UMass Spring Game Preview
What to look for during UMass' Spring Game this afternoon.
AMHERST, Mass. - Another first for the Joe Harasymiak Era at UMass comes today as the Minutemen play their first spring game under their new head coach.
The spring exhibition will offer fans their first peek at the changes Harasymiak and his staff are attempting to make here.
We’re still very much at the beginning of the process and there is still plenty of progress that will need to be made through the rest of the spring, summer, fall and likely beyond.
Still, it’s all we got for now.
Here’s our guide on what to look for during today’s game.
QUARTERBACKS
Sophomore A.J. Hairston and Yale transfer Grant Jordan have been leading the way all spring. Each has had plenty of good moments while each’s limitations have been on display at times as well.
Hairston (#8) has elite-level arm talent. That will be on display at some point today and when you see him make an extraordinary throw just know that’s not as out of the ordinary for Hairston as it would be for most quarterbacks.
Hairston’s weakness comes when he’s asked to do more than drop back and throw. Is he able to avoid the rush and extend his time in the pocket to make plays down the field? Basically will he be able to make plays with his feet when something - or everything - breaks down around him?
Jordan (#3) may not have supreme athleticism, but it is a strength of his and he’s proven he has the ability to extend plays with his feet. The difference between Jordan and Hairston in that area may not be glaring, but it’s definitely obvious. But the inverse can be said between the two as passers. And, that’s not a knock on Jordan at all, it’s another nod to just how advanced Hairston’s arm is.
What We’ll Be Looking For
Harasymiak and his staff will have a decision at some point - and that choice will include Utah transfer Brandon Rose, who is out this spring with an injury. They won’t have to make that decision until at least this summer, but if you’re looking for your own preferred candidate between the two, try to decide whether you prefer the upside of Hairston’s arm or Jordan’s athleticism.
RUNNING BACKS
We think you’re going to like transfer running back Rocko Griffin, who comes from UTSA, where he spent two seasons after three at Vanderbilt. Griffin (#24) is a quick, powerful runner who has brought a burst to the backfield. Griffin flashed that burst numerous times this spring, but we’ll be looking to see what kind of long speed he has in a full-go setting.
We’ve been thoroughly impressed with Brandon Campbell’s (#23) patience as a runner all spring. But like Griffin, we want to see how effective that patience can be outside of ‘Thud’ tempo.
Freshmen Da’Marion Alberic (#22) and Godson Ofonagoro (#20) have shown flashes during media availability and we’ve been told they’ve shown additional promise during closed sessions as well. These guys likely represent the future of the room in Amherst, but could certainly work their way into relatively important roles in 2025.
What We’ll Be Looking For
Seeing how effective Griffin and Campbell can be in live situations will provide some insight into how productive the running game may be this fall. We’ll also be looking to see whether either of the youngsters jump out in any way.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
If we were taking bets on who would make the most eye-opening plays today, wide receiver T.Y. Harding (#10) would be the odds-on favorite. Harding isn’t Tyreek Hill-fast - nobody is - but if he reminds you of the former Chiefs and current Dolphins receiver when you see him make plays out of the slot on short passes, intermediate passes and long passes with that #10, just know you wouldn’t be the first one to have that thought this year.
Jacquon Gibson (#2) has been another playmaker this spring and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him do so on Saturday. The receiver room has some depth, but could use some more guys behind Harding to separate themselves from the pack. Pitt transfer Jake McConnachie (#7) and Kenyon Massey (#82) are two we think could do just that.
The Minutemen have Reece Adkins (#83), Owen Anderson (#87) and Magnus Von Saldern (#85) at tight end, but in all honesty, it’s been difficult to track who’s standing out at the position right now.
What We’ll Be Looking For
Even if Harding doesn’t make any gamebreaking plays today, we’ve seen enough over the past month to know he’ll be a major focal point of this offense.
We believe UMass has the players on the roster to play that role. We just want to see exactly who they will be. And again, outside of Gibson, McConnachie is the first one we’ll be keeping a close eye on. Also, can Tyree Kelly bust out and make a big play to get him going?
OFFENSIVE LINE/DEFENSIVE LINE
It’s always tricky when you’re playing yourself because anything positive for one side of the ball can also be seen as a negative for the other side of the ball. This is especially true on the offensive and defensive lines.
That cloudiness will be compounded if the lines are split up as we expect them to be.
On top of that, the offensive line is likely to look a bit different this summer and fall, when transfers Kyle Brown (Dartmouth) and Michael Entwistle (Harvard) are added to the roster.
Defensively, we’ve been told for months that end Josh Nobles (#2) is expected to be an impact player. Sources almost seem to whisper about how good Nobles can be when asked about him. During the spring, we’ve been impressed with defensive tackle Tim Grant-Randall (#11) as well.
What We’ll Be Looking For
Does one side or the other clearly get the best of Saturday’s tug-of-war? Does Nobles show flashes of that potential that has insiders so excited? Is Grant-Randall able to hold his own on the interior when everything is full go?
LINEBACKERS
One spot where the Minutemen seem to know what they’ve got is at linebacker, where they’re expected to rely on Tyler Martin (#5), Timmy Hinspeter (#44) and Dean Shaffer (#52). Much of what those guys do well - leadership, communication and being in the right place - may not jump out much on Saturday.
Derrieon Craig (#11) is playing the Star position, which is a hybrid linebacker/safety position. By the nature of the position Craig could be more likely to jump out since he’ll be playing in space more often. But if UMass’ running game is unable to get much yardage up the middle, you’ll want to keep an eye on who is on the field between Martin, Hinspeter and Shaffer at the time.
What We’ll Be Looking For
What do Martin, Hinspeter and Shaffer look like in the open field? Are they able to make open-field tackles when they need to pursue horizontally? Are they able to stick with the running backs out of the backfield in pass coverage? Does Craig flash?
SECONDARY
Perhaps the position group with the most top-end talent/potential in our opinion.
Cornerback TJ Magee (#7) looks like he has the ability to be a true lockdown corner in the MAC. The Minutemen also have tremendous size at the position - outside of the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Magee - with 6-foot-2, 185-pound Ryan Barnes (#14), 6-foot-2, 180-pound Brennen Bailey (#12) and 6-foot-5, 205-pound Jashon Watkins (#8), who jumps out when he lines up at corner.
Coming into the spring, we were huge fans of the pickup of former Georgetown safety Zeraun Daniel (#38) and we’re just as high on him at the end. But we were also reminded why former Virginia and Clemson defensive back Malcolm Greene (#1) was a highly-sought national recruit coming out of high school.
And behind all of those guys, there were several other DBs who showed flashes during practices.
What We’ll Be Looking For
We’ve seen a lot of this group during one-on-ones, so we don’t expect to get too many new answers on Saturday, but we always like seeing how Magee can hold up against bigger receivers? Conversely, how well will those bigger corners stick with smaller, quicker receivers?
We know what Daniel is capable of in the run game, can he make some plays in pass defense? Will Greene be that all-around playmaker we’ve seen him begin the become as the spring has gone on. Will any of the other defensive backs jump out?
SPECIAL TEAMS
UMass’ special teams unit was a big disappointment last season, but there are reasons to be optimistic coming into 2025. For one thing, we have all new faces at the specialist positions as well as on the coaching staff.
The Minutemen added kickers Derek Morris (#95) and Marcus Lye (#46) and punter Keegan Andrews (#98) via the Transfer Portal this offseason from Cal, Northern Arizona and Texas A&M, respectively. Long snapper Jovoni Borbon’s (#47) job is to go unnoticed, but the McNeese State transfer has the personality to be a leader who can also keep the entire unit loose.
So far, each has been extremely impressive…like EXTREMELY impressive both in terms of power and accuracy.
The format of the spring game may not allow for many - if any - return opportunities, but we think UMass has weapons on the roster in that sense as well, beginning with Harding.
What We’ll Be Looking For
Will the kickers perform as well inside McGuirk Alumni Stadium as they have inside the Bubble? What kind of hangtime will Andrews display without a ceiling to avoid?
