UMass football fans cannot be blamed for losing faith.
After years of losing capped by a winless 2025 season, few are expecting meaningful change anytime soon.
Inside the UMass football building, though, belief in what head coach Joe Harasymiak is building remains.
Greg Knox III didn’t come to UMass because everything was already going well. He came because it wasn’t.
And Elijah Faulkner didn’t stay because his first season went the way he’d hoped. He stayed because he believes the people in charge can change the direction of the program.
Knox understood the reaction when he told his former teammates he was transferring from McNeese to UMass this offseason.
“I know it was a shocker to them,” Knox said. “They were like, ‘You sure you want to do that?’ I was like, ‘Man, I’ve never been so sure about something in my life.’”
The offensive lineman was aware of the Minutemen’s recent struggles. He just viewed them differently.
“I don’t want to go to nowhere where they already have everything going because I want to be a part of something that came from the ground up,” he said. “So I feel like that’s a big part of it.”
Knox’s belief started to take shape during the recruiting process.
The McNeese transfer had been looking for the right fit and heard about UMass offensive line coach Brian White from one of his fraternity brothers. Knox was told White could develop him as a player and, just as importantly, that he was somebody he could trust.
Since arriving in Amherst, the experience has reinforced his decision.
“Coach White’s a great guy,” Knox said. “He hasn’t disappointed since I’ve been here. I feel like I have a home here. I don’t feel out of the loop or nothing. I have good friends here, so I feel like that’s brought me closer to this place.”
Faulkner came to his belief from a much different perspective.
The sophomore running back arrived at UMass last year from Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic, one of Pennsylvania’s most successful high school programs.
Central Catholic has won four state championships and produced a lengthy list of major college and NFL players, including Dan Marino.
Faulkner was accustomed to more than just winning when he arrived at UMass. He had been a featured part of Central Catholic’s success, rushing for 3,076 yards and 45 touchdowns over his final two high school seasons while earning First Team All-Conference honors both years.
Faulkner flashed at times as a freshman and played in every game, but his first college season provided a drastically different experience than his high school one.
But, even those struggles didn’t lead him to look elsewhere.
“I have trust in my coaches,” Faulkner said. “I have trust in Coach H. I believe in what he says and how he’s going to turn this team around. My full trust is in them and I know at the end of the day that they’ve got my best interest and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Trust is one thing. Seeing evidence that something is actually changing is another.
For Faulkner, some of those signs have become more apparent as the Minutemen have moved from spring practice through Fall Camp.
“I definitely see that,” Faulkner said. “In the spring, we were just starting to learn each other’s names and get to know each other, but this camp has brought us so much closer together.”
Knox has noticed that connection developing as well.
The graduate transfer arrived in January and has watched a roster filled with players from different backgrounds begin coming together throughout the spring and summer.
“We’ve all been building a good connection with each other,” Knox said. “So I think that’s the biggest thing.”
None of that guarantees the results will change this fall, far from it.
For a fan base that has waited years to see sustained progress, skepticism isn’t going to disappear because players believe things are different inside the building. The Minutemen don’t just understand that, they embrace that.
“People doubting this place is what’s going to make it better,” said Knox.
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Christian, thank for your coverage of the Minutmen. Next thursday can't come soon enough.