Sunday, January 25, 2026

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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Saturday, January 24, 2026

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. 

Friday, January 23, 2026

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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Thursday, January 22, 2026

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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Wednesday, January 21, 2026

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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Tuesday, January 20, 2026

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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Monday, January 19, 2026

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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