Harasymiak Talks UMass QBs After Day 1

AJ Hairston & Grant Jordan looked good in their first day of practice under new head coach Joe Harasymiak.

AMHERST, Mass. - In fewer than two hours during UMass’ first practice of the spring, AJ Hairston made multiple eye-popping throws and apparently that’s been typical for the second-year quarterback this offseason.

“He threw one to (receiver Tyree Kelly) the other day,” head coach Joe Harasymiak recalled after Monday’s practice. “TK didn't have a helmet on and I said, 'That would've been stuck in your teeth.' He can sling it. He's legit.”

Asked to describe Hairston’s arm talent, Harasymiak replied, “It’s elite.”

“It's big-time,” the coach continued. “Field comebacks at 16 yards and he'll put it on them.”

Hairston is the leading returning quarterback after emerging at the end of 2024, appearing in the final four games of the season, completing 40 of 73 passes for 480 yards and five touchdowns without an interception.

The new staff brought in two signal-callers from the Transfer Portal to compete with Hairston in Yale’s Grant Jordan and Brandon Rose from Utah.

And compete Hairston certainly is.

But, as impressive as some of his throws on Monday were, Harasymiak was more concerned with how Hairston and Jordan performed getting the offensive unit on the field, in and out of the huddle and at the line of scrimmage.

“I'm sure (offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian) would answer differently, but again, I'm watching the operation of things,” Harasymiak said. “I'm watching the flow of the offense, how they get lined up, and I thought they took control and did a good job.”

“Just the way that Coach Jake and Coach (Grant) Belcher have handled that room, you saw today.”

Jordan made some impressive throws and also flashed a high level of athleticism throughout the session.

Of course the top of the depth chart will be down one this entire spring as Rose recovers from the injury he suffered last November while playing at Utah.

“He's doing great,” Harasymiak said of Rose. “He had surgery in the offseason. He's going to be doing some stuff moving around.”

For Hairston and Jordan, it’s important they take advantage of reps now that may not be as easy to come by when Rose returns, probably in the summer.

Rose is clearly itching to get back and trying to be involved as much as possible, whether that is very light, stationary throwing during individual periods or being an extra set of eyes as Bajakian, his former offensive coordinator at Utah, is installing drills that are new for everybody else.

“He's throwing static right now, but he's awesome,” Harasymiak said. “He's back there coaching everybody up. You see him behind the huddle. He'll be back soon. We're just going to take it nice and slow. Those things can be a little tricky, so we've just got to make sure we're doing the right things.”

The quarterback competition on its own will be taken slow as well, according to Harasymiak.

“Right now, we're just getting a ton of reps,” he said. “I don't have a timeline on (naming a starter). Always, with the quarterback position to me, it'll happen when it happens. It'll be a natural decision, but right now, I think Day One, they did a great job organizing things and running the show.”