By Ryan Barry NEFJ Correspondent AMHERST – A cool spring afternoon at McGuirk Alumni Stadium was the setting for the 2026 UMass Football Spring Game in Amherst, Massachusetts. Unlike last year’s event that featured a Team Maroon vs. Team White format, this year was a lot simpler with four quarters, a running clock, and an offensive vs. defensive unit without points. Across 13 total drives, fans saw four touchdowns and…
While the offense and defense certainly deserved plenty of criticism for the year UMass had in 2025, special teams is of course part of that too. Special teams often flies under the radar during seasons like that because there are so many other problems much bigger than the execution of the kick off, punt and field goal units. But, the lack of a return and coverage game, along with just…
Image courtesy of UMass Athletics The UMass offense can’t get any worse or anemic than it was last year. So, new offensive coordinator Max Warner is starting with a relatively low bar. Warner should have plenty to work with this season, particularly with the hometown QB-WR duo of Pop Watson and Joe Griffin Jr. now on board. Following spring practice on Tuesday morning, Warner spoke to the media for the…
Following practice on Thursday, former Springfield Central star and most-likely starting UMass quarterback William ‘Pop’ Watson spoke to the media. This was the first time Watson has spoken in this setting since his decision to return home after a couple of not-so-great seasons at Virginia Tech. Last week following the first spring practice, head coach Joe Harasymiak spoke highly of his relationship with Watson already, noting that the two are…
Tyler Martin’s commitment to UMass football is rooted in a deep-seated connection to his home state and a refusal to leave a project unfinished.
AMHERST – After an 0-12 season, there’s nowhere to go but up for UMass. Fans have seemingly been saying that for two decades now, but it’s actually true at this point. The Minutemen were the butt of jokes throughout 2025 both locally and nationally. But, after dipping into the transfer portal, making some staff changes and trying to re-establish the culture he began putting in place this time last year,…
The Joe Harasymiak Era got off to a rough start, but the Minutemen have a ton of turnover and there’s a quiet confidence among the program that things are in fact getting better, Not only did UMass open up spring practice on Tuesday, but the full 2026 schedule was also unveiled. A sign that the page has truly been turned. Here’s how the schedule shakes out: Thursday, Sept. 3 at…
Year two of the Joe Harasymiak era kicks off this morning in Amherst with the opening of spring practice for the UMass Minutemen. After enduring arguably the worst season in program history, Harasymiak and his staff are ready to move on and turn things around.
The 2025 season was a somber chapter for UMass football, concluding with a winless 0–12 record that left the Minutemen at the bottom of the college football landscape. While a winless campaign is never the goal, the result was met with a sense of grim familiarity rather than shock; the program has weathered a grueling 8–68 stretch over the last seven seasons.
I had a chance to speak with Springfield Central standout offensive lineman GaVin English after his commitment to UMass on Thursday. Here is what GaVin had to say.