Image courtesy of UMass Athletics
AMHERST – If UMass is going to shake its perennial embarrassment label in 2026, it’ll be mainly because of Pop Watson.
That’s not to say wins and losses solely rest on the quarterback’s shoulders, but in a time where the Minutemen need new leadership, having a local star like Watson take control of the program, allowing everyone to fall behind him, is going to be critical.
Watson appears to be fitting into that role seamlessly so far. Following practice on Monday, Watson met with the media for about five minutes. Here’s everything he had to say:
On entering camp knowing it’s ‘his team’ compared to fighting for a spot at Virginia Tech
“Coming in and being a standard I would say is the biggest difference. I tried to come in and set the bar for the room, for the offense and for the program as well. Just coming in every day trying to get 1% better and giving it my all every rep. I feel like that’s kind of been the biggest difference between here and there.”
On the heat in camp so far
“The heat’s been treating me horrible. Horrible. But, we working through it, man. We out there, we’re having fun, we’re playing through any type of conditions and we’re thriving. So, I can’t be anymore proud of this team and how far we’ve came.”
On his favorite thing about the offense
“I would say the versatility of our offense. The run game and you know, the shots off of the run game. Just being able to build off of other plays, I would say that’s probably my favorite thing about it because everything almost looks the same. So, you never really know what you’re going to get”
On the process of building chemistry with the running backs
“I mean, it’s been great. I feel like the best way to build chemistry isn’t always being on the field, it’s also being around each other. So, we kind of try to emphasize that. Like, me getting around J-Will…when Curtis transferred in, his locker’s right next to mine, getting around him…Elijah Faulkner, De-De, all those guys in the running back room. Jordan Washington. Like, I feel like we have a great running back room and we’re going to be tough to deal with.”
On having the full team together now
“All I can say is it’s been fun, man. Me and these guys building this type of bond so fast, I feel like it’s a special thing we have here, especially when everybody’s bought in. Everybody’s been bought in. The leaders on the team have been like, emphasizing that all year. Now that we’ve got the whole team on the same page, I feel like we’re going to be good.”
On stepping into his leadership role
“I’m comfortable in it. I feel like this is kind of how I’ve been all my life. Virginia Tech was the first time I really wasn’t the main leader. I still was a leader in my own way, I tried to come in and get the twos hyped. Me and the twos O-line was real close, so I’ve always been a leader, it’s never stopped. Now, there’s just kind of more attention to it. Like, okay, now Pop’s kind of leading the program.”
On what his leadership style is like
“I would say let the player’s play. I emphasize on effort. Like, if you going out there and you know you half stepping, that’s when I get mad because now it’s like, you’re messing it up for the guy next to you. I allow the coaches to coach. I say that all the time. Coach Warner, he’ll coach you on your route depth, all of that. You could have a post, if you run a dig and you ran it hard, I’m not going to be mad at you. I’m just going to get off you and let ya’ll fix it. But, as long as you give effort man, that’s all I be asking for out of these guys.”
On who keeps him accountable on offense when he’s not at his best
“Everybody. A through Z. If I’m ever flat…the first person that comes to mind, is (tight end) Matt O (Ogunniyi). He’s a lunatic in his own way. Every time he sees me, I can’t have my hands on my hips. If I miss a throw, he’s like ‘yo, you better than that. Pick it up.’ I can miss one throw and he’s saying something, so I have a bunch of guys like that around me and I’m the same way towards them. So, I feel like we got the right head on our shoulders.”
On the chemistry with the wide receivers
“It’s been the same thing as the running back room. Just getting around guys, getting to know them. Watching film. We watch a lot of film with the wide receivers and just getting a feel of the plays. I watch the timing and rhythm of feet from Coach Warner’s previous quarterback up at Bowling Green…I believe his name was Connor. He did real good. That’s who I try to mimic this offense after, just getting it off right quick. We’ve been emphasizing that. Then, T.Y. (Harding) just getting him used to how I see the game. Extending plays, like, ‘yo, you could float around somewhere, I’ll find you. It doesn’t matter where I’m at in the pocket or if I’m outside of the pocket.’ So, I think that’s been kind of the whole thing, just keep getting a feel for each other.”
On how Harding can be a weapon in this offense
“You have to worry about both sides of the field. And I feel like those aren’t the only two weapons (along with Joe Griffn) that we have. We have a lot more weapons that I can’t wait for people to see. I feel like you’re going to have to guard the whole field. It’s not going to be all focused on one guy.”