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.