Except for the the Andrew Ford and Blake Frohapfel era during Coach Whipple's second stint at UMass, the Minutemen have not had effective quarterbacks during our FBS era.
Last year AJ Hairston had a 89.2 EFF. Grant Jordan had a 108.1 EFF. Brandon Rose had a EFF of 96.5.
UMass' collective 2025 quarterback opponents had a EFF of 169.0.
Some of the quarterbacks problems were due to a total lack of a running game and very poor pass blocking, but still..
Jordan was clearly the best QB. He scored 33% of UMass' rushing TD's and did make some plays (usually running for his life from the opponents pass rush).
All three left in the transfer portal. Jordan signed with Power Four Oklahoma State. AJ Hairston signed with FCS Merrimack. So far, I could not find any news for Rose.
UMass added Pop Watson. On paper, he seems a big improvement. However, Watson was unable to break into the starting position at Virginia Tech. He appeared in 11 games and started two in three years with the Hokies. He needs to get out of the gate fast in 2026. UMass needs offensive production and Watson needs to provide it. He'll have the keys to the car starting the season, but if the UMass offense sputters (again), he could be pushed by RJ Johnson III. Last year Johnson had a QB EFF of 146.4 and threw for almost 2,600 yards.
The UMass QB room also adds true freshman Aedan McCarthy. I like his background and he should be a solid future starter. UMass also has Will Perry who, you will remember, engineered a nifty scoring drive against UConn two years ago.
So how'd we do?
I would rate the signings as a B+. Both Watson and RJ Johnson III have the potential to jump start the UMass offense. On paper, the quarterback room seems to have substantially more talent than last year. However, Watson's career as a backup at Virginia Tech and Johnson's lack of FBS time will mean we'll have to wait to September to see the results..
