Harasymiak Believes UMass Has Surrounded Pop Watson With the Weapons to Succeed
UMass transfer QB Pop Watson will be asked to do a lot, but he won't be asked to do it alone.
Much of the conversation surrounding UMass’ offense entering the 2026 season begins with quarterback Pop Watson.
Joe Harasymiak believes that’s exactly where it should start, but certainly not where it should end.
After spending all of last season searching for consistency, the Minutemen enter preseason camp with a deeper group of playmakers across the board than they had a year ago.
From a healthier receiving corps to an overhauled running back room and a tight end room that’s probably the deepest position on the offense, Harasymiak believes UMass has finally assembled the supporting cast needed to help its starting quarterback thrive.
“It’s been great,” Harasymiak said of having new pieces added and old ones return to the offense. “Obviously that was an issue we had. From a depth and talent standpoint, just being able to get guys the ball. I think you see that through Pop. Pop can do a lot of different things.”
Expected to be the leading receiver last year, T.Y. Harding was limited to just a handful of quarters in September before being sidelined for the season.
“We missed T.Y. all last year,” Harasmyiak said. “I haven’t really seen T.Y. play besides two quarters.”
The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Harding is expected to finally deliver the big senior season many have been waiting to see after injuries derailed much of the past two years.
The Minutemen are also counting on Joseph Griffin Jr. to emerge as one of Watson’s top targets. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound redshirt senior transferred home after spending the past two seasons at Wisconsin, following a productive career at Boston College that included 43 receptions for 579 yards and six touchdowns. The former four-star was a standout at Springfield Central as one of Watson’s favorite targets there.
Griffin has the size and experience to become one of the focal points of UMass’ passing attack.
“If you want to know what they’re supposed to look like, they’re supposed to look like Joe Griff,” Harasymiak said. “Now, he’s got to take this role and take this step and do what he’s got to do every day to become the player he wants to be.”
UMass believes the running back room is far deeper this season thanks to the additions of veteran Justin Williams-Thomas, bruising transfer Curtis Kimmons IV and Murray State transfer Jordan Washington, who is expected to miss the start of the season while recovering from an injury, along with the return of Elijah Faulkner, who showed flashes as a true freshman a year ago.
“I think it starts with JT,” Harasymiak said, referring to Williams-Thomas. “You’ve got Faulkner coming back, and then you mentioned Curtis. And then we got Jordan Washington coming back from surgery. I think those four lead that group.”
Harasymiak also made it a point to mention that he’s been impressed so far with freshmen TK Davis from Washington, D.C. and Justin Lewis from Mater Dei in California.
“I think our two talented freshmen are talented,” he said. “We’ll see if they’re going to be ready, but I like the takes there at running back.”
While Harasymiak is encouraged by the additions around Watson, he’s equally excited about the progress his quarterback has made since arriving in Amherst.
“Pop’s had a really good progression,” Harasymiak said. “I think his arm’s actually gotten stronger. I think it’s gotten more accurate. I’ve always thought he does a really good job in the pocket, feeling the rush. He’s able to create a second play.
“As a defensive guy, creating second plays are huge. When the breakdown happens, it’s going to happen, the best quarterbacks can create that second play. His leadership, everyone gravitates toward him. I talked about that since he’s been here. I think now that he’s settled into that role and he’s starting to get with that one group, he’s starting to take off.”
Harasymiak also pointed to Watson’s relationship with first-year offensive coordinator Max Warner as another reason for the quarterback’s continued development.
“I think his relationship with Coach Warner is critical,” Harasymiak said. “I think any OC/Quarterback relationship is critical and I think that has grown and it’s continued to grow. So I’m really excited about him getting out there finally in a game atmosphere because there’s something different in his eye when it is a scrimmage day or it is a spring game.”
Harasymiak acknowledged learning a new system wasn’t easy, but said preseason camp marks the fourth time the offense has gone through Warner’s install after winter workouts, spring practice and summer sessions. That familiarity, combined with increased accountability, has him believing the unit is finally ready to play fast.
“I think buying into the new terminology or the new identity is always challenging at first, especially in the winter,” Harasymiak said. “The demanding environment that we create, we hold them accountable and now it’s on them. It’s their choice to do what they say they want to do.
“We say we want to do something, we’ve got to act that way in every decision we make, priority decisions. We’re doing that. I’m really excited. I think we’re going to be multiple and I can’t wait for those guys to get out there and just show what they can do.”
Although Warner will direct the offense, Harasymiak’s role as a defensive-minded head coach is to provide another perspective while allowing his staff to do what it does best.
“Max is a grown man,” Harasymiak said. “He’s done this. He’s been successful. So have a lot of those offensive coaches. I’ve got to allow them to do their job and at the same time step in when things are maybe not going the way we want it to go.
“We’re aligned. That’s what I like. We’re going to run the ball. We’re going to be physical and we’ve got to take shots. That’s what we’ve got to do. I think that’s the identity of our team.”
Another position Harasymiak believes will help elevate the offense is tight end, a veteran room which may be the deepest on the team.
Reece Adkins, Max Dowling and Jax Markovich give the Minutemen three dependable options with plenty of collegiate experience, providing first-year offensive coordinator Max Warner the flexibility to use multiple tight end sets without sacrificing production in either the running or passing game.
The player with the highest ceiling in the room, however, is Matt Ogunniyi.
The former Rutgers transfer possesses the size, speed and athleticism to become the type of dynamic mismatch Warner helped develop at Bowling Green with Harold Fannin Jr.
Under Warner's guidance, Fannin became the first consensus All-American in Bowling Green history and shattered the FBS single-season records for a tight end with 117 receptions and 1,555 receiving yards in 2024.
Ogunniyi isn’t going to put up those kind of numbers this season, but if he develops into the player he's capable of becoming, he has the ability to transform the Minutemen's offense and could find himself back at the Power 4 level with a significant NIL package after the season.
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