Best thing to happen to programs such as UMASS and ourselves was the advent of the portal.I have a feeling (trying to be optimistic for them) being in the MAC with very similar programs will help UMass. Being part of a conference will help recruit to that level, become familiar with competition, and give the program some type of foundation. It will be the eastern most program in the conference which may be an advantage when recruiting MAC level players from the East Coast. And with the transfer portal, kids can do very well in the MAC and get a look from the B1G. I know it didn't work out too well the first rodeo, but who knows.
People say that about UConn. Philly papers asking if temple should quit football all together. Never good.Umass needs to be FCS. There entire outfit seems like a high school "brand" at best.
Our brand has excitement and potential swirling. Umass and Temple have maroon as their main color... so boring.People say that about UConn. Philly papers asking if temple should quit football all together. Never good.
Temple had a great vibe going until Rod Carey. Now that have gone backwards to where they were before Al Golden. They have rich alumnae, so they could get NIL money. Their problem is they play in an NFL stadium and attract maybe 12K fans in a pro sports city. The school itself needs to decide if there is a path to P4, if not, they will be a lower G5 program.
Don Brown is out.
Sad state of affairs in Amherst.
I know it's not UConn but I do consider these guys related to us, even as they head to MAC.
Would love to hear any reflections from the BY, on where we think UMass should go.
I do believe a healthy UMass is good for us as a region, even if them getting better means it is not a pretty-much-guaranteed win.
They need a Jim Mora - a respected name with NFL/P4 experience (ideally as HC) and the mental drive to pull their program out of the mud.
Not sure what else to say. Feeling sad for those folks, I guess.
Previously, I was rooting for UMass football because I believed that there was a potential for UConn and UMass football to be aligned in a conference. With UMass headed to the MAC, that is no longer a possibility. So to be honest there is no real scenario where UMass football success helps UConn at all, and actually there is a competition for recruits and portal players going forward, so it's probably in our long term interest for them to fail.Don Brown is out.
Sad state of affairs in Amherst.
Would love to hear any reflections from the BY, on where we think UMass should go.
I do believe a healthy UMass is good for us as a region, even if them getting better means it is not a pretty-much-guaranteed win.
They need a Jim Mora - a respected name with NFL/P4 experience (ideally as HC) and the mental drive to pull their program out of the mud.
Not sure what else to say. Feeling sad for those folks, I guess.
Previously, I was rooting for UMass football because I believed that there was a potential for UConn and UMass football to be aligned in a conference. With UMass headed to the MAC, that is no longer a possibility. So to be honest there is no real scenario where UMass football success helps UConn at all, and actually there is a competition for recruits and portal players going forward, so it's probably in our long term interest for them to fail.
I would pay solid money to see that.Diaco to UMass would be wild.
Agree. Of all the candidates I have seen potentially listed for UMass, the only one that bothers me is Harasymiak.I would hate to see Harasymiak at UMass.
They could get Urban Meyer and I wouldn't worry about them.Agree. Of all the candidates I have seen potentially listed for UMass, the only one that bothers me is Harasymiak.
He is a talented up and coming coach who I thought would have been a decent fit at UConn before we hired Mora.
You figure once a coach is fired, players will be free to enter the portal. By firing the coach and trying to hire as quickly as possible, it gives the incoming coach(es) time to evaluate & retain current players while also looking into the portal to see who can be brought in. By the time spring comes around, the framework of the team (but definitely not the final version) should be in place. I agree with you that the portal should be just a once yearly event, but I don't think we're heading there. College free agency is here, for better or worse, and we'll see less building and more restocking (and not just because of graduation) every year.Are all these early firings so teams can get a head start on the portal with a new staff? I don't understand why we can't just do one portal in the spring and let the season fully play out in the fall. Would be a much better way to treat people like Don Brown.