Recruiting 2012--Jordan Lucas

I've blogged about Jordan Lucas twice before.

The Altoona Mirror reports he has verbaled to Penn State. The article mentions his offer from UMass. Lucas will be the first recruit for O'Brien.

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Recruiting 2012--Jordan Lucas II

Frank Becerra Jr/Journal News image

I've blogged about Jordan Lucas before.

The 6-0 184 pd CB is still considering UMass.

Recruiting 2012---Jordan Lucas

Frank Becerra/Journal News Image

ESPn reports UMass has offered to Jordan Lucas, a 6-0 185 pd athlete from New Rochell, NY.

ESPN ranks him as a three star recruit (and notice who is listed as the recruiter for Virginia).

Played for Worcester Academy this fall.

2010 Senior highlight video here.  Check out this TD run.

Also drawing interest from UConn, Rutgers, Villanova and Virginia.

Wednesday--July 9th, 2014

From the UMass feed

Loads of new Performance Center images from the Minutemen feed section of the main Athletic Dept page.

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Dan Malone continues his UMass Top-25 players series, this time with Jalen Williams.

Williams UMass bio.

I attended Whipple's first meeting with the UMass community (I think it was upstairs in the Student Union). Someone asked Whipple about his offense. He replied "All UMass passing records will last two years." Whip was wrong. It took only one year to most UMass passing records to fall.

Todd Bankhead went 303-525 20 TD's and 3919 yards in 1998. Compare that with 2013's 177-339 1877 yards.

In addition to Bankhead Whipple had Jimmy Moore, Adrian Zullo and Kerry Taylor.

Williams looks as if he could be a big cog in this year's offense. At 6-3 205, he's got FBS size. After this year, I would hope UMass fans will be talking about the 2014 Minutemen battery of Tajae Sharpe, Jalen Williams, Shakur Nesmith and Alex Kenney.

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Matty Vautour looks at the new NCAA restrictions on contact during practices.

The Indianapolis Star says the new rules won't change much.

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Meanwhile, the Boston City Council looks to mandate college player rights.

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At Penn State two players, Christian Hackenburg and Jordan Lucas are on watch lists. Lucas chose the Nittany Lions over an offer from UMass.

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ESPN Boston looks at the upcoming local HS football season. Mentions UMass commit Joe Parsons.

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Steve Buckley of Comcast Sports New England says UMass is going to rain on Boston College's hopes for a good season on August 30th.

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ESPN thinks Rob Blanchflower has a good chance to make the Steelers' roster.

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Monday--June 29th, 2015

There's a new version of the 2015 roster up.

It looks as if some of the 2015 recruits are in for the Summer Session. NCAA regulations limit roster to 105 for summer practice; once the season starts there is no limit on the number of players.

Changes (the bios are empty for the 2015 recruits so far):

Kelton Brackett-- DB 5-11 200 wearing # 1 (same as Tajae Sharpe)
Dan Jonah-- WR 5-11 198 wearing #5 (same as Peter Angeh)
Marquis Young--RB 5-11 200 wearing #8 (same as Shane Huber)
Randall West--QB 6-5 220 wearing #13 (worn by Jordan Broadnax last year)
Shaquille Harris-- WR now wearing #14 (ex #86)
James Sosinski-- QB 6-6 240 wearing #17 (same as Jovan Santos-Knox)
Jordan Hamilton-- DB 5-9 200 wearing #20 (same as Lorenzo Woodley)
J.T. Blyden --RB (not on roster)
Andy Isabella-- RB 5-10 185 wearing #23 (same as Blake Lucas)
Mike Caggiano--K 5-11 170 wearing #31 (worn by Iric Harris last year)
Sekai Lindsey--RB 5-9 210 wearing #35 (worn by Stanley Andre last year)
Lee Moses--DB 6-1 190 wearing #40 (same as Jon Lucier)
Kenny Keam--RB 6-0 227 wearing #46 (same as Lucas Amato)
Lamarriel Taylor--WR 6-2 185 wearing #86 (worn by Shaquille Harris last year)
Darrian Josey--WR 6-0 165 wearing #89 (worn by Jon Denton last year)
Elijah Barrows--WR 6-1 180 no number assigned
Dejion Evans--WR 6-3 203 no number assigned
Tom Rodrick--LB 6-3 230 no number assigned
Theo Yongue--K 5-8 165 no number assigned

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Phil Steele looks at first downs per game in 2014: green means 20 best and red means 20 worst. UMass show green in two offensive categories, all red in defense.

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Someone you need to know: Ryan Gallant. see the middle of the article for his work with UMass football.

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Akron football's attendance is the lowest in the nation. Students say they'll go to the games "if they give us free stuff".

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Blowguin.com previews the 2015 NIU Huskies.

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The News & Observer previews the 2015 Boston College Eagles. With two FCS game (only one counts towards bowl eligibility) the Eagles will need to pick up another FBS win to go to a bowl this year.

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Colorado HC Jim Leavitt is encouraged by his defensive line prospects.

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Tuesday--July 24th, 2012

More on the ins-and-outs of possible transfers from Penn State.

The NCAA will allow other schools to exceed their normal number of scholarships.

Coach Molnar will assess the situation.

UMass aims for the high road.

MassLive looks at the possibility of Penn State transfers.

SB Nation thinks New England schools will be keeping track of the situation.

Perhaps not as many Penn State players will leave as various football scribes expect. Coach Molnar and his staff have been energetic since their arrival, so I would think the Minutemen would be in play for a least some of the players who want to leave. The NCAA's changing the 85-scholarship rule will tend to favor BCS teams. UMass does have playing time to offer, though.

Possibly the most impact will be on Penn State's recruiting. Recruits haven't spent any of their eligibility yet, so it would seem they would have the most options. They would also have the least incentive to jump into the situation.

The following is a cut-and paste from Matty's original article. Links added by me. UMass was interested in a couple of the recruits.

Jake Kiley CB New Hampton School 6-1 175
Austin Johnson DT  Richland, NJ St. Augustine Prep, 6-4, 285
Akeel Lynch 77 RB Athol Springs, NY 6-1, 205
Malik Golden Athlete Cheshire, CT 6-0, 185
Wendy Laurent OF Princeton, NJ The Hun School, 6-3, 285
Jordan Lucas, ATH, New Rochelle, NY Worcester Academy 6-0, 185
Jamil Pollard,  DT Westville, NJ 6-4, 280
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Today is MAC Media day on ESPN3.

UMass was picked last in the MAC East.

The MAC Championship Game will remain at Ford Field through 2015.

MAC Conference officials react to the Penn State train wreck.

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Phil Steele looks at who will win the non-AQ conferences. The Minutemen come in last in that poll also.

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Spring Game Day--April 13th, 2018

Note that kickoff for the Spring Game has been moved to 6:30 pm.

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Matty Vautour reports UMass is counting on a veteran offensive line.

The starting OL for 2018 should be;

LT Ray Thomas-Ishman JR 6-5 310

LG Jake Largay RSSR 6-4 325

C Derek Dumais RSJR 6-4 330

RG Lukas Kotler RSSR 6-4 315

RT Jake Driscoll RSJR 6-5 300

The second team OL according to the November 27th 2017 depth chart:

LT James Reilly RSSO 6-3 290

LG Mike Yerardi RSJR 6-4 315

C Lucas Kotler

RG Dan DiNicola RSSR 6-6 305

RT Larnel Coleman RSSO 6-7 300

Other OL on the roster:

Spencer Goldberg SO 6-2 280

Brian Abosi SO 6-8 310

Parker Ogle FR 6-3 290

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The Athletic Dept's post on today's Maroon & White game.

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Another article on Albany scheduling Hawaii and UMass in 2023 and 2020 respectively.

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Patriot News interviews Jordan Matthews and he has good things to say about UMass when he played them at Gillette.

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Thanks to the blog reader who pointed me to this article featuring UMass Director of Player Personnel Tim Silvernail.

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Wednesday--July 1st, 2015

The ink was barely dry from my highlighter when the UMass website puts up another iteration of the 2015 roster. This time all the freshmen are included and most have bios.

Latest roster

Marquis Young--RB 5-11 200 wearing #8 same as Shane Huber
Randell West--QB 6-5 22 wearing #13 worn by Jordan Broadnax last year
James Sosinski--QB 6-6 240 wearing #17 same as Jovan Santos-Knox
Micah Morel--DB 6-0 200 wearing #22 same as Shadrach Abrokwah
Andy Isabella--RB 5-10 185 wearing #23 and J.T Blyden is still missing
Mehki Williams--RB 5-9 180 wearing #25 same as Joe Colton
Mike Caggiano--K 5-11 170 wearing #31 worn by Iric Harris last year
Sekai Lindsey--RB 5-9 210 wearing #35 worn by Stanley Andre last year
Lee Moses--DB 6-1 190 wearing #40 worn by Jon Lucier last year
Brandon Mangram-- DB 5-11 180 wearing #43 worn by Matthew Wylie last year (transferred)
Kenny Kearn--RB 6-0 227 wearing #46 same as Lucas Amato
James Oliphant--DB 5-8 165 wearing #48 number not assigned last year
Mike Yerardi--OL 6-4 295 wearing #50 worn by Mike Wynne last year
Joe Parsons--OL 6-4 305 wearing #56 worn by Sam Zeff last year (transferred)
Reche Thomas--OL 6-4 315 wearing #57 worn by Leo Krizanovic last year
Peter Comaroto--LS 5-11 215 wearing #59 number not assigned last year
Derek Dumais--OL 6-5 325 wearing #72 worn by Rich Queen last year (transferred)
Lamarriel Taylor--WR 6-2 185 wearing #86 worn by Shaquille Harris last year (now wearing #14)
Jon Derolus--WR 6-0 175 wearing #81 same as Kevin Lovaincy
Travis Reynolds--TE 6-5 245 wearing #87 same as T.J. Kelley (G'Day mate!)
Jack Coventry--K 6-1 180 wearing #91 worn by Chris Carter last year
Jesse Noel--WR wearing #93 worn by Seamus Murray last year
Kyle Horn--TE 6-4 250 wearing #95  same as Sha-Ki Holines
Mario Patton--DL 6-4 315 wearing #96 worn by Brian McDonald last year
Aaron Kinsey--LB 6-4 210 wearing #97 worn by Daniel Maynes last year
D'Shan Harley--LB 6-5 210 wearing #98 worn by Ryan Heath last year
Dejion Evans--WR 6-3 no number assigned
Tom Rodrick--LB 6-3 230 no number assigned

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The Notre Dame blog "One foot down" discusses the Irish's 2015 including UMass as a "layup" game.

Scout.com has a story about the strengths and weaknesses of Notre Dame's opponents.

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Marshall fans complain about the Herd scheduling Appalachian State.

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Bloguin.com has five MAC conference story lines for 2015.

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Some UMass fan compiled this Minutemen pump-up video. It's well done.

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Tuesday--October 29, 2013

The Play, Part III

Last Saturday I ranted to Mrs Blog all the way home about Coach Molnar's decision to go for two against Western Michigan.

Jimmy Kelly has a excellent article over on Hustle Belt on the decision. Also be sure to read the quotes by A.J. Doyle and Coach Molnar in the UMass game summary.

After reading Coach Molnar's quotes (again) I can appreciate better the quandary the coaches were in. Lucas' fourth quarter chip shot miss rattled everybody. Remember, most overtime games now end up as multiple possessions  (Buffalo-Stony Brook took five overtime periods). I can understand, that on this day, the UMass coaches didn't want to get in a field goal contest. We weren't going to win that.

Kelly's article has video. You can step through the play by tapping the start and stop button. Doyle, in his post game quotes said it was a play UMass has practiced, but had not yet run in a game. Looking at the video, it appears to have worked. Elgin Long breaks into the endzone and is running uncovered along the far end of the endzone. Coach Molnar said in his quote they couldn't see if Doyle was being screened from picking up Long. A. J. ran right. Tajae Sharpe seems to have been Doyle's first read (again see Molnar's quote). So, the play worked; UMass had an open receiver in the endzone. The play didn't succeed because of:

1. Bad Luck. Doyle was screened
2. Doyle didn't do his reads fast enough and by the time he decided to throw the ball, Long was running out of real estate and the coverage was closing.
3. We'll never know which one is true.

Anyway, I feel better. UMass had a much better chance of making the play than it appeared at the time. I still would have gone for the tie and extended the game, but after looking at the video, you can't say UMass didn't have a good chance to win the game on the 2 point conversion.

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Dan Malone has a story about the first good showing from the Minutemen's offense.

Matty V reports on Lorenzo Woodley's breakout game.

UMass is one of 21 FBS teams to have more INT's than touchdown passes.

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MAC Report Online has Western Michigan's Andrew Haldeman as the MAC Special Teams Player-of-the-Week.

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Sports Chat place looks at the upcoming UMass-NIU game.

Bleacher Report has a post on Jordan Lynch's absurd stats against Eastern Michigan.

I watched the NIU-Eastern Michigan game on DVR. The Huskies kept scoring after pulling Lynch half-way through the third quarter.

The Huskies will be featured on ESPN's All-Access this week.

NIU may or may not have two new uniform combinations.

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MAC bowl predictions after Week #10 of the 2013 season.

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Tuesday--October 15, 2013

Matty V. reports UMass has a shot at a more than one win season.

Injury Report: Matty says Shakur Nesmith, Jordan Broadnax and Steve Casali are not practicing. Joey Colton, Trey Seals and Tom Brandt are limited.

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Dan Malone says for the second year in a row, Buffalo stands between UMass and a streak.

Coach Molnar still believes in Blake Lucas.

Malone awards three helmet stickers for the Minutemen's win over Miami.

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The Western Michigan website has more on the MAC's affiliation with the new Bahamas Bowl. The article lists the MAC's tie-ins with future bowls through 2019. Let's hope by then the Minutemen will be doing well enough to be bowl eligible.

Actually, UMass could be bowl-eligible this season. The Minutemen have one win. In the remaining schedule of Buffalo, Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Akron, Central Michigan and Ohio, only Northern Illinois is a sure loss. Five wins out of six would be a real stretch, but not totally impossible. UMass could be favored over Western Michigan and Akron. Both are winless and both play at UMass.

Yahoo Sports says Buffalo's Jeff Quinn could be in line for MAC coach-of-the-year (scroll down).

Buffalo DE Colby Way was named MAC East Defensive Player-of-the-Week for his performance against Western Michigan.

NIU is projected for the Fiesta Bowl.

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USA Today ranks UMass as #120.

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Jeff Zelevansky image

Michael Cox is the last standing running back for the Giants.