Coach: 2026 DL Commit Robert Ekins Could Be Elite

Don Bosco Prep head coach Dan Sabella talks about 2026 UMass DL commit Robert Ekins.

With the wave of transfer portal additions finished for now and National Signing Day for the Class of 2025 complete, UMass has now entered its first full recruiting cycle under first-year head coach Joe Harasymiak.

But the Minutemen hadn’t been sitting around waiting until now. Even before signing five 2025 prospects last week, UMass landed its first high school pledge under Harasymiak when 2026 New Jersey defensive lineman Robert Ekins announced his commitment in mid-January, on the heels of the staff’s first major recruiting weekend.

The Don Bosco Prep standout said he loved “everything” from the campus to the coaching staff.

UMass sees Ekins as a versatile, young defender who could be helpful on the edge or the interior.

Coming from a national power like Don Bosco, Ekins should be well-prepared for college ball by the time he arrives in Amherst.

Don Bosco head coach Dan Sabella expects Ekins to make an impact at the next level.

“Robert's a big, strong physical defensive player for us who's wrestled all of his life,” Sabella tells Minuteman Command. “He understands leverage, understands gap control, and can be really, really explosive at 255, 260 pounds.

“He has the ability to generate a pass rush as well as being pretty imposing, taking on pullers and being physical on a defensive front.”

As good as Ekins has been already for the Ironmen, Sabella is convinced his best football is still ahead of him.

“I would say he's a good pass rusher, but I think he can be elite,” Sabella continues. “I think he can even take it up a couple notches as he continues to work on his hands and quick feet, just understanding angles when it comes to getting to the quarterback.”

Off the field, Ekins isn’t a big rah-rah guy, but still possesses leadership qualities.

“He's a little more quiet, reserved, but once you get to know him, he's definitely got a sense of humor to him and is a great teammate,” he says. “He's really starting to come out of his shell, especially the past couple months as he's entering into his senior year.”

And, he’s going to bring everything he’s learned along with his natural attitude with him to Amherst.

“Robert's going to work his tail off. He's got that blue-collar mentality.”