UMass Football News--April 23rd, 2026

 

Coach Harasymiak says Joe Griffin has to be "the guy" for UMass.

Griffin's UMass bio. 

Harasymiak also, during his press conference, praised Freshman WR Drew Alsup. 

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The Hampshire Gazette reports UMass is ready to feature the new UMass team in Saturday's Spring Game. 

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2026 opponents:

UMass opens with Rutgers on September 3rd. The Scarlet Knight added QB Dylan Lonergan, who transferred in from Boston College . Lonergan had transferred to BC from Alabama the year before..

UMass's second opponent is Sacred Heart on September 12th. The Pioneers closed Spring ball and named captains last week. 

That #67 is one big dude. 

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UMass Football News--April 22nd, 2026

 

Coach Harasymiak's end-of-spring-practice video conference.

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Learfield Sports, the Media partner of UMass and a number of other MAC teams has been sold for the fourth time in ten years. 

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 Click on the image and Blogger displays a larger view. Above is the full 2026 schedule for the MAC conference.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Brayden Atwood

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 Brayden Atwood, a 6-4 220 pound TE from Nashville, TN has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video. 

UMass is the first offer for Atwood. UCF and Jax State are showing interest. Atwood has a big frame and TE's are a big part of Coach Warner's offense. He could find a home and lots of playing time with the UMass Minutemen. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Braylyn Simmons

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 Braylyn "Juice" Simmonds, a 6-0 180 pound Athlete from Daytona Beach, FL has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

MaxPreps has stats. Simmons had 1360 all-purpose yards and 12 TD's in 2025.

This article from 2024 explains his nickname.  

Simmons has Power Four offers from Florida State and Pitt. UCF, FIU, Liberty and UNLV have offered from Group-of-Five. He probably projects as a WR in college. Simmons could find a lot of opportunity and playing time with the UMass Minutemen.

 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Chase Hyacinth

 

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Chase Hyacinth, a 6-4 220 pound Edge from Eagle Academy/Brooklyn, NY has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

Hyacinth has a Power Four offer from Syracuse. Delaware, East Carolina and Temple have offered from the Group-of-Five. Coach Harasymiak is a defensive guy and  Chase could find a home and some early playing time with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--AJ Fry

 

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Anderson "AJ" Fry, a 6-0 200 pound WR/Safety from State College, PA has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

MaxPreps has stats for both offense and defense. 

Fry has FBS offers from Army and Navy. Buffalo and Eastern Michigan have offered from the MAC. He also has offers from several Ivies and Fordham. He could play FBS-level football and also get a high quality education in Amherst with the UMass Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Nick Rotondo

 

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Nick Rotondo, a 6-4 230 pound LB/Edge from Bridgewater, MA has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

Rotondo has FBS offers from all three Service Academies.  Harvard, Penn, Yale, Dartmouth and Colgate have offered from FCS. He could get an excellent education and play FBS-level football with the Minutemen in Amherst.