UMass Football News--July 13th, 2017

UMass announces some changes to the Gameday Experience at McGuirk. For season Ticket holders, there will be a cash bar at Commonwealth Club and a chance to meet some of the coaches. The Minutemen March with the band, spirit groups and the players prior to the game.

Some wins would also make this Minutemen fan's experience better :)

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Mike Chiarelli of Mass Live has a post on Adam Breneman and Logan Laurent being named to the Mackey and Ray Guy Watch list teams.

Matty Vautour also has a story on Breneman and Laurent.

AP image/Marco Carcia

In 2016 Mike Caggiano went 0-2 in field goals.

Laurent went 7-9 77.8% 3-3 20-29 3-5 30-39 1-1 40-49 LONG 44. UMass' .58 field goals/game was #115 nationally.

UMass was #79 in the nation in net punting average 36.71/attempt.

The current UMass roster has five kicking specialists:

Mike Caggiano #31 K 5-11 176 JR Handled all kickoffs and PATS
Jack Coveney #91 K 6-1 185 RSSO
Theo Yongue #92 K 5-8 156 RSJR
Logan Laurent #99 K/P 6-4 217 RSSR Stats as above
Michael Schreiner #23 K/P 6-0 220 RSFR

A vital part of the kick game is the long snappers. The current roster has two:

Nick Berus #53 LS 6-0 220 RSSR Snapped for all 66 punts
Peter Comaroto #59 LS 5-11 218 RSSO

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The Florida State site "Tomahawk Nation" previews their game against Boston College. They'e not impressed.

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CRIME IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT.

Concord woman arrested twice in five hours after returning to the police station to demand the cops return her drugs.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Adetutu Daranijo

image by Lynn Ramsey

Adetutu Daranijo, a 5-10 186 pound Safety from St. Thomas Aquinas HS in FL has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a 2016 Scout.com article by Cory Bender:

"The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Daranijo possesses the skill set and build to line it up at both outside linebacker and strong safety, but will likely settle down at outside linebacker before it's all said and done. He flashes good change of direction when reading and reacting to the football, and is an instinctive kid that really anticipates well.

Daranijo possesses a well-rounded skill set and operates well in space, but has to continue to pack on weight and strengthen up his frame."

This article by the Orlando Sun-Sentinel mentions (at the end) Daranijo.

Daranijo holds 15 offers including Power-Five schools Pitt, Purdue and Missouri.

UMass Football News--July 12th, 2017

As everyone expected Adam Breneman was named to the John Mackey award watch list.

There's a .pdf download from the John Mackey Award people here.

The Centre Daily times mentions Breneman as well as current Penn State TE Mike Gisicki.

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Former UMass player and current Kennesaw State Associate AD Vaughn Williams is moving back to Boston College.

Earlier in the year, Williams was named the Under Armour 2017 Director of the Year. Williams was a four-year letter winner for the Minutemen (1988, '89,'90 and 1991).

Speaking of the Eagles, SB Nation thinks Boston College needs an offense. After Don Brown left, the BC defense was still stout under Jimmie Reid. The Eagles were #7 in the nation in rushing defense and #9 in total defense. The offense, however was #118 in scoring and #127 in total offense.

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UMass scored 35 points against Mississippi State at Gillette last year. Bulldog coach Dan Mullen says Mississippi State's defense will be different this year.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018-- Cade Barnard II

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal image

Back in April, I blogged about Cade Barnard, a 6-2 220 pound LB from Seminole, TX.

Mike Traini has a post on Barnard and updates his recruiting.

247Sports three-star athlete.

Also ran track & field.

Barnard is up to 15 offers, mostly from Group-of-Five schools. The Minutemen are the only offer from the Northeast.

UMass Football News--July 11th, 2017

Matty Vautour has a post about Adam Breneman's invite to "The Opening" in Oregon last week. God willing, Breneman should be UMass' first FBS All-American. He deserves it; so do UMass fans.

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Rotoworld has a story about Andrew Ford and Andy Isabella. Ford thinks Isabella is having a positive impact on the Minutemen's younger WR's.

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Saturday Down South looks at win/loss ratios of the SEC. UMass is still an honorary member in 2017 with games against Mississippi State and Tennessee.

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Athlon predicts bowl games for eight of the Minutemen's 2017 opponents: Old Dominion, BYU, Temple, Ohio, Appalachian State, Hawaii, Mississippi State and Tennessee.

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Western Carolina adds former UMass defensive assistant Michael Painter (2013).

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Former Voice of the Minutemen Bob Behler starts his 10th year as Boise State's play-by-play announcer. Time does fly.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Parker Ogle

Twitter image

Parker Ogle, a 6-3 280 pound OG/C from Palm Beach Gardens, FL has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Rivals two-star player.

This article from 2016 has a section on Parker. His father played OL for Clemson.

Ogle currently has offers from Bowling Green and UMass.

UMass Football News--July 10th, 2017

Athlon ranks all 130 FBS coaches. Mark Whipple is #114.

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UMass trainer Jennifer Brodeur is honored with the College and University Athletic Trainers Committee's New Horizon Award.

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Above image is from the PFF Twitter feed.

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It being July, Coastal Carolina is officially a FBS college team.

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Georgia Southern is being sued by two fired offensive coordinators.

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The Hawaii football program offers support to a player seriously injured in a diving accident.

Speaking of the Rainbow Warriors, they just offered a scholarship to a fifth grader.

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The Orlando Sentinel ranks Old Dominion as #64 and says the Monarchs should compete for the Conference USA title.

Athlon Sports has Old Dominion as #90.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Jo-El Shaw III

Scout.com image

Jo-El Shaw, a 6-1 235 pound RB/FB from Lackawanna College has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

I've blogged about Shaw twice before. He received an offer from UMass back early in 2016.

Current 247Sports page.

Hudl.com has video from Lackawanna.

Averaged 7.2 yards/carry last year.

Shaw had an offer from Syracuse in 2016 and they have re-offered.

UMass Football News---Saturday July 8th, 2017

Mike Traini has a post on the UMass revenues for 2016.

Mark Chiarelli of Mass Live compares revenues and expenses of the New England teams.

Couple of things seem to stand out. One is the drop in ticket sales revenue from the previous years. I would think most of that would be from the Minutemen's struggles in basketball and hockey. As I have said many times, what I know about hockey would fit in a shot glass, but my impression is that of the universe of football fans, the universe of basketball fans and the universe of hockey fans, the hockey fans probably have the highest percentage of season ticket holders. They really love the sport. It was a tough year for UMass hockey in 2016. Mrs Blog and I usually attend about seven or so home basketball games. The games we went to were fairly lightly attended.

I think that explains the coaching changes in both hockey and basketball. The capital improvements in Mullins will also pay off . I like the coaching hires A.D. Bamford has made in women's basketball, men's basketball and hockey. I think the Minutemen are on the rise and that will be reflected in the numbers in future years.

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Speaking of season tickets, I've already ordered my football tickets. Get yours now.

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Saturday Down South predicts Tennessee to go 9-3 with a win over UMass.

The Vols are currently #3 in the country in recruiting and #1 in the SEC. Tennessee always recruits well and has a massively loyal fan base. My impression is the team tends to underperform the resources available.

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CBS Sports has five Group-of-Five teams that could play on New Years Day. UMass plays two of the five...

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Athlon Sports power ranks the college football conferences for 2017.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Ezechiel Tiede

Hudl.com image

Ezechiel Tiede, a 6-2 190 pound pro-style QB from Montreal, Quebec has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Member of the Under-18 Canadian National Team.

UMass continues to try to broaden its recruiting universe. Tiede has one other offer---from the evil BC Eagles.

UMass Football News--July 6th, 2017

Washington Valor image

Former UMass player Tracey Belton won the Arena Football league defensive player-of-the-week award.

Washington Valor press release.

This article features Belton.

Belton was the 2016 Arena Football Defensive Player-of-the-Year.

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The current UMass roster lists eleven LB's:

Jarell Addo #26 LB 6-0 190 RSJR DNP 2016
Bryton Barr #44 LB 6-0 225 RSJR Transfer from Towson
James Bowe, #13 LB 6-0 192 SO 11-0 GP-GS 12 UT 14 AT 26 TT
Colbert Calhoun #35 LB 5-11 219  SR 12-8 GP-GS 28 UT 30 AT 58 TT 4.0 TFL 1 PD 1 FF
Steve Casali #34 LB 6-1 236 RSSR12-12 GP-GS 47 UT 58 AT 105 TT 9.5 TFL 6 PD 1 FF 3 FR
Jake Froehlich #47 LB 6-1 245 RSSO Transfer from Oregon
Shane Huber #8 LB 6-3 237 RSSR 4-3 GP-GS 7 UT 13 AT 20 TT 2.5 TFL 2 PD
Tedrick Lowery #6 LB 6-0 221 SR 8-8 GP-GS 14 UT 23 AT 37 TT 2.0 TFL 2 PD 1 FR
Jeremy Rodriguez #49 LB 6-1 227 RSJR 12-0 GP-GS 3 UT 7 AT 10 TT
Mike Ruane #33 LB 6-0 227 FR Spring enrollee
Adam Tucker #58 LB 6-1 192 RSFR DNP 2016

Last year, new UMass defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham played a 4-3 defense at Western Michigan. I don't know if he'll do the same with the Minutemen.

In a 3-4 defense Steve Casali totaled 105 total tackles. He'll be a fixture in the 2017 defense.

Shane Huber is coming off a second knee injury. He was injured in the fourth game of the 2016 season. It usually takes about a year to recover from an ACL, so he may or may not be ready for the start of 2017. If healthy, he'll start as a senior.

Colbert Calhoun and Tedrick Lowery, both seniors had 16 starts between them. Both should see plenty of playing time.

Jake Froelich and Bryton Barr are both unknowns at this time. I would think Froelich would play inside and Barr outside.

With four senior linebackers, I would think the UMass coaching staff would like to reshirt 2017 recruit Mike Ruane.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018---Truman Bell

Greg Powers image

Truman L. Bell, a 6-2 227 pound DE from Dallas, TX has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a Scout.com article dated 06/25/17 by Greg Powers:

"Bell, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound defensive end / linebacker from Richardson (Texas) Lake Highlands is one of the state's most intimidating specimens and it has paid off with an offer list that now features 16 schools. 

“Very honored and blessed," Bell said of his offers and opportunity. "I got to give it all to God, it is such a huge honor.  The coaches like my speed and how I get off of the ball.”

"The ones standing out to me so far are Liberty University, Bowling Green, and New Mexico State. They all like my style of play and I can play with the style I want and I feel these three would be the best fit for me."

Bell has 18 offers with UMass the only school from the Northeast.

UMass Football News--July 5th, 2017

Hawaii loses a DL to a head injury from diving.

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UMass will receive a record Rutgers payout when the two teams play on August 31st, 2019.

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CBS Sports has the most patriotic uniforms in college football.

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Gazette image

I was re-watching UMass-South Carolina on DVR while waiting for company to arrive yesterday.

UMass went head-to-head with a SEC team and did pretty good. UMass had two more first downs than the Gamecocks. We rang up 389 total yards and moved the ball all day long. The defense also came up with some big stops.

Mistakes doomed the Minutemen as we turned the ball over on our first two drives with a Breneman fumble and then we fumbled a reverse. UMass was moving the ball on both those drives. Ford also threw 2 INT's. UMass ended up losing by 6 points on an SEC field. That was the game that Joe Previte hurt his elbow.

Certainly a great effort by the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2019-- Trey Phillip Dawson

Twitter image

Trey Phillip Dawson, a 6-5 215 pound pro-style QB from Middlebury, CT has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has stats. Threw for over 3200 yards and 31 TD's as a sophomore...

UMass is the first offer for Dawson. With his size and stats, he should draw some major Power Five interest (but he won't find a better place to develop as a QB than UMass)

Fourth of July 2017

Mrs Blog and I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Fourth.

'Merica, still the last best hope!

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Hero Sports predicts another 10-win season for Appalachian State.

Athlon predicts another Sun Belt championship for the Mountaineers.

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Georgia Southern legend Adrian Peterson appears at Augusta Greenjackets game. On December 4, 1999 Peterson ran for 333 yards against UMass in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The Eagles scored 28 points in the second half to pull away from the Minutemen 38-21.

The 1999 UMass team was probably better than the 1998 National Championship squad. It was the second year Don Brown was running the defense and UMass held seven opponents to 20 points or less. It was the senior year for Todd Bankhead and Matt Dawson.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Erick Hallett

Scout.com image

Several recruiting services indicate UMass has offered to Eric Hallett, a 5-10 170 pound CB from Cypress, TX.

247Sports page here.

Rivals three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

NCSA has some stats.

Partial quote from a 4/18/17 Scout.com article by Kevin Sinclair:

"The three-star prospect has also proved that he has impressive athletic traits. On March 19, the 5-foot-10, 172-pound cornerback turned heads at The Opening Regional in New Orleans at Joe W Brown Memorial Park.

The event was really great, a lot of great competition out in New Orleans,” Hallett said. “I tested really well with a 4.58 40, 3.84 shuttle, 37-inch vertical and 34 power ball. So, I think I tested really well at the event. I also played lockdown during the 1-on-1 and skeleton portion of the event, eventually winning the DB MVP."

Hallett has 19 offers mostly from Group-of-Five schools and FCS, but PAC-12 Washington State has also offered.

UMass Football News--July 3rd, 2017

Appalachian State and South Florida get "favorable" schedules in 2017 based difficulty including playing weaker opponents like UMass.

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This article mentions QB Jaret Pallotta verbaling to UMass and also mentions the state of Ohio averages 140 FBS recruits a year.

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The latest version of the UMass roster lists five CB's (stats are from 2016):

Jordin Hamilton 20 CB 5-10 172 RSSO 5-1 GP-GS 5 UT 3 AT 8 TT 2.0 TFL 1 PD
Lee Moses 3 CB 5-11 193 JR 11-9 GP-GS 25 UT 19 AT 44 TT 0.5 TFL
Jackson Porter 28 CB 6-1 197 RSSR 10-9 GP-GS
Isaiah Rodgers 9 CB 5-10 155 SO 11-8 GP-GS 21 UT 17 AT 40 TT 0.5 TFL 9 PD 1 FF 1 FR 1 BLK
Charan Singh 24 CB 6-1 RSJR 197 9-1 GP-GS 10 UT 18 AT 28 TT
Joseph Tavares 48 CB FR

Lee Moses and Isaiah Rogers received most of the starts in 2016. James Allen started the first four games of 2016, but had trouble with larger, more physical receivers. He left the program this winter.

Rogers was a two-star recruit in 2016 and did not redshirt. Bakhari Goodson, another two-star 2016 recruit, is now listed as a safety.

The Minutemen add three-star CB Brian Roberts, three-star CB Chris Hunt and two-star Xavier Steele in the 2017 recruiting class. At least one of those three probably won't redshirt.

UMass was #126 out of 128 teams in INT's last year. The Minutemen were also #106 in passing yards allowed. Part of that was the quality of the 2016 opponents, but we need to do better in 2017.

The defensive roster is slowly filling up with three-star recruits and UMass should be more competitive in the future.

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UMass football News--Saturday July 1st, 2017

Penn State's Daily collegian expresses surprise Adam Breneman did not make Sports Illustrated's Top 100 college players list.

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Marken Michel scored a TD in his first CFL game. Michel's Stamps bio.

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UMass DC Ed Pinkham hosts UMass' safeties. Stats from 2016:

Patrick Amara, #25 S 6-2 208 RSJR (transfer from Pitt)
Cycoby Burch #36 S 5-11 182 RSFR
Zeke Edmonds #2 S 6-0 207 RSJR 10-7 GP-GS 19-25 UT-AT 44 TT 1 TFL 5 PD
Bakhari Goodson #14 S 5-10 167 SO 10-0 GP-GS 8-6 AT-UT 14 TT 1 PD
Martin Mangram #29 S 5-11 182 SO 12-0 GP-GS 5-5 AT_UT 10 TT
Jesse Monteiro #27 S 5-9 179 RSSR 12-8 GP-GS 45-28 AT-UT 73 TT 5.5 TFL 4PD
Micah Morel #15 S 5-11 195 RSSO 8-0 GP-GS 1 UT 1 TT

Most of the preview magazines have Pitt Transfer Patrick Amara penciled in as the starter at Strong Safety. He played in 22 games for the Panthers and had 32 TT's. He was rated as the #20 ranked recruit in PA in his senior season in high school.

Former walk-on Jesse Monteiro started the last three games of 2016 at FS. He was the second leading tackler on the team.

Martin Mangram was a highly-touted three star recruit from the 2016 recruiting class.

Cycoby Burch was red-shirted, but had a stand-out effort in the Spring game. He was also a three-star recruit.

UMass returns five safeties with game experience.  It appears we add two excellent players with Amara and Burch. The Minutemen were #120 in pass defense efficiency in 2016. We played pretty well against the SEC opponents, but got smoked by Troy and Louisiana Tech. We gave up some long completions in winnable games against Tulane and Hawaii. I think Ed Pinkham was a strong hire and the UMass will play better in 2017.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Patrick Walsh verbals to UMass

Inside the huddle Massachusetts image

Mike Traini reports Michael Walsh, a 6-5 290 pound OL from Sterling , MA has verbaled to UMass.

Traini's article here.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Inside the Huddle Massachusetts profiles Walsh.

The Minutemen were the first FBS team to offer Walsh. He is the second player in the 2018 recruiting cycle to commit to UMass.

UMass Football News--June 30th, 2017

Fan Sided has a feature on UMass TE Adam Breneman.

The current UMass roster has the following TE's, Note that Blogger does not do columns.

Adam Breneman #81 TE 6-4 250 RSSR
Taylor Edwards #18 TE 6-4 260 RSFR
Kyle Horn #85 TE 6-5 230 RSSO
Jon Lucier #40 TE 6-6 217 RSSO
Cole Morrison #46 TE 6-4 248 RSFR
Avien Peah #19 TE 6-2 251 RSFR
Travis Reynolds #87 TE 6-5 252 RSSO

Breneman is UMass' first ever five-star player and he showed it last year going 70-808 and leading the nation in receptions by a TE. As the article states, his NFL future is cloudy do his injury history. However, Brenenman is going to have a successful life with or without the NFL. Being a AP All-American would be something to tell his grandchildren about and it would also sooth the battered psyche's of Minutemen fans. He should be the #1 TE for UMass in the 2017 season.

Travis Reynolds has shown good hands. He went 6-61 in 2016. As long as Breneman is playing he should soak up most of the targeted TE attempts, but Reynolds should contribute in 2017 and the future.

Taylor Edwards was a three-star recruit and he has gone from 228 to 260 since he was recruited. Edwards was coming off a knee injury in his senior season. As with Reynolds, he is not likely to generate a lot of numbers this year, but he could be the featured TE post 2017. I've heard good things about Edwards.

Of the other TE's on the squad Alvin Peah was a somewhat lightly recruited three-star recruit from R.I. He red-shirted in 2016.

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ESPN says college football conference realignment could happen in 2023.

KTVB.com says 2023 is not that far away.

Revenue sharing is the driving force for Power Five schools.

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CBS Sports looks at the project win totals for USF, Temple and the rest of the AAC including UConn.

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Athlon Sports previews Georgia Southern. You will remember the Eagles are returning to their flexbone offense that dominated FCS football for a number of years.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Julius Welschof & Zavier Scott

Welschof center Brandon Collier right

Julius Welschof, a 6-6 248 pound DE from Germany has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Zavier Scott's 247Sports page here.

Hero Sports reports on Welschof's and Scott's recruiting tour of the US.

Mike Traini has a post on the duo leading with WR Scott.

American Football International has a story on Welschof and Scott.

Both Welschof and Scott have gained multiple FBS offers.

UMass Football News--June 29th, 2017

A trio of articles from Phil Steele.

Over and under for all 130 FBS teams. Vegas expects UMass to have between 2 and 3 wins.

UMass is #56 in experience returning in 2017.

Phil Steele's stock market indicator is mildly bullish on the Minutemen.

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The Orlando Sentinel thinks Old Dominion can contend for Conference title again this year.

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Liberty spent more on athletics than Boise State or any school in Conference USA during the last academic year.

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UMass Football News--June 28th, 2017

Boston Globe image

Mike Trani reports Leonard Hankerson will join the UMass football staff.

Hankerson's Wikipedia bio.

Hankerson's Miami bio.

Hankerson played HS football for south Florida power St. Thomas Aquinas in Broward County. This has been prime recruiting territory for Whipple during his previous tour with the Minutemen. Hankerson should have some recruiting connections is south Florida.

Some Whipple's FCS recruits from south Florida:

Jeremy Cain St Thomas Aquinas

Keron Williams Palm Beach Gardens

Mike Ziccardi St Thomas Aquinas

Adrian Zullo St Thomas Aquinas 

Mikel Miret South Miami

O.J. McBride Sunrise, FL

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West Hawaii Today says Hawaii is already thinking about UMass.

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Saturday Down South has a story about five non-conference RB's who could rush for 100 yards against a SEC opponent. They think Marquis Young could do it against Tennessee.

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Athlon ranks Tennessee's 2017 opponents.

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Ball Parks Digest has a post on college football in MLB parks including UMass playing Maine in Fenway.

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A UConn site laments the Huskies having to play a money game.

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Maisen Knight, a JUCO OL who had a UMass offers verbals to Arizona.

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Willem Froumy, a OT from Exeter, NH who had a UMass offer verbals to Syracuse.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2018-- Jaret Pallotta verbals to the Minutemen

Julie Vennitti image

While I was away UMass received its first verbal of the 2018 recruiting season. Jaret Pallotta, a 6-5 200 pound pro-style QB from Canton, Ohio.

247Sports two-star recruit.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a 03/30/17 article from Scout.com by Michael McCammon:

"As a junior, the 6-foot-5 Pallotta threw for 18 touchdowns with a school record 2,041 yards to earn All-League, All-County and All NEO Inland District honors."

Mike Traini has a post on "Fight Massachusets" on Palotta's verbal to UMass.

Just yesterday (good timing from the blog's point of view) The Surbanite has an article on Pallotta verbaling to the Minutemen.

Friday Night Ohio has a story from November of 2016 that features Pallotta.

Pallotta chose UMass over an FBS offer from Western Kentucky.

FBS teams usually recruit at least one QB per recruiting cycle. UMass added JUCO Michael Curtis for 2017.

Palotta needs to grow into that 6-5 frame. He looks like a player with a big upside. This is a good start to the 2018 recruiting class.

UMass Football Recruiting 2017--Zac Simon

Press-Enterprise image

While I was away UMass added a significant recruit to the Minutemen's 2017 recruiting class.

Zac Simon, a 5-10 172 pound WR from Temecula Valley, CA verbaled to UMass.

His 247Sports page.

Mike Traini has a post on his signing with the Minutemen.

Max Preps has stats.

This article from January 2017 features Simon.

Hudl.com has video.

Simon chose UMass over Idaho, San Diego State and Wyoming.

Simon's verbal moved UMass out of the cellar in 247Sport Independent recruiting rankings. With Simon, UMass's 115.83 aggregate recruiting score would have placed UMass 9th in the MAC and 8th in average recruit ranking, 247Sports now have UMass as #106 nationally, but since they include number of recruits, the Minutemen's 78.89 average recruit power ranking would be higher. UMass is now solidly in the middle of Sun Belt and C-USA recruiting rankings.

Adding Simon gives UMass two three-star WR recruits along with JUCO Jacoby Herring.

UMass' 2017 WR recruits also include two-star Jesse Britt and Melvin Hill.

EDIT: Tuesday

I forgot the Minutemen will also add Patrick Volcy, a 2016 verbal to 2017's class. That will bring the total of new WR's this year to five.

Whipple's pro-set offense emphasizes quick strike down-the-field WR's. Simon could see some playing time this year as the Minutemen need to reload at the receiver position.

Big Blog Bulletin

Time sure does fly. Mrs Blog and I are off on our 2017 vacation this time to Europe.

Given the time difference and the fact I'm not sure how much internet connectivity I'll get, I'm not going to do a daily blog post until we get back, which will be on the 26th.

If something mammoth happens, I'll make it a point to post.

UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Christian Malloy

Jason Getz image

Christian Malloy, a 5-10 175 pound RB from Parkview HS in GA has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has stats.

Malloy has 24 offers mostly from Group-of-Five schools and FCS. Besides UMass, Yale has offered from the Northeast.

UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Rashard Jackson

Hudl.com image

Rashard Jackson, a 5-9 173 pound Athlete from Upper Marlboro, MD has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Besides UMass, Jackson has a FBS offer from Memphis.

Tuesday--June 6th, 2017

Coastal Carolina announces a 7:00 PM kickoff time for the UMass game and it will be televised on ESPN3.

With Boise State's approval, Luther will become college football third team to have blue turf. Besides Luther and Boise State the third team is ............. Coastal Carolina.

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College football and the SEC look to reduce the time for an average football game.

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Hawaii football hopes off-season workouts pay dividends in 2017.

Speaking of the Rainbows, Street & Smith, Athlon and Lindy's all have Hawaii as second in the MWC's West division.

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UMass Football recruiting 2018--Dawson Hill

SFHSS image

Dawson Hill, a 5-11 180 pound RB from South Plantation HS in Fort Lauderdale, FL has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a Scout.com article dated 04/18/17 by Corey Bender:

"Hill is  expected to make a splash throughout the spring evaluation period, and took another step in the right direction on Tuesday when earning an offer from Bowling Green.

Hill, a junior running back who piled up 908 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns in 2016, is armed with additional scholarship offers from Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Temple."

Rivals three-stars.

This article has a profile of Hill.

Hill has six offers including Temple, Syracuse and Pitt from the Northeast.

UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Cameron Hill

Hudl.com image

Cameron Hill, a 6-3 280 pound OG from Montgomery, AL has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

All-Metro in 2016.

Hill also has an FBS offer from Bowling Green.

Monday--June 5th, 2017

The Northwestern Blog "Inside NU" takes a satirical look at the UMass-Northwestern game scheduled in 2019. It's a laugh riot---if you're twelve. If some assistant coach prints it out and saves it, it'll be good motivational material in two years.

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The Centre Daily Daily Times interviews Penn State commit Pat Freiermuth. Mentions UMass and Adam Breneman. The Minutemen also recruited Freiermuth.

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Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle has a post on college football in New England with several UMass references.

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The Rome Sentinel has a story about Steve Telander being inducted into the Rome Sports Hall of Fame. Telander was a four-year letter winner with UMass (1974, 75, 77 and 78). All-Yankee Conference in 1975. He suffered a knee injury in the 1978 FCS Championship Game and I remember him yelling encouragement to his defensive teammates as he was being helped off the field.

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Former UMass player Vito Perrone, now a high school principal in West Springfield gave the keynote address at Easthampton HS graduation (scroll down). Perrone was a four year letter winner (1984, 85, 86 and 87 and was Captain in 1987).

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UMass Football recruiting 2018--Teja Young

Young #4/ Gene Nardi image

Teja Young, a 5-11 170 pound Athlete from West Palm Beach, FL has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from January 2017 features Young.

Young has 10 FBS offers including Rutgers and Syracuse from the Northeast.

UMass Football Recruiting 2018--Marquis Williams

Scout.com image

Several recruiting services indicate UMass has offered to Marquis Williams, a 5-9 160 pound DB from Pompano Beach, FL.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a Scout.com article dated 12/16/16 by Hondo Carpenter:

"With an impressive skill set of high pointing the ball and swiveling hips, Williams is a natural and fearless.  While some corners cower on an island by themselves, Williams covets it.  Mark Dantonio is fond of saying, “You have to play fearless,” and Williams is the poster child for it.

He is 5’10” and 165 pounds and has been laser timed in the 40 at, “Legit laser 4.43 and I think I can get it to a high 4.3.”  He thinks he can get it as low as, “ 4.2 at the next level.”

This article from Pittsburgh Sports Now features Williams.

Williams has 21 offers mostly from Power-Five schools. Penn State, Rutgers and Syracuse have offered from the Northeast.

 Broward County FL was a fertile recruiting area for Coach Whipple during his previous stint with UMass.

UMass Football Recruiting --Dennis Osagiede

Hudl.com image

Dennis Osagiede, a 6-1 272 pound DT/DE from Missouri City, TX has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

Rivals three-star player.

Partial quote from a December 2016 Scout.com article by Bill Embody"

"I try to be humble, but I love football. Defense is my thing. I like hitting people. Even if the ball isn't coming my way, I will chase it down. I don't have the best speed, but I can beat my opponent with strength. I just love tackling people. Most of those tackles were effort tackles. This year, some schools may know not to run at my side, but that's okay because I'm still going to chase them down."

Osagiede has 18 offers with a mix of FBS and FCS schools. Besides UMass, Yale has offered from the Northeast.

UMass Football Recruiting --Kameron Jones

Twitter image

Kameron Jones, a 6-5 280 pound OL from Starkville, MS has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a Scout.com article by Mitch White dated 04/17/17"

"Kameron Jones – Starkville HS – Jones plays in the Bulldogs backyard at Starkville High School. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound offensive tackle has six offers currently (Memphis, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Southern Miss, Southeast Missouri State, and MTSU). He has not attended many camps, but the one he did was a successful one as he won an all-combine award. For now, Memphis and LSU are recruiting the Starkville native the hardest. LSU has yet to offer, but are on the verge of doing so soon according to Jones. Mississippi State is another offer the hometown kid would really like."

Jones has eight offers all from Group-of-Five schools and UMass is the only offer from the Northeast.

Friday--June 2nd, 2017

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusettes" has a post on the game times and media availabilty for the Coastal Carolina, Temple and BYU games.

I posted links for the first two yesterday. The Salt Lake Tribune has more on BYU's media schedule.

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UMass-Hawaii will be on August 26th, which will be the first day of the 2017 season. However it looks like Colorado State-Oregon State will have the honor of the earliest kickoff.

The Minutemen have not announced the start time for the game at McGuirk, but there's been speculation it'll be at 7:00 PM.

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South Carolina and UMass announce their OOC basketball schedules. The hoops connection came about because of UMass football's game in South Carolina in 2016. UMass basketball will also face Georgia. You remember the Minutemen will play the Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium to close the 2018 football season.

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There's been some speculation in the press that college football is declining in popularity. Nope.

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UMass football recruiting--Messiah Swinson

Swinson #80/ Image by Heide Cherubini

Messiah Swinson, a 6-8 232 pound TE from Long Island Lutherian HS in NY has Tweeted' he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a May 8th 2017 Scout.com article by Brian Dohn.

"A lot of schools will use the tight end in the blocking formation on the line of scrimmage, and that's not really the kind of tight end I am," he said. "I look at schools that use the tight end in the spread or in the slot and get them off the line of scrimmage. That's mainly the type of offense I am looking at with schools."

Maxpreps has stats.

Swinson has six FBS offers including BC and Rutgers from the Northeast.

UMass football recruiting ---Hassan Hypolite

Scout.com image

Hassan Hypolite, a 5-11 195 pound OLB/Safety/WR from Missouri City, TX has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a 11/12/16 article on Scout.com by Gabe Brooks:

"Hasaan Hypolite, 2018 WR/S, Fort Bend Hightower -- I really liked what I saw from Hypolite in June at the Sound Mind/Sound Body Showcase in Houston, where he worked out exclusively at receiver. He looks and plays bigger than his well-built 5-foot-11, 190 pounds."

This article from 2016 features Hypolite.

Besides UMass, Hypolite has an FBS offer from East Carolina.

Thursday--may 1st, 2017

Coastal Carolina announces a 7:00 PM start time for the UMass game and it will be available on ESPN3.

The Minutemen's game against Temple will also be at 7:00 PM and will be televised by ESPNU.

Mrs Blog and I have reservations to see the Temple game. It should be good exposure for the Minutemen program to be on national TV.

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Airlines are cutting back on their charter business and that's causing travel problems for college football teams.

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SB Nation lists all the bowl games for 2017 and their conference tie-ins. The Frisco Bowl with an AAC team against an at large team looks like the only slot that would fit an independent like UMass.

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