Joe Harasymiak knows what UMass should expect Thursday night at Rutgers.
He knows the coaches, many of the players and understands the environment in Piscataway for the season opener.
But perhaps most importantly, Harasymiak understands the mentality Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has built his program around. Harasymiak served as the Scarlet Knights’ defensive coordinator for three seasons immediately before coming to Amherst.
Now Harasymiak has to prepare his own team to handle it.
“It’s obviously part of this game,” Harasymiak said of facing his former program. “I credit Coach Schiano for a lot of things that have gotten me to this point.”
Harasymiak spent three seasons at Rutgers before being named UMass head coach in December 2024.
The opportunity represented an important step in his career. Harasymiak had previously been a head coach at Maine and spent three seasons on the staff at Minnesota, but he still credits Schiano with giving him a major career opportunity.
Results followed.
Rutgers allowed 396.5 yards per game in 2021, the season before Harasymiak arrived. That number dropped to 349.8 during his first season and 313.5 in 2023, when the Scarlet Knights finished 16th nationally in total defense.
“I’m really happy about a lot of the things we accomplished together; back to back bowl games,” Harasymiak told reporters on Friday. “We took over a defense that at the time was struggling. That’s obviously how I got the opportunity. In two years we got it to a top 15 or we were 16th in total defense.”
Not every memory from those three seasons is quite as positive.
Harasymiak can still identify games and even individual calls he regrets.
“I certainly want some things back,” he said. “I want back that UCLA game. I want back the USC game and I want back my Illinois call, Zero Blitz at the end of the game.”
Those frustrations haven’t changed the way Harasymiak views his time at Rutgers or the people he worked alongside.
Schiano remains someone Harasymiak credits for helping him reach his current position, and several other members of the two teams’ staffs will be familiar when they reunite in Piscataway.
Harasymiak matched wits in practice with Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, who is still calling things for the Scarlet Knights. Meanwhile, he brought Jared Keyte with him from Rutgers to coordinate his defense in Amherst, along with other staffers.
And the return will give Harasymiak an opportunity to reconnect with people who played important roles during three years of his career.
“Unfortunately you remember the negative a little bit, but I try and focus on the positive in my relationship with Coach,” he said. “We’re still close. It’ll be great to see him and just great to see all those guys because I know how hard they work and certainly that’s rubbed off on me.”
The circumstances are different now, though.
Harasymiak is entering his second season at UMass and will walk back into SHI Stadium leading his own program. Rutgers will be trying to start its season with a victory against its former defensive coordinator, while Harasymiak will be trying to begin Year 2 in Amherst by beating many of the people he remains close with.
The significance of returning isn’t lost on Harasymiak.
“It’s certainly special for me,” he said.
But once the game begins, the relationships will have to wait.
Your one-stop-shop for all your sports marketing needs… Owned and Operated by UMASS Grads.
We specialize in providing top-quality marketing & printing services for coaches, athletic directors, and sports marketing professionals.
Get Fan Ready!