UMass

How will college football in New England navigate the $20.5 Million Cap? Time will tell

June 7, 2025
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The landscape of Division I college football has been permanently altered with the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement that was announced on Friday. The settlement is ushering in an era of direct athlete compensation under a reported $20.5 million annual salary cap per institution.  While this represents a seismic shift for all of college athletics, its impact on Division I college football in New England—a region not traditionally……

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Catching up with Xaverian’s Dave Chiavegato after his commitment to UMass

May 20, 2025
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Xaverian standout athlete Dave Chiavegato announced on Monday evening that he was committing to UMass. Chiavegato cited UMass Joe Harasymiak offering him in person and developing a relationship with him as the reasons he committed to the Minutemen. Here is our interview with Chiavegato. He talks about what went into his decision, his future with UMass and his final season at Xaverian.  NEFJ: Why did you decide to commit to……

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UMass Transfer Portal Update

May 19, 2025
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Courtesy of UMass Athletics The UMass Minutemen football program, under the direction of first-year head coach Joe Harasymiak, has experienced significant activity in the NCAA Transfer Portal leading up to the 2025 season.1 As UMass prepares for its return to the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the coaching staff has been actively reshaping the roster through both incoming and outgoing transfers. Influx of Talent via the Portal: Harasymiak and his staff have……

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Meet your local draft prospects: WR Jakobie Keeney-James

April 24, 2025
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Courtesy of JKJ X Jakobie Keeney-James transferred into UMass from Eastern Washington. The Redlands, California native transitioned into the program seamlessly catching 50 passes for 839 yards and 6 touchdowns last season. James ran a blistering 4.37 forty at his pro day.  Get to know Jakobie Keeney-James  NEFJ: When did you start playing football? JKJ: “I started playing football when I was 11 years old, I was playing 2k11 and my…

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UMass announces Jared Keyte as the program’s new defensive coordinator

January 25, 2025
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Courtesy of Rutgers Athletics On Friday, UMass announced Jared Keyte as the program’s new defensive coordinator. Keyte comes to Amherst after spending the past two seasons working with new coach Joe Harasymiak as the nickels coach in 2024.  Keyte served as the defensive quality control/interim defensive line coach in 2023. He helped the Scarlet Knights to back-to-back bowl games. Prior to coaching at Rutgers, Keyte coached at the University of……

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Harasymiak re-tooling the UMass roster in the portal

January 15, 2025
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New UMass coach Joe Harasymiak and his staff have been busy the past month bringing in transfers. As of Monday, Harasymiak and his staff have brought in 27 transfers in the portal. An astounding number. Not only have they brought in 27 new faces but many of the players brought in have either local high school or college ties. Like his predecessor Don Brown, Harasymiak has dipped into the Ivy……

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UConn 47, UMass 42 — Huskies surge in second half to beat Minutemen

November 30, 2024
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By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff AMHERST — The 78th edition of the “U Game” will forever go down as one of the best installments of this longtime New England rivalry. The UConn Huskies (8-4) outlasted the UMass Minutemen (2-10), 47-42, in a game that lasted just over three and a half hours. A back-and-forth first half saw the Minutemen lead 28-27 going into the locker room, only for the Huskies……

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UMass 35, Wagner 7 — Minutemen cruise to second win

October 26, 2024
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By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff A picture-perfect fall day at McGuirk Alumni Stadium was the setting for a dominant, 35-7 win for the UMass Minutemen over the Wagner Seahawks. Needing a resounding win coming off their first bye week of the season, the Minutemen delivered one of their best all-around games in 2024. UMass (2-6) compiled 326 yards of total offense and allowed just 218 yards from the Seahawks (4-5)…….

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UMass 35, Central Connecticut State 31 — Don Brown earns 100th career win

September 21, 2024
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By Ryan Barry NEFJ Correspondent The UMass Minutemen (1-3) capped off homecoming weekend with a 35-31 win over the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (2-2) at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon. For UMass coach Don Brown, today’s outcome was extra special, with the win being the 100th of his career as a head coach. When asked after the game, despite an initial humorous brush off, he opened up about……

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