UMass Football News--March 5th, 2025

 

Devin Lippman image

The August 31st 2024 two-deep chart for Eastern Michigan shows two players at TE

Dominick Mazotti 

Owen Anderson . Anderson appeared in all 12 games and went 2-13 1 TD. 

No other TE on the roster had a catch.

In the transfer portal UMass added:

Reese Adkins. Transfer from UCF. Did not have a catch in 2024.

Max Dowling. Transferred from UT-Martin. Went 23-278 5 TD's for the FCS Sky Hawks.

On the 2024-25 roster are:

Noah Staples . A JUCO transfer. No 2024 stats

Magnus Von Saldern. No 2024 stats

John Condrakes. A true freshman

The TE tends to be a big part of modern offenses. Mazotti had 18-183 and 1 TD in 2024 and was probably underused. 

Right now Dowling and Anderson would seem to be the 1-2 at TE. The Minutemen might be looking for an additional transfer.

UMass Football News--March 4th, 2025

 Bear with me on this. Blogger does not do columns or grids.

The starting OL for UMass on August 31st 2024 was:

RT Luke Painton  RG Ethan Mottinger C Josh Atwood LG Wyatt Terlaak LT Brayden Rhome

2nd string:

RT Jaxon King RG Benjamin Roy C Peyton Miller LG Mao Glynn LT Ryan Mosesso

In the transfer portal UMass added two first-team All Ivy OL's.

 Mike Entwistle from Harvard and Kyle Brown from Dartmouth. As Grad transfers and All-Ivy I would think they would be plug-ins at RG and LG. The Minutemen Command reviews Kyle Brown and Mike Entwistle.

The Minutemen also added Sullivan Weidman from West Virginia.  He appeared in all 13 games for the Mountaineers in 2024 in special teams and some at guard.

If all the above are healthy in 2025 UMass seems to fairly well set along the offensive line. They currently have 13 O-linemen on the roster (not counting the transfers). Three of the thirteen are true freshmen.

This seems a solid group to enter the MAC with. In our previous stint in the conference UMass had only one All-Mack offensive lineman (Anthony Dima 2013 Third Team) in four years. The O-line leads the way and hopefully this group will lead us to some victories in 2025.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--David Williams

Detroit Free Press/Junfu Han image

 David Williams, a 6-0 180 pound DB from Warren, MI has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has stats. 

Williams has offers from Colorado State, Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio) and Kent State. He could find a home in the new-look Minutemen defense in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Hunter Stepanich

 

Hudl.com image

Hunter Stepanich, a 6-7 230 pound TE/DE from Elmhurst, IL has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video.

Also plays hoops. 

Stepanich has eleven offers including Western Michigan, Toledo, Northern Illinois and Miami (Ohio) from the MAC. Princeton and Dartmouth have offered from the Ivies. He could get a high quality East Coast education and play FBS football by joining the Minutemen in Amherst.

UMass Football News--February 28th, 2025

 

UMass officially announced its non-conference schedule for 2025. The Minutemen open the season with Temple, who went 3-9 in 2024. They fired their coach and hired old friend KC Keeler (who no longer wears his trademark dark glasses). 

Bryant went 2-10 in 2024 and open their 2025 season with New Mexico State and UMass.

The Minutemen play Power Four Iowa and Missouri. The Tigers are in the preseason 2025  Top-25 and Iowa is in the "others receiving votes". 

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 UMass adds two the the strength and conditioning staff.

Ibn Foster previously worked for Central Michigan. 

Jeff Stern, a Massachusetts native, previous worked for the strength and conditioning staff at Iowa. 

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UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Jamal Shakespear

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 Jamal Shakespear, a 5-10 180 pound athlete from West Bloomfield, MI has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

Shakespear plays QB in HS, but probably projects as a WR/S/CB in college. He has offers from Marshall and Kent State. He could get an excellent education and be part of the new UMass football history in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Hawken Anderson

 

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Hawken Anderson, a 6-4 315 pound IOL from Glenview, IL has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video. 

Anderson has MAC offers from Akron and Toledo. Marshall and Old Dominion have offered from the Group-of-five. He could get a top education at UMass and be part of the Minutemen's new start in the MAC

UMass Football News--February 25th, 2025

AJ Hairston/Chris Tucci image

 The UMass QB room will look very different in 2025. Last year Taisun Phommachanh started and played eight games. It did not appear he had totally recovered from his injury suffered the previous year. His game was his dual-threat running and passing. In 2024 he appeared slower and less willing to run. He just did not pressure defenses as he did in 2023. 

Coach Brown's loyalty to his QB may have cost him his job. After Phommachanh's second injury, the UMass offense became more productive under AJ Hairston and Ahmad Haston.

AJ Hairston went 4 GP 136.6 EFF 40-73-480  0 INT's  5TD's 75 LONG 120 yards/game.

Ahmad Haston went into the transfer portal.

Will Perry, after Hairston and Haston were hurt in the UConn game, came into the game cold with no previous appearances and engineered a nifty 73 yard scoring drive to make it close.

Will Perry 1 GP 148.6 EFF 7-11-72 1 TD .

Also in the QB room this year are:

Brandon Rose 6-2 212 from Power Four Utah. Rose appeared in three games during three years with the Utes.

Grant Jordan 6-2 210. Jordan was Honorable Mention All-Ivy in his last season with Yale and had a 66.4% completion ratio. 

Ryan Jankowski 6-3 210. Transferred to UMass in 2024 from Akron. He did not appear in any games last year

Luke LoPresti 6-0 205. Transferred to UMass in 2024 from Duquesne.  Did not see any game action last year.

Zach Lawrence, 6-1 195. A true freshman and a top-50 recruit in the state of North Carolina. Will probably redshirt.

Going into 2025. AJ Hairston, if healthy,  would likely be the leader to start at QB. After him, Grant Jordan has the most game experience. Will Perry and Brandon Rose would be the other contenders.

 

 

 

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Khalil Ferguson

 

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Khalil Ferguson, a 6-3 193 pound WR from Antioch, TN has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video. 

MaxPreps has stats.

Ferguson has FBS offers from UAB and Georgia State plus some FCS. He has a pro-sized frame and he could play in the new-look UMass offense as well as get a East-Coast education.

 

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Darnell Stokes, Jr

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 Darnell Stokes, a 6-2 185 pound WR from Frankfort, DE has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has stats. Career 42-1132 receiving yards and 18 TD's. Also averaged 12.9 yards/carry rushing..

Stokes has nine offers including Liberty, Delaware, Temple and Syracuse from the East. A versatile athlete , he could see early playing time with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Travis Robertson

Hudl.com image

 Travis Robinson, a 6-7 270 pound OL from West Bloomfield, MI has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

2nd Team All-State.

Robinson has MAC offers from Bowling Green, Kent State and Toledo. Power Four Colorado and Kentucky have offered. He could get and East Coast education and a chance to play early in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Isaac Chukwurah

 

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Isaac Chukwurah, a 6-4 250 DE from Bear, DE has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

 First Team All-Class 2A.

Chuckwurah has offers from Akron, Buffalo, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan. UConn has also offered. He could make an impact and play early in the new UMass defense.

UMass Football News--February 19th, 2024

 

 

UMass continues to add football staff.

Joining UMass is Josh Heinrich as Chief of Staff. 

Kevin Juszynski joins as Director of Football Operations. 

Joe Maurer joins the staff as a defensive graduate assistant.

No bio yet for Jared Osumah.

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Yard Barker reports Toledo is becoming an unexpected NFL draft hotbed. 

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Hustle Belt reports four MAC players (two from Toledo) have been invited to the NFL Combine. 

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UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Brogan McNab

 

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Brogan McNab, a 6-0 185 pound QB/Athlete has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

 MaxPreps has stats.

QB Hit List has an entry on McNab. 

McNab has MAC offers from Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan. UCF, Marshall, UAB and Charlotte have offered from Group-of-Five. BC and Syracuse have offered from the ACC. UMass offered early. The Power Four schools will try to convert him to a DB or WR. The Minutemen would likely allow him to continue to be a dual-threat QB if that's what he wants to play.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Zach Hackleman

Hudl.com image

 Zach Hackleman, a 6-0 WR from Lakewood, OH has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has stats. 

 Hackleman has offers from MAC schools Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State and Toledo. Charlotte has offered from CUSA. He could earn early playing time in the new look UMass offense.

 

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Jeremiah Benson

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 Jeremiah Benson, a 6-3 255 pound DL from West Bloomfield, MI has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video.

Benson has eleven offers including Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois and Toledo from the MAC. Marshall and Temple have also offered. Benson could find some early playing time in the new Minutemen defense.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Martece Smith

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 Martece Smith (good name), a 6-1 165 pound DB from Hammond, IN has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video. 

MaxPreps has stats. 

Smith has offers from Bowling Green, Buffalo, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.  He could find a home and playing time with the new UMass defense in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Anthony Bitonti

 

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Anthony Bitonti, a 6-3 210 pound LB from Warren, MI has a UMass offer.

h247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

MaxPreps has stats. 

This article features Bitonti and his visit to Pitt. 

Quote from the article:"As a junior at De La Salle, Anthony Bitonti impressed on both sides of the ball. At running back, he totaled 693 yards and 13 touchdowns, along with a passing score. On defense at linebacker, he recorded 67 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks and a fumble recovery."

Bitonti has MAC offers from Central Michigan, Kent State and Eastern Michigan. He would be a good fit in the rebuilding UMass defense.

UMass Football News--Drew Belcher joins the UMass staff

 

Drew Belcher has joined the UMass staff as an offensive analyst. Belcher is very familiar with New England football as he was a four-year player and team captain at Maine. He spent four years with the New Hampshire staff as QB coach and passing game coordinator. Welcome to Amherst, Drew!

UMass Football News--February 11th, 2025

 

Congrats to two former Minutemen who won the Super Bowl Sunday.

Jack Driscoll's Eagle bio. 

Isaiah Robert's Ealge bio. 

UMass athletics has Rogers and Driscoll win Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles.

This is great.

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 UMass adds a DB coach with extensive MAC experience with Donald Celiscar.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Bryant Holland-Snowden

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 Bryant Holland-Snowden, a 6-1 180 pound safety from Roseville, MI has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video.

 Detroit Free Press All-East 2nd team. 

Holland-Snowden also has an offer from Akron. He could play in a revived Minutemen defense with Coach Harasymiak in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Mekhi Armour

 

Mekhi Armour, a 6-1 175 pound DB from Newark, NJ has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

First team All-Super Conference in NJ. 

Gets a mention from Minuteman Command. 

Armour has offers from UMass plus two FCS teams. He has a big frame and would prosper playing for Coach Harasymiak in Amherst.

UMass Football News--Febuary 7th, 2025

 UMass adds five freshmen on Signing Day.

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A truncated article by the Hampshire Gazette here. 

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The Minutemen Command has a post on the signings here. 

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The Minutemen Command has a video Signing Day recap, which includes a discussion of the transfers. 

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The 247Sports  UMass 2025commits page with rankings is here. 

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I'll be having some comments on the new additions here on the UMass Football Blog in coming days.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Dinos Drossos commits to UMass

 

 

Dinos Drossos, a 6-2 210 pound LB from Tucson, AZ has committed to UMass.

247Sports page here. 

This article from April ,of 2024 features Drossos and his offer from Nebraska. 

MaxPreps has stats. 140 career solo tackles! 

Drossos was a three-star LB and a top-20 player in  the the state of Arizona. He's slated to play the "WILL" linebacker in Amherst and hopefully we will see him be a feature in the new UMass defense.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Jase Catullo

 

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Jase Catullo, a 6-3 280 pound IOL from Chatnam, NJ took a visit to UMass last weekend.

Hudl.com has video. 

Also had 2.5 TFL and 29 TT as a nose guard. 

Catullo probably projects as a OG or C in college. He could join a New Jersey-knowledgeable coaching staff with the Minutemen in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Garrett Cooper commits to UMass

 

Garrett Cooper, a 6-6 280 pound OL from Delmar, DE has committed to UMass

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

Cooper chose UMass over an offer from JMU. He should be a nice addition to the Minutemen offensive line. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Elijah Pedro commits to UMass

 

Elijah Pedro, a 5-11 165 pound WR from Olney, MD has committed to UMass.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his offer from Maryland. 

MaxPreps has stats. In 2024 Pedro went 29-522 18 AVE 51 LONG 7 YD's.

Pedro chose UMass over 11 other offers including Power Four Duke, West Virginia and Maryland. Temple, UConn and Buffalo offered from the Northeast. He should be a big addition to the Minutemen passing attack and I look forward to seeing him play at McGuirk.

UMass Recruiting 2025--Elijah Faulkner commits to UMass

 Elijah Faulkner, a 5-10 190 pound RB from Pittsburgh, PA has committed to UMass.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from August of 2024 features Faulkner. 

Faulkner chose UMass over offers from Eastern and Central Michigan of the MAC as well as Navy. He should be an excellent addition to the Minuteman RB room.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Gavin Wilson commits to UMass

 

After a OV to Amherst last weekend, Gavin Wilson, a 6-6 280 pound OL from Greenville, SC has committed to UMass.

Hudl.com has video.

247Sports page here.

Wilson chose UMass over offers from Furman and Presbyterian. I am looking forward to following his career with the Maroon & White.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Garrett Cooper

Image credit unknown

 Garrett Cooper, a 6-6 285 pound OL from Delmar HS in Delaware took an official visit to UMass last weekend.

Hudl.com has video.

Minuteman Command has an article on Cooper. 

Cooper has an offer from JMU (and will take an OV there) as well as Delaware State. He could be part of a rising Minutemen offense in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Brandon White

 

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Brandon White, a 5-8 182 pound RB from Lakewood, OH has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

 Hudl.com has video. 

MaxPreps has stats. In 2024 he went 182-1235 6.8 AVE 100+ 6 games 17 TD's

Besides UMass, White has offers from MAC teams Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State. He also has an offer from Coastal Carolina. He could be part of the revival of Minutemen football in Amherst.

UMass Football News--January 26th, 2025

 Hey everyone. I've been cranking out posts seven days a week since August. With the new coaching staff in and the transfer portal not opening again until April 16th, UMass news has slowed down.

So, I'm going to not post on Sunday until things start to pick later in the year. The athletic dept has not announced the date of the Spring game as yet.

Should be better days for UMass fans coming this year! Hope you'll stay with the UMass football Blog in 2025.

UMass Football News--January 25th, 2025

 New UMass HC Joe Harasymiak talks with reporters on the state of the new era in UMass football.

He talks about assembling the coaching staff and recruiting. Harasymiak said he hadn't seen the UMass players practice, so he couldn't comment on how he thought the talent level is.

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The Hampshire Gazette has Harasymiak reflects on his first weeks as the Minutemen's head coach.

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The Daily Collegian has UMass rounds out its coach staff with Jaret Keyte as defensive coordinator.

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Hustle Belt has an exhaustive look at potential expansion candidates for the Mid American Conference.

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I would be remiss if I didn't mention Liam Coen's being named HC for the Jaguars. He is, I believe, the first UMass player to be an NFL head coach.

I might mention Mrs Blog and I were out in Hamilton, NY when Liam came into game against Colgate in the second half and ignited a furious UMass comeback that just fell short. That was his first game action for UMass.

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UMass Football News--George Green joins the Minutemen staff

 

George Green has officially been named the head of the Minutemen's strength and conditioning program.

Green's UMass bio here. 

Of all the coaches, the strength and conditioning staff probably have the most contact with the players. A lot of the culture of the team gets set there.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Charlie Hanafin

 

247Sports image

Charlie Hanafin , a 6-2 185 pound WR/DB/Athlete from Burlington, MA has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Hanafin has offers from BC plus Ivies Brown and Yale. He could play FBS football and be part of the resurgent UMass football tradition in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Robert Ekins commits to UMass

 

Robert Ekins, a 6-2 260 pound DE from Don Bosco Prep in  NJ has become the first commit of the 2026 class.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has Junior highlights.

Ekins currently also has an offer from Army. He looks to have a big upside and it will be great to follow his career with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Jon Panagou

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 Jon Panagou, a 6-4 290 pound OL from South Hamilton, MA has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

Also has an offer from Syracuse.

Panagou could play in front of friends and family in Amherst. He could also be part of the renaissance of Minuteman football.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Tim Grant-Randall returns

 UMass football announces Minutemen DT Tim Grant-Randall will return for 2025.

Grant-Randall's UMass bio.

In 2024, he went 11 GP 6 UT 21 AT 27 TT 2 TFL 3 BU.

UMass only has five DT's on the roster so far in the winter of 2025, so Grant-Randall's return is a big building block for this year.

UMass Football Recruiting--John Iannuzzi

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 John Iannuzzi, a 6-4 322 pound transfer IOL from Columbia has a UMass offer.

Lions bio here.

2nd team All-Ivy. Started 20 games at left guard.

Iannuzzi has offers from UNLV, Kent State and Central Michigan. He would be an excellent addition to the Minutemen offensive line.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025 --Jake Mcconnachie commits to UMass

 

Jake McConnachie, a 6-5 215 pound transfer WR from Pitt has committed to UMass.

This article from August of 2023 features McConnachie.

This article covers his entering the transfer portal.

McConnachie DNP for the Panthers in 2024. He should have a new start in Amherst and he should be a valuable addition to the Minutemen's WR corps.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Nic Sani

 

Nic Sani, a 6-7 275 pound transfer TE from Dartmouth has a PWO offer from UMass.

Sani's Big Green bio here. 

Was a three-star player out of HS and had FBS offers from Washington and Nevada.

Sani would be a nice addition to the Minutemen TE room and he could find a home and playing time in  Amherst.

UMass Football News--Mike Bajakian joins UMass as Offensive Coordinator

 Mike Bajakian officially joins the Minutemen as offensive coordinator.

Bajakian's UMass bio.

Bajakian has extensive Power Four expedience as well as spending time in the NFL.

This article from October of 2024 covers his taking over as OC for Utah and talks about his background. 

He has already worked with transfer QB Brandon Rose, so at least one QB will not have to learn a new system.

In 2024, UMass ended #104 in total offense and #110 in scoring offense, so he has work to do.

UMass Football News--January 15th, 2025

 The Greenfield Recorder reports Coach Harasymiak brings in three transfers, adds to coaching staff.

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The UMass Daily Collegian recaps the MAC's bowl results here and here.

The MAC ended up tied for second place in 2024-2025 conference bowl rankings.

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Former Toledo QB Dequin Finn lands back in the MAC at Miami (Ohio). Finn was arguably the top QB in  the conference during his time at Toledo and he should make the Red Hawks a favorite to win the MAC in 2025.

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Eastern Michigan lands former Michigan State/Coastal Carolina QB Noah Kim.

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College football coaches want increased penalties for faking an injury. 

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College football coaches also voted for a single transfer portal period in January. That rule would protect the bowl season as players could not transfer before end of the Fall semester.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Derek Morris commits to UMass

 

Derek Morris, a 6-2 200 pound transfer Kicker from Cal has committed to UMass

Cal bio here.

The Daily Californian says Derek Morris breaks the mold.

This article covers his program-tying five field goals in one game. 

Kicking has been a thorn in the side of the Minuteman program since the move to FBS. May Morris break that mold too.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Timothy Passmore commits to UMass

 

Timothy Passmore, a 6-2 295 pound DL transfer from UConn has committed to UMass.

Passmore's Husky bio here. 

This short article covers his entering the transfer portal.

Passmore has a new beginning and a chance to earn significant playing time with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Michael Gonser

 

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Michael Gonser, a 6-1 230 transfer LB from Harvard has a UMass offer.

Gonser's Crimson bio here.

Gonser was First-Team All Ivy in 2024. He went 10 GP 35 UT 30AT 65 TT 6.5 TFL 1 SACk 1 INT 3 BU.

Gonser also has an offer from Bowling Green. 

Gonser could join fellow ex-Harvard teammate Michael Entwistle in Amherst and play in front of friends and family with the Minutemen.

UMass Football News--Jeremy Larkin joins the UMass football staff

 

Jeremy Larkin has joined the UMass coach staff as running backs coach.

Previously he was RB coach at Youngstown State.

Before that he worked as an assistant coach at Notre Dame working on high school relations, analyst and recruiting.

Welcome to Amherst coach Larkin and may you have much success with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2025--Brandon Rose and DD Snyder commit to UMass

 

Brandon Rose, a 6-2 212 pound Power Four transfer from Utah has committed to UMass.

Rose's Utes bio here. 

This article from Athlon Sports covers his transfer to the Minutemen. 

This article from Deseret Sports discusses his career with Utah.

Rose looked to have a breakout season with Utah prior to his injury. He should have the same chance in Amherst. He's a strong addition to the QB room.

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DD Snyder, 6-0 186 pound transfer DB from Ball State has committed to UMass.

Cardinals bio here. 

This article from August 2024 mentions Snyder. 

Snyder originally signed with Big Ten Illinois and if healthy, could make an immediate impact with the UMass secondary. I'll be watching him play in Amherst.

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