UMass Walk-on WR Drew Alsup "A Special Kid"
UMass freshman walk-on wide receiver Drew Alsup has made an immediate impression on the field and off.
UMass made a significant push to upgrade its roster this offseason.
Through the Transfer Portal and high school recruiting, the Minutemen added impact pieces across the board in players like Pop Watson, Joe Griffin Jr., Isaiah Reed, Justin Krueger, Corey Warner, David Moore and Aedan McCarthy, all of whom project to play meaningful roles either immediately or in the near future.
Drew Alsup wasn’t a name that anybody on the outside expected to be included in those potential immediate contributors.
But within weeks of arriving in Amherst as a late addition to the recruiting class with little - if any - fanfare, the true freshman walk-on wide receiver had grabbed the attention of everybody in the building.
“Drew Alsup is a special kid,” UMass special teams coordinator Joe Castellitto said. “He’s different.”
UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak pointed to Alsup’s mentality.
“I wish I could pour Drew into every single one of our players,” Harasymiak said.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder made plays throughout spring practice both on offense and on special teams, something that Harasymiak expected him to do eventually, but maybe not right away.
“Surprised that probably this fast he’s made an impact,” Harasymiak said.
But it’s clear Alsup didn’t come to UMass just to wait his turn.
“It’s a choice that he made to bet on himself,” Harasymiak said. “He had a lot of great opportunities, Ivy league opportunities.
“But he came here and bet on himself. And I would say he’s going to cash on that.”
The Williston Northampton School product earned First Team All-NEPSAC honors during his post-graduate season after previously starring at Central Catholic, helping lead Williston to a 7-3 record and a championship game appearance.
Harasymiak said Williston head coach Tommy Beaton has built his own program up by adding players like Alsup and that Alsup has proven to be everything Beaton said he’d be when the Minutemen were recruiting him.
“From the way that Coach Beaton talked about him and what we saw when we went to practice,” Harasymiak said of why they wanted to add Alsup.
“Let’s be real, he ain’t 6-1, he ain’t 6-2. That’s how those guys make it, right? And his mentality has just been great.”
That mindset shows up long before Alsup even gets on the field.
“He shows up at like 4:30 in the morning some days or 4:45, gets his body right for practice,” Castellitto said.
“I joke with him, he’s got a chair that’s his, basically, in the players lounge,” Harasymiak added.”He’s in there and he’s studying the playbook. And I’m sure he’ll get all A’s. So it’s just the mentality.”
And as the group of talented newcomers continue to try to earn a role on this year’s team, Alsup has already proven worthy of getting on the field right away.
“Someone like Drew is going to play,” Harasymiak said flatly. “I would be shocked if Drew didn’t play in some way. Whether it’s because injuries and all that stuff, but also he’s pushed himself. He’s put himself in that position and everyone’s got the same amount of time, same choices to make. So he’s probably the one that’s elevated the most.”
Whether he finds meaningful minutes at receiver or not, it seems obvious he’ll find his way onto special teams.
“The kid’s just hungry,” Castellitto said. “I can trust his work ethic, so it gives me faith in his ability.”
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