2027 DL Trent Small Talks UMass Commitment
2027 Maryland defensive lineman Trent Small explains why he picked the Minutemen over schools like Temple, USF and Georgia State.
Trent Small was looking for a place that felt like home.
The 2027 Maryland defensive lineman found it at UMass, where strong relationships with the coaching staff and two visits to Amherst convinced him to end his recruitment and commit to the Minutemen after this past weekend’s official visit.
“It just felt like home,” Small told Minuteman Command.
The DeMatha Catholic standout strongly considered schools like Temple, Georgia State and USF before ultimately deciding UMass offered everything he was looking for.
For Small, the relationships made the difference.
“Really the coaches,” he said. “They really stuck with me throughout this whole process.”
Small admitted the recruiting process wasn’t always easy, but appreciated the way assistant defensive ends coach Kayon Whitaker and defensive line coach Nyeem Wartman handled it.
“This whole process was a lot, especially for me,” Small said. “A lot of stuff happened in my family during this recruitment process. I was going through a lot mentally.”
Rather than overwhelming him, the UMass staff gave him space while continuing to show they believed in him.
“These coaches actually stuck with me,” Small said. “Through the hard times, they were still there, but they weren’t overwhelming me. When the time came, they pulled through.”
Whitaker, in particular, built a strong relationship with the Maryland native.
“I was really dealing with Coach Whit strongly, heavily,” Small said. “He was really heavily recruiting me throughout this whole process. He was great throughout the whole thing.”
Small visited Amherst twice in a span of two weeks, first for an unofficial visit before returning for his official.
He was actually ready to commit during the visit, but wanted one more conversation first. His mother wasn’t able to attend either trip, so he returned home after the unofficial to get her blessing.
“I really liked it on campus, but I wanted to consult with my mom,” Small said. “I went back home and I told my mom. She said it was cool.”
The second trip reinforced what he already believed and ultimately sealed it. He gave his commitment to the staff before leaving Amherst.
“The scenery was beautiful,” Small said. “It’s a campus with no distractions.
“A lot of colleges and places, it’s in the heart of a city or if it’s not in the heart of a city, it has a lot of distractions around,” he said. “So I really liked that about UMass.”
Coming from perennial Maryland powerhouse DeMatha Catholic, Small believes he’ll bring more than just talent to Amherst.
“I come from not just a winning program, but I come from hard work. Winning is good, but in order to win, you have to work hard. I feel like I can bring that to UMass with my work ethic and because of that, we could win some games.”
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