMass Football News--January 13th, 2021

 


UMass announces two changes to the coaching staff. I've already blogged about Alex Miller being named OL coach and run game coordinator.

In addition Dan Carrel has been promoted from defensive analyst to linebackers coach.

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Florida State image

Florida State will pay UMass $1.5 million for the Minutemen to play at Doak Campbell stadium on 10/23/21.

Financial guarantees might run lower during the aftereffects of COVID. It's probably going to take a number of years for attendance to return to pre-2020 levels.

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How former UMass TE Adam Breneman came to be hired as TE coach at Arizona State. 

Breneman's Sun Devils bio (still with his old title)

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Tuesday, January 12, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Xavier Lee decommits from UMass

 Mike Traini has a post about New York RB Xavier Lee decommitting from UMass.

This leaves an already thin position at UMass really undermanned. The Minutemen only have two recruited RB's on the roster: Ellis Merriweather and Jared Cole.

WR Cam Roberson has functioned at the lead RB in a number of games.

Roberson is a senior and Merriweather is a junior. 

UMass could try to add a JUCO or a transfer. Because of COVID and the new transfer rule there are an unprecedented number of transfers available.

The run game was probably the weakest section of the Minutemen team in 2020. Fixing that should be a top priority for the coaching staff.

Monday, January 11, 2021

UMass Football News--January 11th, 2021

UMass Athletic Dept image

 Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle has a post on UMass hiring Alex Miller and some other football news.

He also reports five Minutemen made Phil Steele's All-Independent team.

Samuel Emilus made First team as a punt returner. Emilus led UMass in receiving with 17 catches for 168 yards and had 3 punt returns for 46 yards.

Larnel Coleman was second team OL. Coleman will forgo his final year of eligibility and take part in the College Gridiron Showcase. Note: also taking part is former UMass OL Raquan Thomas-Ishman, who spent his last year at Buffalo.

2nd team were UMass LB Cole McCubery who led UMass with with 21 UT 12 AT 33 TT 1.5 TFL and 1 SACK. Also selected was DT Avien Peah who had 6 UT 13 AT 6 TFL (Led the team in TFL) and 1 SACK. Peah has said he will return for 2021 and could be a force if he can stay healthy.

Also 2nd team was CB Josh Wallace with 13 UT (tied for tops on the defense for UT's). Wallace also led the Minutemen with 5 BKUP's

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Friday, January 08, 2021

UMass Football Blog News--January 8th, 2021

 Ah, no UMass football news in the Media. There is no recruiting prospects that I have not covered. There have been no media stories relating to Minutemen football for about three weeks.

The NCAA has decreed it's Nth recruiting quiet period. 

I'm thinking I don't have enough material for daily updates anymore. 

So, I'll be doing future Blog updates when there is something to link to. Right now it looks like updates will be irregular for the foreseeable future.

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Thursday, January 07, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Nathan Fraser

Twitter image

 Nathan Fraser, a 6-3 236 pound TE/DE from Milton, MA has received a PWO from the Minutemen.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

MaxPreps has a few stats.

Took part in a prospect clinic at AIC in September.

TE and DE are two positions the Minutemen need help. Fraser could be in the mix to earn a scholarship in Amherst.


Wednesday, January 06, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Jadye Foxworth

Jason Paderon image

 Jadye Foxworth, a 5-8 170 pound WR from Brooklyn, NY has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

Helped run a 45.16 4 X 100 relay in 2019.

UMass is the first offer for Foxworth. Drawing interest from Rutgers and Syracuse. WR is a position where the Minutemen need help. There will be a lot of playing time available in Amherst.

Tuesday, January 05, 2021

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Elic Ayomamor

Sean Rooney image

 Elic Ayomanor, a 6-3 205 pound WR from Deerfield Academy in MA has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

MaxPreps has some stats.

This article features Ayomanor's offer from West Virginia.

This article from September features Ayomanor.

Ayomanor has FBS offers from UMass and the Mountaineers. He also has three Ivy offers. WR is a wide open position in Amherst. He could play early and often for the Minutemen.

Monday, January 04, 2021

UMass Football News --January 4th, 2021

 The Berkshire Eagle has a post on Liam Coen's coaching journey as he is slated to become OC at Kentucky.

Coen's Rams bio.

Kentucky won the recent Taxslayers Orange Bowl over #25 North Carolina State.

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The Eagle also considers the September 4th 2021 reunion between Mark Whipple and UMass.

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The current 2021 Minutemen schedule:

    09/04 - at Pitt
    09/11 - Boston College
    09/18 - Eastern Michigan
    09/25 - at Coastal Carolina
    10/02 - Toledo
    10/09 - UConn
    10/23 - at Florida State
    10/30 - at Liberty
    11/06 - Rhode Island
    11/13 - Maine
    11/20 - at Army
    11/27 - at New Mexico State

This is a difficult schedule for the rebuilding Minutemen. Three Power Five schools: Pitt, BC and Florida State. Coastal Carolina and Liberty are two of the best teams in the Group-of-Five. The Chants went 11-1 and the Flames went 10-1. Both were ranked in the Top-25 in 2020.

UMass should have chances to win with Eastern Michigan (2-4) plus UConn, Rhode Island, Maine and New Mexico State. The always tough Toledo Rockets went 4-2 in a truncated MAC schedule.

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The CAA's format for the 2021 spring season.

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