We visited with the UMass Minutemen on Thursday. It was their first day in pads and as you can imagine, it was a lively, spirited practice and that is putting it mildly. Here are ten takeaways from UMass camp. 1. Don Brown is as intense as ever: When it comes to intensity, very few coaches can match Don Brown. He was in mid-season form as soon as we walked into…
By Jake Klein, NEFJ Correspondent In his first four seasons at UMass, Josiah Johnson was a part of just six wins. He stuck with the Minutemen, even after the school hired the third head coach of his tenure. Even after he was forced to switch positions from tight end to wildcat quarterback, then back to tight end. Even after rumors of his potential transfer swirled last winter. “All I want…
The UMass Minutemen kick off fall camp this week. It is the first camp for old friend Don Brown and his staff. After a busy off-season which saw Brown and his staff upgrade the talent through the transfer portal and raise the bar, UMass is ready to put it all together on the field. The Minutemen kick off on September 3rd at Tulane. Here are three things I will be…
The East-West Shrine Game announced their top 1,000 draft eligible prospects list for 2023 yesterday. 14 players from New England made the list. Here is who made the list and from which school: Boston College Josh DeBerry, CB Jaelen Gill, WR Zay Flowers, WR Elijah Jones, CB Phil Jurkovec, QB Jaiden Woodbey, S Holy Cross Liam Anderson, ILB Merrimack Darion McKenzie, CB UConn Jackson Mitchell, LB UMass Ellis Merriweather, RB…
Photo: UMass Athletics To fans of the UMass football team, star running back Ellis Merriweather is arguably the most recognizable, popular player within the program. To the folks that work in the athletic department in Amherst, he’s just another student athlete trying to navigate his way through classes, tests and papers, all while being yelled at by Don Brown, Damian Mincey or Steve Casula at practice on a regular basis….
AMHERST – At about 9:55 on Saturday morning inside the practice bubble just outside of McGuirk Stadium, ACDC’s Thunderstruck blared over the loud speakers. With local recruits and their families on hand, the UMass football team quickly brought the energy level from a 10 to a 15 as the offense and defense split up for some early two-minute work. By 10:11, Brown called the team together around the 35 and…
The UMass Football team ended a tough 2021 campaign with a 44-27 loss to New Mexico State. The Minutemen had their chances but the defense once again failed to get stops when the team needed them most. After playing fairly well by their standards the week before, the defense was torched in this game. When asked why the defense struggled, Miller said it was more about the secondary struggling to…
PHOTO: ESPN.COM LINE: LIBERTY -35.5 (O/U 56.) We’re switching things up this week. Three keys on offense and defense seems pretty irrelevant at this point when all UMass fans and alumni want to see is a consistent effort that doesn’t make them embarrassed to be associated with the program. Look, after all the chatter – good and bad this week – it’s pretty clear what Saturday’s game needs to be…
Image courtesy of ESPN By Ryan Barry The eyes of the college football world were upon Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium to tune in to the “Battle of the Beaten”, a term coined by supporters of both programs on social media leading up to kickoff. With features in USA Today, ESPN’s College Gameday, and Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, this usually quiet regional rivalry meant a little more this time around. At…
After another ugly loss to Toledo that dropped UMass to 0-5 last weekend, hope has continued to turn into anger from the fan base and alumni demanding accountability for the lack of progress or results on the field. Well, if there was EVER a weekend that UMass could get some positive vibes back, it’s this one. Somehow, Uconn might be in worse shape than UMass when the Huskies visit McGuirk…