Today a new era began in UMass football history. Since 1873, when the school was known as the Massachusetts Agricultural College, football has been a part of the school’s landscape, and today we took another epic step forward in our team’s evolution as a Mid-American Conference FBS school with the signing of 24 recruits. Anyone who has read my Facebook page or even previous posts knows that my husband is the Video Coordinator and has been for the past 14 years (15 seasons). In that time we’ve seen the team crowned National Finalists in 2006 and have won three conference championships at the FCS level, but we’ve also seen some trying times as well.  The transition to the FBS level was destined to be difficult at best, and for reasons best left unsaid, we crashed into a 2-22 record over two years starting in 2012. Needless to say, when the new coaches were hired, they had their work cut out for them. Building a team takes time. Repairing a team’s repution takes patience, respect and love. Fortunately, with today’s signing class on board, and the passion that the new staff has for the community, I can say we are well on our way to both. I’m proud of my husband, the coaches and my team. Being a Minuteman fan will be fun again. I can’t wait for the season to start and I truly believe at this point that anything is possible.

Fortunately due to the snow day, I had the day to veg out in front of our live Signing Day blog and my Twitter feed (which I only have for football) and I read the player stats: all I can say is that we have signed some physical players who are scary good at their positions. I wouldn’t want to go up against any of them!

NLI SIGNEES
DB Jarell Addo; 6-2, 190 pounds, Leominster, Mass.
OL Dimitri Angelas; 6-5, 291 pounds, Grand Rapids, Mich.
RB J.T. Blyden; 6-0, 204 pounds, West Grove, Pa.
DL Chris Carter; 6-4, 260 pounds, Bridgewater, N.J.
QB Ross Comis; 6-2, 215 pounds, Weirton, W. Va.
TE Jon Denton; 6-6, 260 pounds, Perry, Kan.
OL Dan DiNicola; 6-6, 275 pounds, Walpole, Mass.
DL Da’Sean Downey; 6-5, 240 pounds, White Plains, N.Y.
LB Ezekiel Edmonds; 6-0, 200 pounds, West Palm Beach, Fla.
OL Ryan Johnson; 6-5, 320 pounds, St. Louis, Mo.
DL Jake Largay; 6-6, 280 pounds, East Hartford, Conn.
OL Liam Porter; 6-6, 293 pounds, Natick, Mass.
TE Jean Sifrin; 6-7, 250 pounds, Miami Fla.
DB Charan Singh; 6-2, 192 pounds, Murrysville, Pa.
DL Josh Smiley; 6-6, 235 pounds, Chicopee, Mass.
WR Lamarriel Taylor; 6-3, 185 pounds, Chula Vista, Calif.
QB Randall West; 6-4, 220 pounds, Lawrenceville, N.J.
DL Jack Wynne; 6-5, 243 pounds, Riverside, Conn.

SPRING 2014 EARLY ENROLLEES
OL Anthony Fernandez; 6-6, 285 pounds, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
TE Jordan Fiske; 6-3, 225 pounds, Hinsdale, Mass.
WR Jalen Williams; 6-3, 205 pounds, Kennesaw, Ga.
QB Andrew Veryboys; 5-11, 180 pounds, Armonk, N.Y.

POSTGRADUATE TRANSFERS
QB Blake Frohnapfel; 6-6, 225 pounds, Stafford, Va. (Marshall)
WR Alex Kenney; 6-0, 195 pounds, State College, Pa. (Penn State)

Welcome to the family! Anything is possible for UMass now, I truly believe that!