2026 Kicker Seamus McIntyre Talks UMass Commitment
2026 New Hampshire kicker Seamus McIntyre explains why he's fired up about joining the Minutemen.
Much of what led Seamus McIntyre to commit to the UMass Football program had very little to do with football.
“For me, the biggest value was coaching and the people that are in the UMass Football Organization,” the 2026 New Hampshire kicker told Minuteman Command this week. “That's what stood out the most for me.
“Obviously, the people I'll work directly with; (special teams coordinator Joe Castellitto). I'm the first recruit he's really brought in and he's the real deal, man. I've talked to a lot of special teams coordinators and he's by far the best.”
McIntyre, who announced his commitment to the Minutemen last week, was blown away by Castellitto as a person and confirmed that through talks with current UMass punters Keegan Andrews and Edward Phillipson along with long-snapper Jovoni Borbon
“He's just a guy,” McIntyre said of Castellitto. “He's super nice. He talks to you like a player rather than a number. A lot of the coaches I've talked to, they talked to you like you were a number or not really part of the crew. He talks to you like a guy.
“I talked to Keegan, I talked to Jovoni, I talked to Ed. They all talked about Cass the same way, they love him as a person rather than just a coach.”
That attitude, which first-year head coach Joe Harasymiak has been intentional about creating, has permeated throughout the coaching staff in Amherst.
“They all are super caring and they all care about you as a person rather than just your football experience and what you can do on the field,” says McIntyre. “They care about how you interact with the people around you. They care about the atmosphere that you keep. They're all super great.”
Castellitto let McIntyre know he’s very thoughtful about making sure his players are set up for success.
“He was telling me about the routines his players keep and how different they are,” says McIntyre. “He was asking my parents about what I need to be a better player. And that was huge for me.”
Still, the goal at the end of the day is to compete and win.
“The reason that Cass recruited me and all the guys in the office, they're all competitive and they're all football players outside of kickers,” says McIntyre, who noted how much bigger the UMass specialists are than other places he’s been.
“I'm a competitor. I love to compete against other people in the office. As a special teams player, I want to win. I don't want to just make the field goal. I'll do whatever it takes to get the win as a team. My end goal is for UMass to go as far as possible, not just for me to win the Lou Groza or whatever award I can go win.”
McIntyre also punts, but is being brought to Amherst as a kicker, something he prefers and he could find a way to make an impact early.
“The idea is that I'll come in as soon as possible as a kickoff guy,” he said. “I back myself to have one of the longest legs in the country, so I think that straight off the bat I'll be on kickoff.
“Derek Morris is a great person to learn from and I think I could potentially compete for a spot my freshman year.”
But as much as anything, McIntyre is fired up about joining the program.
“It's awesome to be part of the Minutemen.”
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