With a heat index of 90 degrees at the first horn of camp, players were still excited as ever to hit the field despite the steamy conditions.

For UMass coach Don Brown, who enters his third season leading the Minutemen in the FBS era since his return in 2021, it felt like business as usual back on the field.

“It was fun out there today,” said Brown. “I really enjoy working with these young men, we’ve got a great group of guys.”

As with any opening camp jitters, he felt there was plenty of good, and plenty to be worked on.

“I got kind of what I expected,” Brown said. “There was good effort, good energy, guys trying their tails off, some solid execution, and some not.”

With day one of practice  in the books, here are a few observations from the Minutemen’s return to the gridiron.

First Down: Quarterbacks have decent day

Redshirt senior quarterback Taisun Phommachanh looked composed and confident throughout practice. After being held out for part of spring practices to recover from an injury he sustained in 2023, the Bridgeport, Conn. native was all systems go. During 11-on-11 drills, Phommachanh connected on a perfectly thrown deep ball in stride with Eastern Washington graduate transfer Jakobie Keeney-James. While throwing just against his DB’s, he was fairly accurate and kept his incompletions high to avoid interceptions.

Redshirt freshman Ahmad Haston showed his mobility in the pocket and had a few good balls on the day, though did throw an interception during 11-on-11 work to Sacred Heart graduate transfer Arsheen Jiles.

Freshman AJ Hairston and Akron transfer Ryan Jankowski also saw plenty of action throughout the day, with Jankowski connecting on a solid slant route in stride to freshman Keyon Massey.

Second Down: The powerwash of running backs

Replacing your top two running backs is never easy, especially when they both announce last-minute transfers in the spring, but the Minutemen appear to have plenty of options for spots carrying the ball this season.

It looks like Brown wants to have as open a competition as possible, with seemingly every back getting plenty of reps throughout the session. He may have a feature figure in mind for Week 1, but for now, it looks like the entire stable is getting a chance to run its race.

One player he was particularly impressed with was redshirt junior Jalen John, who had a few solid runs break free during 11 on 11’s. He was also encouraged with the health of redshirt sophomore Jackson Paradis who transferred last season from Buffalo but saw limited time due to injury.

Third Down: Speedy receivers and big tight ends

The pass catching group made drastic improvements from Year 1 to Year 2 under Brown, and it looks like that trend could continue this season.

For the wide receivers, one thing that stood out in particular was speed. Texas Tech graduate graduate transfer Sterling Galban moved well in individual drills, and had a great pitch and catch with Phommachanh in 11 on 11’s.

Returning leading receiver Anthony Simpson looked great as well, with Brown predicting him to be on pace for another great season. Redshirt sophomore Jacquon Gibson had the play of the day with a leaping grab in tight coverage that got the whole offensive sideline up and about.

For the tight end group, one thing that stood out in particular was how big they looked. San Jose State graduate transfer Dominick Mazotti and Alabama State (by way of Clemson) graduate transfer Jaelyn Lay look to be the real deal with size and pass catching ability.

Fourth Down: Defense active and energetic

The defense has always been a staple of any Don Brown team, and things looked no different in Friday morning’s session. The energy and intensity was certainly there, which was all the more impressive with the unit wearing heat attracting black practice jerseys.

Redshirt freshman Jadrian Gibbs had a particularly impressive pass break-up of a Phommachanh pass, which came after a stellar track-down interception from redshirt sophomore Jeremiah McGill by the way of a Jankowski pass.

Bryant graduate transfer Lake Ellis also looked the part, with the FCS-to-FBS transfer fitting right in and being highly active across the field.

The interior defensive line and offensive line battled all morning, with neither particularly gaining the upper hand, aside from a few standout moments on both sides.

 Extra Points

• New offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery was vocal throughout practice. Most recently spending time as an offensive assistant at East Carolina, his extensive coaching history looks the part with his confident demeanor.

• It’s great to see longtime Minuteman Alex Miller still patrolling the sidelines, who himself was also very vocal with his offensive line throughout practice.

• Speaking on the offensive line, Brown noted afterwards he expects that unit to have a big year with the improvements they’ve made there

• Talking about injuries, especially in the preseason, is always a tricky bit, but there didn’t seem to be anything major happening today other than the occasional cramping due to the heat. It was great to see the coaching staff so vocal about hydration, with heat-related incidents unfortunately happening every summer at camps across the country.