It is finally here. The day UMass football fans have been waiting for. The start of spring practice. Ever since Don Brown was hired in December, the Flagship Faithful have been pointing to this day.
It is the start of a new era for UMass football. The road to restoration begins now. Expectations are high. Real high! Brown and his staff are ready to meet those expectations.
Brown was giving a speech to high school coaches earlier this month and he pulled no punches when asked what his expectation was. He simply said; WIN!
Brown and his staff have done a great job in recruiting thus far and they have reinvigorated them program off the field. Now it is time to roll up their sleeves and get to work on the field.
Here are five things we will be watching for this spring.
1. How the players respond to the new staff: Brown set the tone during winter workouts and now is the time to set the tone on the field. Brown is legendary for his no nonsense approach. He sets the bar high and he expects his players to reach that bar. Brown has hired good coaches. They are all good teachers. He and his staff will demand a lot from the UMass players. They will be coached hard so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond.
2. Quarterback Reps: It will be interesting to see who gets the majority of the reps this spring. Brady Olson is the returning starter and while he is still young, he played a lot of meaningful football last season. To start, Olson will probably split reps with Zamar Wise. Newcomers Chase Brewster (Tilton School, N.H) and Gino Campiotti (Modesto Junior College, Manteca, CA) will be in the mix as well.
3. The Defense: All eyes will be on the defense this spring as Brown and defensive coordinator Keith Dudzinski try to fix one of the most porous units in the country the past three years.
Expect a heavy emphasis on fundamentals this spring. The focus will be on alignment, assignment, angles and tackling. UMass must improve in those areas if they are going to make meaningful improvement in the fall.
4. How will the new faces fit in?: Brown and his staff tapped into the transfer portal this off-season to turn the fortunes of the program around. There will be a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball.
How these new faces fit in will be key, especially on defense. If the Minutemen are going to improve on that side of the ball, then guys like defensive lineman Tyson Watson and Marcus Bradley need to get acclimated this spring so they can make an impact in the fall.
5. Offensive philosophy: Steve Casula runs a multiple spread offense that uses motion, shifting and unbalanced formations to create conflict for opposing defenses.
Like any offensive coordinator, Casula wants to score points but running the ball, controlling the clock and making big plays are key components of his system.
Given the way he runs the offense, expect marked improvement offensively and defensively. The defense won’t be on the field as much as they have been in recent years.