UMass Football News--July 28th, 2026

 The Minuteman Command has Coach Harasymiak's comments on transfer QB Pop Watson.

Watson needs to stay healthy. In 2023 I watched UMass beat New Mexico State with QB Diego Pavia. Taisun Phommanachanh shined. People on social media were saying "He looks like a SEC quarterback". Phommanachanh got hurt in the very next game and was never again a force on the field. 

Run out of bounds Pop! 

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The MAC conference will have a Week 0 game with Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan.   Unfortunately, the game will only be available on streaming ESPN+.

In 2027, the MAC will get another Week 0 game when Ohio plays West Virginia. 

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The Sacramento Bee has a post on new FBS team Sacramento State and why the MAC wanted the Hornets.

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UMass Football News--July 27th, 2026

 

 WMUA sports has their first podcast of the 2026 season.

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The Toledo Blade has some anonymous comments on  various aspects of the MAC conference after Media Day.

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The Athens Post (Ohio University) has some takeaways from the MAC Media day.

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Toledo, one of the MAC conference's most successful teams, was picked third. Last year's Toledo head coach Jason Candle and a lot of Rockets players have left for UConn. 

The Rockets added Mercer head coach Mike Jacobs, who brought with him a number of Mercer players including FCS Defensive player-of-the-year Andrew Zock.

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Stanford College football players reach a key threshold for unionization. The march towards college pro teams continues..

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UMass Football News--July 25th, 2026

 

Video of Coach Harasymiak, Pop Watson and Tyler Martin at the MAC Media Day.

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A Substack sports writer previews the 2026 Minutemen. 

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 Pop Watson is the key to UMass' offensive rebound in 2026. Through most of the FBS era the Minutemen have struggled to start a FBS-level QB. We did not have one in the Molnar and Bell periods. We had a QB for one game (New Mexico State) during the Don Brown era.

Watson needs to stay healthy for UMass to have a better year.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Sharrod Simmons

 

Sharrod Simmons, a 5-11 185 pound WR/Athlete from Collins Hill HS in Suwanee, Georgia has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

Simmonds is a fast and shifty WR/DB. He could be a good fit in the new Minuteman offense. UMass needs playmakers and he could get an excellent education in Amherst. 

UMass Football News--July 23rd, 2026

 UMass picked last in the preseason MAC coaches poll.

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MassLive.com has a post on the Minutemen's last place vote in the coaches poll. 

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The Minuteman Command has preview of the quarterback position for the 2026 season. 

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The Minutemen catch a break with the 2026 schedule. As an Independent, we always seemed to play teams from the top half of the MAC every year. In 2026, UMass does not play Western Michigan or Ohio. The Minutemen are 0-2 all-time against Western Michigan and 0-4 all-time  against Ohio.

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UMass Football News--July 22nd, 2026

 

The UMass podcast interviews Tyler Martin  and Timmy Hinspeter. Two very well-spoken young men.

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Former UMass QB Brandon Rose signs with Utah. 

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Today is the MAC Media day. It's on ESPN+. You also may be able to see it through your cable TV provider.

Instructions here for a number of providers. 

More information about MAC conference media day here. 

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UMass Football News--July 21st, 2026

 

Riley Bloch, a 6-3 295 pound offensive lineman has been nominated to the Allstate Good works team.

More on the Allstate AFCA good works team here. 

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UMass has a history of finishing last in FBS in various categories, but Phil Steele ranks the Minutemen's 2026 schedule last in difficulty.

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This article written in 2023 ranks college football stadiums from 1 to 108 (he hasn't been to all 138 of them including McGuirk). 

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