UMass Football News--September 26th, 2020

 Continuing on with Coach Bell's comments from the Gridiron Club Zoom meeting. At the end of the meeting someone asked about players coach Bell felt had made improvements or had impressed so far in camp. Again, I did not have my voice recorder and Bell went through the names really fast, so I missed a few.

1. Running backs Ellis Merriweather and Jared Cole. Bell said Merriweather could be UMass' best offensive player. The Minutemen were #114 in rushing offense in 2019 and #126 in Time-of-Possession. A better running game would go a long way towards making UMass respectable.

2. He mentioned TE Taylor Edwards was bigger and stronger.

3. Bell mentioned defensive linemen Taishan Holmes and freshman Josh Atwood. Bell said Holmes could be the starting NT. 

4. In the defensive secondary Bell mentioned freshman TeRai Powell. He also mentioned Notre Dame transfer Noah Boykin. Bell noted Josh Wallace started in eight of the 2019 games. Bell mentioned redshirt freshman Taj Jones. I have no idea how good the UMass secondary coverage is because the Minutemen front seven were so porous last year.

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If UMass ends up playing Army, that could be a tough game. The Black Knights have outscored their two 2020 opponents 79-7. I watched both games and Army dominated Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe.

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AND YOU THOUGHT THE MEDIA'S CREDIBILITY COULD NOT GET ANY LOWER.

Reports states New Jersey is the most physically and mentally fit state.

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UMass Football News--September 25th, 2020

 I sat in on the UMass Gridiron Club's Zoom meeting yesterday. My voice recorder went missing, so I took some notes about Coach Bell's comments. He was rattling stuff off pretty fast, so my recollections may (and probably do) have some errors. Don't get overly excited about any of this.

1. Bell said there will be streaming video of the UMass games. I assume he meant this would be if there was no commercial media coverage.

2. Bell said the UMass team had collectively gained 690 pounds and mentioned Bruce Wade and Larnel Coleman were both now over 300 pounds.

3. He said there were now 72 scholarship players on the roster and 69 were available for practice. He didn't specify why the other three were not available. I believe at least one player was opting out due to the Corona virus as is his right per the NCAA. This is both good and bad news. Power Five teams would fall on their swords if they only had 69 scholarship players, but this is a big jump up from UMass' 2019 low fifties. The Minutemen will need at least one more scholarship class to be even with most of their FBS opponents (my words, not Bell's)

4. Bell said there were 16 commits so far for the 2021 recruiting class and he expected to take between 23 to 25 total recruits. He also stated he wanted to keep a couple scholarships open for the spring. 

5. Bell said the QB situation was "much improved from last year", but did not give any hints about who would be starting.

6. He said now that the decision to play has been made, UMass would have some practices with full pads and hitting. Bell referenced the large number of serious injuries suffered by NFL players last weekend and said it was dangerous to play without getting the player's body ready for the contact. 

7. Bell said the Minutemen started six true freshmen in 2019 and two of those were walk-ons. There is an old coaching maxim stating you lose one game for every true freshman you start. I don't think there is any saying for when your best guy at two positions is a freshman walk-on. 

8. Bell said UMass was so thin last year he played on the scout team.

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The UMass News and Media Relations page has the notice the Minutemen will play football in 2020.

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Liberty Blog "A Sea of Red" notes that the date for the originally scheduled UMass Liberty game in November is still open. I watched the Liberty-Western Kentucky game and the Flames have another very good team this year. 

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UMass Football News--September 24th, 2020

 Sports Illustrated reports UMass Football is back and will face some unique challenges.

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The Arizona Cardinals report Andy Isabella is waiting for his shot.

In June of 2019, Cards QB Kyler Murray raced Andy Isabella and it was neck-and-neck.

CBS Sports says Isabella had 67 receiving yards in two catches.

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Isaiah Rogers was on the field for 18 snaps last Sunday and his role could increase.

This article reports Rogers was on the field for 25 snaps counting special teams.

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UMass Football News--September 23rd, 2020

 Edsall says UConn won't follow UMass' lead on fall Football.

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The Lowell Sentinel & Enterprise has a snarky post saying UMass' decision to play in the fall is "laughable" .

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WWLP reports Americans are divided on the return of college football. Anyone besides me notice the media really likes the shutdown? Any return to normalcy gets a disapproving slant.

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Mark J. Rebilas image

Andy Isabella was the highest graded Arizona offensive player in the Cardinals win over the Washington Whatizits.

Revenge of the Birds says the Cards are attacking teams deep with Andy Isabella and Christian Kirk.

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Carson Wentz was booed in Philly despite the fact there were no Eagles fans in the stands.

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UMass Football News--September 22nd, 2020

 Wait. What !? Late last week we say in print UMass will likely play UConn in the Spring and then get ready for 2021. So I do a post saying that adding additional games in the Spring will be tough to do.

I had some things to do yesterday and I returned home about 4:00 pm and decided to get a couple of miles on the treadmill before supper. I'm watching Georgia State-Louisiana replay on the TV with the sound off and listening to Metallica's "Ride the Lighting" album at brain frying volume on my ear buds (it's OK, I'm already pretty deaf). The ESPNU news crawl at the bottom says "UMass will play games in 2020". What was that??? Every time I think 2020 can't get any weirder...

Anyway, it's true and a very good thing for the program. Playing one game between November 2019 and September of 2021 would really hamper the program's development. In addition, UMass will be back in sync with the rest of college football.

I don't know how many games we'll play, but if I were coach I'd play everyone in the program that's healthy and eligible.

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UMass announcement. 

The Berkshire Eagle says UMass reacts to a changing environment. 

MassLive reports UMass reverses course and will play football in 2020.

The Boston Herald says UMass is back on the gridiron.

Mike Traini has a good post over on "Fight Massachusetts".

Lots of other media links available, but basically they're just reprinting the UMass press release.

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Yeah! We can talk about actual football pretty soon. There are probably more twists and turns to come. Could we get a replacement Power Five game? That would really turn the financial situation around.

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UMass Football News--September 21st, 2020

 The UConn Blog (good name) has a post on a potential "regular season" game in the Spring between UMass and UConn.

UMass players have been saying on social media that they want to play (in 2020). That's not going to happen. If UMass was interested in picking up some late 2020 games the groundwork for that would have to have been done back in the summer. The Big Ten and the PAC 10 both are having second thoughts about canceling their seasons. College football is being played and so far there does not seem to be any significant bad effects on the players from COVID-19. 

The UMass players and football staff have done a superb job managing the COVID-19 threat. However, they will not get any reward this year for all their work.

 The big question is how much, if any games will be played in the Spring. It seems very likely UMass and UConn will meet at least once. As the UConn Blog points out, that would allow both teams extended practice periods in the Spring. Beyond UConn, things get hazy. Old Dominion has canceled its season and could be interested in a game. FCS teams will likely play a reduced schedule and play few if any non-league games. So Maine, UNH and URI probably would not be interested in playing UMass. A non-scholarship FCS team like Bryant or Central Connecticut might, but will UMass have any money to pay a guarantee?

Right now, it seems anything beyond UConn is a stretch...

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Andy Isabella has a nifty catch in Sunday's game against Washington. Notice Isabella had to slow down to make the catch. If Murray had been able to lead him more, it would have been a TD.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Frank Turner

Twitter image

Frank Turner, a 6-2 220 pound MLB from Elkton, MD has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

MaxPreps has stats. Turner had 136 solo tackles in two years.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

The Elkton HS Facebook page says Turner defines what a middle linebacker should be.

 UMass was the first FBS offer for Turner. The Minutemen only have four inside linebackers on the roster and two of them are seniors. Turner would be in line for a lot of early playing time in Amherst.

UMass Football News--September 18th, 2020

The New Haven Register has a post about UMass and UConn playing a one-game Spring schedule.

Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle reports UMass AD Ryan Bamford is staying the course.

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 Thanks to the blog reader who sent me the link to a Gazette article on cost cutting measures being enacted at the Athletic Department to cope with budget reductions.

Mrs Blog's niece works at UMass and her department has also been notified about possible furloughs and work force reductions.

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Yong Kim image

Thanks also to another blog reader who sent me this link about the Eagles may have found a keeper in Jack Driscoll.

Driscoll's Eagles bio. 

Eagles RT Lane Johnson has high praise for Driscoll.

The Athletic says signs are encouraging for Jack Driscoll.

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If you missed it, old FCS foe NcNeese State's stadium got hit pretty hard during hurricane Laura.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Javon Batten verbals to UMass

Twitter image

 Javon Batten, a 6-3 182 pound DB from Brooklyn, NY has committed to UMass.

247Sports page here.

Rivals two-star athlete.

Hudl.com has junior highlights.

Batten is a Power Five-sized DB who chose UMass over offers from Boston College, Buffalo, Central Michigan and UAB. He should have a bright future with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Alex Heininger

Hudl.com image

 Alex Heininger, a 6-5 270 pound OL/DL from Rochester, NY has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has sophomore highlights.

Visited Syracuse in Spring 2020.

First Team All Division in 2019.

Heininger also has an FBS offer from Central Michigan. There should be lots of playing time available in Amherst in future years.

UMass Football News-- The Ides of September, 2020

UPDATE: For those who haven't seen it, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa HS in Alabama was down 30-28 with 2.9 seconds left. Then this happened.

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 Well, college football has been playing and nobody seems to have suffered any bad effects. The media would be thumping the drums if there were. So far, Spring football seems doable, if schools actually want play.

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Both the PAC-10 and the Big Ten are having second thoughts about not playing.

The latest rumor from the Big Ten reports all the teams will play or none will.

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The UMass Daily Collegian has the top five UMass football players since 2000.

The Collegian also has the top five UMass football seasons.

The Collegian has a post on the four UMass football alumni in the NFL.

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UMass senior TE Kyle Horn will play his final season with the Arizona State Sun Devils.

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The UMass Gridiron Club members will be able to have a Zoom meeting with Coach Bell on Monday 9/21 and Thursday 9/24. Join the Club and help the team and be able to take part in event.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Allessandro Lorenzetti

Twitter image

 Allessandro Lorenzetti, a 6-5 290 pound OL from Loomis Chaffee School in CT has a UMass offer. He's originally from Montreal, Canada.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has sophomore highlights.

UMass is currently Lorenzetti's only offer. The Minutemen need help at all OL positions and Lorenzetti could have a great career in Amherst (not to mention the best food in college football).

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--JoJo Bermudez

Vernon Ogrodnek image

 JoJo Bermudez, a 5-9 161 pound WR from Cedar Creek HS in NJ has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has sophomore highlights.

Went 54-899 and 10 TD's in 2019.

Nominee for South Jersey Offensive Player-of-the-Year.

Bermudez has a Power Five offer from Syracuse as well as UConn and Central Michigan from FBS.

UMass Football Recruting 2022--Kenny Soares

247Sports image

 Kenney Soares, a 6-3 207 pound athlete from St. Peters Prep in CT has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has sophomore highlights.

MaxPreps has some stats.

This article covers his visit to Notre Dame. 

Also visited Rutgers.

Soares also has offers from Central Michigan and UConn. He had 71 TT in 18 high school games so UMass may be looking at him for the defense, but he would add athleticism on either side of the ball. He would find a lot of playing time available in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Ahsin Jacobs

 

247Sports image

Ahsin Jacobs, a 5-9 180 pound safety from Paterson, NJ has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has sophomore highlights.

MaxPreps has some stats.

Also being recruited by Liberty.

Jacobs has recently been named to the preseason All-North Jersey team (all links are paywalled). UMass needs defensive help in all positions. Jacobs could be in a position to play early in his career with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Darryl Overton III

Hudl.com image

 Darryl Overton, a 6-2 225 pound MLB/Athlete has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has junior highlights.

Selected to play in the Hawaii Tiki Bowl.

Besides UMass, Overton has two FCS offers. The Minutemen have not recruited a MLB in some time. Overton could play early and often in Amherst.

UMass Football News--September 8th, 2020

 With UMass not playing, news has been really thin. Local sports media, with the exception of Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" (Mike is becoming the de facto UMass beat reporter) have not been producing any articles to link to. 

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Isaiah Rogers has made the Colts roster.

This article from Colts news in July features Rogers.

Another article from July by USA Today highlights Rogers.

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Former UMass DB Jackson Porter was among the final roster cuts by the Colts. Porter could be picked up by another team.

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Arizona Cardinals image

Andy Isabella seeks a supporting role with the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona Sports says Andy is done beating himself up.

NBC Sports reports the Cardinals plan to expand Isabella's role.

Isabella is wearing #17 this year.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Jarrett Crockett

Dennis Victory image

 Jarrett Crockett, a 5-10 195 pound RB from Alabaster, AL has received a UMass

offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video highlights.

MaxPreps has some stats.

Ran for 121 yards and 2 TD's on eleven carries in this game.

Scored four TD's in 2020's opening game (scroll to "Thompson")

UMass is the first offer for Crockett. RB is a position the Minutemen need more bodies and Crockett could play early in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Caron McNair

247Sports image

 Caron McNair, a 6-4 270 pound OG from Toms River, NJ has received a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

McNair gets a mention in this article from September of 2019.

McNair also has a FBS offer from Old Dominion. UMass needs athletic, mobile offensive linemen and McNair could have a excellent career with the Minutemen.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Raiheem Olalekan verbals to UMass

Twitter image

 Raiheem Olalekan, a 6-4 192 pound Athlete/DE from Owings Mills, MD has committed to UMass.

I blogged about Olalekan back in early July.

Also ran track in 2019.

Olakekan chose UMass over a offer from FCS Morgan State. He has good speed and depending on how he develops on a college strength program, could play a number of positions at UMass.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Xavier Leigh commits to UMass

 

Twitter image

Xavier Leigh, a 5-10 175 pound RB from Troy, NY has committed to UMass.

I blogged about Leigh back on June 24th.

This article from two days ago features Leigh's verbal to UMass.

Leigh chose UMass over six FCS offers. UMass needs help at RB and Leigh could contribute early.

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Tajae Broadie

Hudl.com image

 Tajae (good name) Broadie, a 6-3 235 pound DE from Middletown, PA has received a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player. 

Hudl.com has video highlights.

This article has a profile on Broadie.

First Team All-Conference as both TE and DE.

Broadie has nine FBS offers including Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cincinnati, UConn, Old Dominion and Syracuse. Defensive end is a position the Minutemen need help in and Brodie could play early in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--CJ Moore-Sandles

Sarah Phipps image

CJ Moore-Sandles, a 6-5 175 pound WR from Iowa Central Community College has a UMass offer.

Moore-Sandles was originally a four-star recruit and signed with Oklahoma State. 

Oklahoma State bio here.

Nice human interest story about him honoring his mom with his name.

Moore-Sandles has the potential to make an impact in Amherst. He has NFL size (but not yet weight). The UMass offense and Moore-Sandles would be a good fit for both.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Jadon Washington

Twitter image

 Jadon Washington, a 5-11 180 pound RB from Iowa Central Community College has received an offer from UMass.

Hudl.com has highlights.

Iowa Central bio has some stats.

Washington gets a mention in this article.

Washington is the second player from ICCC offered by the Minutemen. I blogged about OT Jakob Bradford a few days ago. UMass is thin at RB and Washington would have a chance to contribute early in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Jakob Bradford

Twitter image

 Jacob Bradford, a 6-5 298 pound OT from Iowa Community College has received a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has highlights. 

All-Conference and All-Region in 2019.

With the Minuteman offensive line heavily stocked with freshman and sophomores, Bradford could find a lot of playing time in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Rakem Ross

Hudl.com image

 Rakem Ross, a 5-9 180 pound RB from Irvington, NJ has received an offer from UMass.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

MaxPreps has stats.

Running back is a position where UMass needs more recruited athletes. Ross would have a chance to play early in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Trace Campbell

Image credit unknown

 Trace Campbell, a 6-5 230 pound athlete from Olney, Maryland has received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has highlights.

This article from July 2020 features Campbell.

Campbell has FBS offers from Cincinnati, Navy and New Mexico as a TE, LB and athlete respectively and Ivy offers as a QB. The Minute have needs at all three positions and the versatile Campbell could contribute quickly in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Anthony Grant

247Sports image

 Anthony Grant, a 5-11 200 pound RB from Garden City Community College has received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Originally signed with Florida State.

Transferred to Garden City.

Grant was a Rivals four-star recruit out of high school and had multiple Power Five offers. RB is a position UMass needs more players and Grant and Coach Bell should be familiar with each other from the time Bell was with the Seminoles.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Sean Murray

Hudl.com image

 

 Sean Murray, a 6-4 235 pound TE/DE from Milford, MA has announced he will join the Minutemen as a PWO.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

Murray has a big frame looks like an athlete in his highlight film. Tight end and defensive end are both positions UMass needs help. After a year on a collegiate weight program, Murray should have a good chance to earn a scholarship and make a valuable contribution in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Cameron Carson

 

Twitter image

 

Cameron Carson, a 6-0 150 pound kicker/punter has joined the Minutemen after transferring from Maine.

Carson's UMass bio.

Hudl.com has some highlights.

This article covers his signing with Maine.

NCSA 2019 recruiting page here.

As a FCS transfer, I would expect Carson would have to sit out a year before being eligible. He should be in the mix for UMass special teams going forward.

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Nasir Mills

 

Mills #14/ Fabian Radulexcu image

 

Nasir Mills, a 6-0 200 pound DB from Wake Forest HS in NC has joined the Minutemen as a PWO.

I blogged about Mills back in September of 2019.

Hudl.com has updated highlights since my September post.

MaxPreps has stats.

Mills has good size for a DB and playing time wide open in the UMass defense. Mills should have a good chance to earn a scholarship and playing time in the future.

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Michael Oppong

 

Hudl.com image

 

Michael Oppong, a 6-0 195 pound DB transfer from Bryant University and originally from Worcester, MA has joined the Minutemen as a PWO.

UMass bio.

Bryant bio.

Hudl.com has some highlights.

Oppong is a big-framed DB and opportunity is wide open in the UMass defense. Transferring up from FCS, it's likely he'll have to sit out a year.

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Darryl Munoz

 

Munoz #6 returning a INT/Mesabi Range image

 

Darryl Munoz, a 6-1 190 DB from Lawrence, MA by way of Mesabi Range College has joined the UMass team.

Hudl.com has 2018 highlights.

This article from 2017 features Munoz at Mesabi Range.

Led the JUCO universe in 2017 with 9 INT's and returned two for TD's.

Munoz was a two-time JUCO All-American in 2017 and 2018. He has good size for a DB. It would seem Munoz would have a good chance to earn a scholarship and also be a valuable addition the the Minutemen defensive backfield.

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BTW, the UMass Football Blog went over 3 million page views last night.

UMass Footbal Recruiting 2020--Zack Magdis

Hudl.com image

Zack Magdis, a 6-2 225 pound OLB from Charlton, MA has joined the Minutemen as a PWO.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has highlights.

Originally committed to Syracuse.

This article from Inside the House features Magdis.

Magdis received an offer from UMass during the first hectic days when Coach Bell was trying to put together his 2019 class. He also received PWO offers from Syracuse and Hawaii. Magdis also had several FCS offers. Linebacker is position where the Minutemen have needs and Magdis will have a strong opportunity to contribute in the future.

UMass Football News--August 18th, 2020

 Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on the changes in the UMass roster.

There were some gains and pains in the roster update. As Mike points out, the big news is JUCO QB Kyle Lindquist leaving the program. He would have been the likely starter.

 NJ.com image

The good news at QB is addition of Zamar Wise. He's listed as an "athlete", I would think his biggest impact could be as a dual-threat QB. He could be a bigger, more durable version of Ross Comis. Ross, BTW,  is currently on the roster of the Ottawa Red Blacks. Given the level of QB play last year, Wise could be an instant contender for the starting position.

UMass also added four defensive players, a LB and three DB's. Since they are new to me, I'll do a recruiting post on all four later in the week. The Minutemen defense needs all the help it can get.

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Former 2020 opponent Appalachian State adds Marshall to this year's schedule.

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Temple is moving full speed ahead with Fall football.

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UMass Football News--August 17th, 2020

UPDATE:    I got a couple of e-mails saying that Nick Orekoya was, in fact still on the Fall roster. I checked and that was the case. Originally, I  tried to cross-check to make sure I had it right, but evidentially, I did not. I'm glad Orekoya is still with us. I think he has run well when he has been given the chance. Additionally, RB is a really thin position at UMass. Welcome back Nick :)

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 The Fall 2020 version of the UMass roster is up on the UMass athletic website.

A couple of notable deletions are:

Parker Ogle OL 6-3 280 Soph.

Kyle Lindquist QB 6-4 215 JUCO. Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" said on his site that Lindquist had left for "personal reasons" and it was his scholarship that allowed UMass to sign Zamar Wise.

I blogged about Wise back in May.

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Former UMass WR Marken Michel signs with the Carolina Panthers.

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CBS Sports says no one can get on the same page regarding college football.

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Parents of Big10 players are outraged by the decision to cancel the Big10's season.

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UMass Football News--August 15th, 2020

 The Denver Broncos activated former UMass OL Elijah Wilkinson off the injured list.

Wilkinson is slated to compete for the starting RT for the Broncos this season.

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Thanks to the Blog reader who sent me this link to CardsWire about Andy Isabella.

Big Red Rage has a video interview with Andy Isabella about making a bigger impact in 2020.

Arizona Sports says Isabella could have a breakout year.

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The Canadian Football league delays its season, may not play in 2020.

The CFL has financial problems.

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UMass Football News--August 14th, 2020

 UMass coach Walt Bell created a stir when he said the cancellation of the 2020 season was more stressful than the death of his parents. Gotta be careful when talking to the press. Taking stuff out of context never bothers them.

Yahoo Sports reports on Coach Bell's statement.

Fox Sports says Bell is known as an emotional coach.

AOL.com comments on his statement.

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ESPN reports on how college football's uncertainty will affect the NFL draft.

USA Today says it's going to be a "scouting nightmare".

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Fellow Independent BYU is the last college football program standing in Utah.

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Sports Illustrated has a post on the "stubborn six" conferences still intending to play in the Fall.

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UMass Football News--August 13th, 2020

 Mike Moran of the Hampshire Gazette reports external factors forced UMass to cancel Fall football and shift to a potential Spring schedule.

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MSN.com reports on how UMass came to the decision to cancel its Fall season.

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AL.com reports UMass cancelling its season costs Troy another game.

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With UMass out, Temple has lost its third non-conference game.

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Army loses UMass on its schedule and gains Georgia Southern.

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ESPN has how a century old season could teach college football how to embrace the unexpected.

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Yahoo Sports says college football cancellations will cost major universities billions of dollars.

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UMass Football News--August 12th, 2020

 As you probably have already heard, UMass has cancelled the 2020 football season.

 Matty Vautour reports Coach Bell and A.D. Bamford are hopeful for Spring Football.

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The Big Ten also will not play football in the Fall.

The Pac-12 also will not play.

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Maybe there will two college football seasons.

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CBS Sports wonders if some college teams will switch conferences.

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ESPN has a long post on what may or may not happen if football is played in the Spring.

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It seems most of the UMass team will stay on campus and that will enable the players and the coaches to have a program that will keep some organization and sense of mission going. Since Spring practice was also canceled earlier this year, it would be nice if the NCAA allowed some organized practices in the Fall.

If everyone works together and stays motivated it'll work out.

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Blog news--August 11th, 2020

 No blog post today. Not feelin' good.

Be back tomorrow, God willing.

UMass Football News--August 10th, 2020

 

UMass WR Zak Simon will sit out the 2020 season.

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ESPN reports sources say Power Five conferences are talking about canceling Fall sports.

ESPN also reports on efforts of college players to unite.

Eleven Warriors says college football in 2020 is dead and there is no real plan for what's next.

CBS Sports says it's "inevitable" that college football won't be played this fall. 

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If college football is canceled the players and the powers-that-be need to hash out the parameters of football in a COVID-19 world. IMHO, the virus will probably never totally go away, even with a vaccine. Fall season is flu season. So there probably never will be a time when there is a zero chance of contacting it. Does that mean college sports are gone forever? 

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UMass Football News--August 8th, 2020

UPDATE: The MAC conference cancels Fall Sports.

CBS Sports says the MAC will attempt to play in the Spring.

 ESPN reports on what the MAC's decision means for the Power Five.

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FCS will not have a playoff this year as the number of teams playing falls below 50%

If FCS ends up playing in the Spring, I would bet they would get some pretty good ratings. They would blow away the XFL or pre-season baseball.

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Buffalo delays the start of Fall practice as the school awaits the decision if the MAC conference will play football this fall. 

If the MAC cancels their Fall season, that might be the first domino in FBS universe.

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The UMass Daily Collegian reports UMass is preparing for the 2020 season despite COVID-19.

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The Greenfield Recorder says UMass stays on gridiron.

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The Lexington Herald summarizes who's playing football in 2020.

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UMass Football recruiting 2021--Kenard Synder

Twitter image

 

 

Kenard Synder, a 6-1 220 pound OLB from Rockledge, FL has UMass in his top-6.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has junior highlights.

MaxPreps has some stats.

Returned an INT 47 yards for a TD in this game.

Snyder has 12 total offers and two of his top-six are Power Five teams. UMass has the best food and the best academics of his top group. In addition, LB is a position the Minutemen really need help. Snyder would likely play early and often in Amherst.

UMass Football News--August 6th, 20200

As you have probably heard by now, UConn has canceled it's 2020 season.

From ESPN: UConn becomes the first FBS team to cancel its 2020 season.

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The Berkshire Eagles reports UMass is still optimistic the Minutemen can play in 2020.

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USA Today says college independents scramble to fill their schedules.

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UConn's old conference, the AAC is still on for an eight game schedule.

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Yahoo Sports says you can feel the tidal wave coming.

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Like everything else in 2020, the situation is changing minute by minute. The media is strongly against playing. It's probably up to each player if he wants to face the consequences of playing during the pandemic.

One way or another, not playing the 2020 season will have lasting effects on college football. I want the best thing for UMass football. Not sure what that means in 2020.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Nahjee Adams

Hannah Buss image

Nahjee Adams, a 5-9 200 pound RB from Easton, NJ has UMass in his top-five.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has junior highlights.

MaxPreps has stats.

This article from February features Adams.

This article from April also features Adams recruiting.

Adams has 19 total offers with UMass, Delaware, JMU, Louisiana-Monroe and Liberty as his top-five. The Minutemen only have two-recruited running backs on the roster and there will be a lot of playing time available in the future at that position in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Amir Renwick II

Amir Renwick, a 6-2 207 pound Safety from Gwynn Oak, MD has UMass in his top three.

I blogged about Renwick back in April (which seems a long time ago).

Choosing UMass could lead him to the best food in college football, great academics and being on the field  when UMass plays B.C., Pitt, Texas A & M, Auburn, Penn State and more in future years.

UMass Football Recruiting 2022---Maleek McNeil

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Maleek McNeil, a 6-8 320 pound OT from Brooklyn, NY and Northampton-Williston Academy has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has sophomore highlights.

McNeil is a pro-sized athletic OL. He has offers from B.C., Central Michigan, Rutgers and the Minutemen. UMass signed OL Dominic Behrens in the 2020 recruiting class from Williston and has added TE  Eni Falayi for 2021.

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Austin Firestone

Hudl.com image

Austin Firestone, a 6-5 260 pound OL from Niceville, FL has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has sophomore highlights.

This article from March 2020 features Firestone and his offer from Virginia.

This article from June covers Firestone's offer from Arizona State.

Firestone has 19 total offers including multiple Power Five teams. UMass and Syracuse have offered from the Northeast. The Minutemen offer the best food in college football, high academics and wide open roster that would give him a chance to play early and often.

UMass already has two Niceville grads on the roster: Xavier Graham and Will Koch.