Joe Harasymiak Excited As Preseason Camp Opens
UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak spoke with reporters following the opening of preseason camp on Monday.
Joe Harasymiak didn’t spend much time talking about expectations following the opening of UMass’ preseason camp on Monday.
Instead, the second-year head coach focused on the process of building a tougher, more connected football team while expressing confidence that the Minutemen are entering the season in a much better position than they were a year ago thanks in large part to strength coach George Greene.
“Obviously, we’re a more explosive team,” Harasymiak told reporters. “We’re moving around better. We had a great summer. Credit to Coach Greene and his staff. I think we’re in a good spot coming out of Day One. So now it’s just about the progression, stacking days and making sure that we don’t take too many steps back.”
Harasymiak credited Greene and his staff for preparing the team physically throughout the summer, but acknowledged preseason camp presents a much different challenge as players adjust to practicing on consecutive days while handling the mental grind that comes with it.
Managing those demands is one of the biggest lessons Harasymiak said he learned from his first preseason camp in Amherst.
Rather than comparing this year’s team to last year’s, Harasymiak’s focus is on understanding the personality of a roster that has changed significantly while continuing to emphasize the toughness and connection he’s preached since January.
“I’ve talked about toughness and connection with this team since January,” Harasymiak said. “We’ve got to be more connected. When you’re more connected, you care more, you become committed more and you become more consistent. And then the toughness part, we just got to keep pushing them mentally.”
That mentality extends to the defensive side of the ball, where Harasymiak believes an influx of talent along the defensive line can help establish a much more physical identity.
After fielding one of the nation’s least productive defenses a season ago, Harasymiak didn’t hesitate when asked what he wants that unit to become.
“I think we need to be more violent,” he said. “I think our front seven, our middle of our defense has got to be our strength.”
That confidence begins with a revamped defensive line featuring eight or nine newcomers along with the return of defensive end Josh Nobles, who missed all of last season after suffering a torn Achilles during preseason camp.
Nobles has impressed Harasymiak throughout the rehab process and the coach believes the veteran pass rusher is putting himself in position to have a strong season.
“He looks great,” said Harasymiak. “I mean, he looks fantastic. I’m proud of his mental makeup, to be able to push through that.”
Among the newcomers already making an impression are defensive line transfers Andrew DePaepe and William DePaepe, brothers who arrived together as transfers from Indiana.
Harasymiak praised both their intensity and physical style of play.
“They’re what you want,” he said. “They play extremely hard. I love coaching them because their intensity in their eyes, they listen to you, they take every word that you’re saying.”
The head coach also believes the offense is beginning to resemble the roster he envisioned when the offseason started.
Several players who weren’t available during spring practice have since joined the program or returned from injury, giving quarterback Pop Watson considerably more weapons heading into the season.
Harasymiak pointed to the return of wide receiver T.Y. Harding, continued development from Joe Griffin Jr. and the added depth at running back led by Justin Williams-Thomas, Elijah Faulkner, Curtis Kimmons IV and eventually Jordan Washington as reasons for optimism.
“I think that’s way more depth than we had last year,” Harasymiak said of the running back room. “I think it starts with JT. You’ve got Faulkner coming back, and then you mentioned Curtis. And then we got Jordan Washington coming back from surgery.”
For Harasymiak, though, the first day of camp was less about evaluating a single player or position group and more about continuing the process of building the program he wants UMass to become.
The Minutemen still have several weeks before opening the season at Rutgers, but Harasymiak believes the foundation has been laid. Now it’s about continuing to stack productive days and turning an encouraging offseason into meaningful progress once the games begin.
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