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Too many mouths to feed in the NE already...doubt Yukon would go for having them join.

#FightMassachusetts

@FightMA247
2m2 minutes ago

Quote:.@UMassADBamford mentions on the #EliteBreed18 NSD show that #UMass has a 10-year scheduling agreement with Army and a 8-year scheduling agreement with Liberty.

As of now only 4 games have been announced against both those opponents, but look for more info soon per Bamford.

(02-07-2018 09:09 AM)TexanMark Wrote: [ -> ]Too many mouths to feed in the NE already...doubt Yukon would go for having them join.

UConn would rather load their schedule with the likes of Quinipiac, Fairfield and Western CT State....... You know, its a wins vs losses thing.....

God forbid they have a rivalry with a team that may actually beat them once in a while...

(02-07-2018 06:58 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote: [ -> ]

(02-05-2018 06:01 PM)panama Wrote: [ -> ]

(02-05-2018 08:50 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote: [ -> ]

(02-04-2018 01:02 PM)No Bull Wrote: [ -> ]UMASS is a state flagship... lots of tv's in Boston. UMASS has a lot going for it.

Just because you say something doesn't make it true...

Boston is a PRO city first and always. UMass is irrelevant in the New England sports landscape. Do you really think that if people cared about UMass sports...especially football...they would be still languishing where they are?

Hell, even the UMass administration cares so little for their sports that they have invested only peanuts on infrastructure.

Hell.
No.

Ha ha...now replace Cincy for UMass and Southwestern Ohio for Boston and New England.

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Except for the fact that it doesn't work... But hey, whatever.

UC does have a market penetration...especially in basketball...that UMass will never have. It was one of the reasons UC is labeled as one of the three programs that underpin the AAC media deal and, if they were to leave, would trigger a renegotiation.

Oh and UC invested $86 million in their FB stadium and another massive chunk of change in their BB arena. So call me when UMass antes up to the poker game. Until then...

OK dude. No more coffee for you.

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UMass NSD notes from Mark Chiarelli and Mark Traini.
Summary, type of players we are recruiting and hiring a 10th assistant coach.
Assume most G5 teams are or have hired a 10th assistant coach.

From Masslive and Springfield Republican.

Quote:By Mark Chiarelli | mchiarel@masslive.com

UMass football announced the signing of five more recruits Wednesday, the opening day of the February signing period.

That brings UMass' 2018 recruiting class to 19 total players following a slew of pledges in December during the implementation of a new early signing period.

UMass hosted a Signing Day event at the Mullins Center Wednesday as well. And while February signing day certainly has less stress (and impact) now that staffs don't have to hold down 20 to 25 commitments, Minutemen coaches maintained the early signing period was ultimately beneficial to their program, something MassLive touched on back in December.

Two overarching themes emerged from UMass' 2018 recruiting cycle: Minutemen coaches valued speed and defensive versatility.

“We filled some needs defensively," head coach Mark Whipple said "Defensively was where we felt we needed not so much help right away, but down the road. I’m excited about this group. You heard coach (Ed) Pinkham talk about it. We need to get faster.”

Nearly half the class was defensive linemen and linebackers, and the Minutemen also added a pair of defensive backs. Several times, coaches made reference to players' track accomplishments, and placed an emphasis on 100-yard dash times.

“In college football, it’s a spread game pretty much," Whipple said. "We’re not in the Big 10. The team’s we're playing are spread. You need guys who can flat run. So we went and got some of those guys. You never have enough corners, safeties, guys who can run 10.8, 10.9. We want to play a man scheme. We sell that principle. But if you can’t run, you can’t play man.”

Below is a look at each recruit signed so far, and some commentary from various assistant coaches present at the signing day event, which you can watch here. It's worth noting the team can continue to add recruits in the coming days.

Some other nuggets that stood out...

Incoming transfer Brice McAllister, an East Longmeadow native and former UConn safety, was mentioned as a possible replacement for Jesse Monteiro at starting safety.

Whipple referenced several Massachusetts-born players could be in line for scholarships after joining the team as walk-ons. He said running back Nick Orekoya, a Billerica native, fits that description.

Athletic Director Ryan Bamford noted the team "invested" in a 10th assistant football coach, mirroring a trend seen at the Power 5 level after the NCAA approved the additional coaching slot last summer. He also hinted at some scheduling news on the way.

Fight Massachusetts:

Quote:National Signing Day was not the whirlwind it has been in the past for the University of Massachusetts, but the Minutemen did manage to secure the signatures of several more student-athletes for their 2018 recruiting class.

The prize on the day for UMass, their crown jewel of this year's class, was Under Armour All-American OL Josh Jefferson out of Washington, DC/St John's College HS. Jefferson, whose .8548 3-star rating makes him the second-highest-ranked recruit ever signed out of high school in Amherst, is an extremely high-ceiling lineman that could end up being the anchor on the UMass offensive line for years to come. Jefferson is also the first Under Armour All-American ever signed by the Minutemen.

Jefferson originally officially visited Amherst back in December and was surprised at how much he enjoyed the trip and the program.

The IPF is getting talked about. What I heard is the Bubble would be bigger than a steel structure for track. There is a current 2 page thread titled IPF and recently saw our AD Ryan Bamford post answer of "Yes" regarding the IPF on his twitter.

Will post the thread and Michael Traini first post of the Fight Massachusetts Board on 247Sports.

Quote:A bubble can technically be year-round, however it is far more susceptible to inclement weather than a traditional building would be. Which is why I personally hope that this talk of a bubble is incorrect.

UMass needs an IPF desperately, but given the school's location I can't imagine they would think a bubble is the best way to get that accomplished. It certainly may be the cheapest and quickest, however I would like to think that this athletic leadership is better than picking the cheapest/quickest option.

This speculation is being fueled by some posts on the 74 blog and the hoops board, and while they may have some legitimacy they may also be off-base. The most I've heard on the matter of an IPF is that the school would like to break ground on the facility some time in 2019. I haven't heard what type of building it would be or anything other than a desired start date.

Mike makes a good point that it does not necessarily need to be next to McG as the idea behind it is that all athletic teams can use it. However McG has the most available space around it to build on, and other teams have been using McG for training anyway. The other logical place would be the fields next to the basketball facility, making that entire area kind of an athletics corridor with the Bill, the CC, a new IPF, the new Rec center, etc.

And Ryan McKinney's post.

Quote:6 schools have IPFs/Bubbles, 2 are starting construction this year, USF formally announced plans in November, Tulane has access if need be to the Saints' facility.

Tulsa had preliminary plans 2.5 years ago, but they ran into an issue of available land. Tulsa could dip into their ~$1B endowment, but otherwise funding could be hard to secure with a very small enrollment to charge athletics fees upon and a small alumni base to fundraise. ECU has no publically available plans for an indoor facility.



Every school in the AAC that gets 12+ inches of snow per year has access to an IPF. (blue=built/access, yellow=construction in 2018, red=no plans)

Note, fixed below link.
Fight Massachusetts Board IPF Link

Posted today in the thread of the bottom of the last post, it's not a bubble but like Texas A & M. Quoting both Ryan McKinney and Michael Traini.

MT

Quote:Just as with the pics of a new stadium plan, these are just mock ups and are not final until released by the school in an announcement of construction, which we have not had yet of course.

Looks like the school has partnered with Legacy Building Solutions (https://www.legacybuildingsolutions.com/), a company that specializes in fabric buildings, but again these are not bubbles. Legacy built the McFerrin Athletic Complex on the campus of Texas A&M in 2007 (http://12thman.com/sports/2015/3/23/GEN_2014010157.aspx)

Not only would this building give the school an IPF for all sports, it would also give the T&F program a new competitive space as well. UMass needs one of these for its entire athletic department more than absolutely anything else right now. Hopefully they will be able to get it to come to fruition.

RM

Quote:^ It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but frankly if it'll help produce more competitive teams it sounds good to me.

I have to say, according to their website legacy seems to offer some really cool features. It's durable in all weather, including "icebreakers" to break up snow and ice that slides off the fabric roof, the fabric allows in natural light, it supports solar panels, it's supposedly more corrosion resistant than traditional buildings, and it can be built faster than a traditional building.

MT

Quote:That's a quite impressive facility IMHO, particularly for UMass who has always had issues getting things like this for athletics off the ground, the JFK CC and FPC notwithstanding. It gives them everything they could need and gets T&F a brand new competition space, which is a very good thing.

Legacy Building can put that thing up very fast as well. Given the way they construct these buildings it would be a relatively quick turnaround in construction terms as to how long it would take from groundbreaking to completion. The biggest issue with be breaking ground however, as it usually is. If they can get to that point, it could easily be up before the subsequent football season starts.

Always cool and adding this.

I'm super excited to see all this IPF stuff coming out. The sooner it's installed the better.

http://www.fbschedules.com/2018/02/10-lo...schedules/

The U-Game (Connecticut-Massachusetts rivalry) is featured.

Quote:UConn–UMass “The U Game”

First played: 1897

Last played: 2012

Scheduled for: 2018/2019 and 2020/2021

Trophy: None

UConn and UMass played each other annually from 1952-1999 as powerhouse members of the old Yankee Conference. In 29 of these 48 seasons (or 60%), either the Huskies or Minutemen captured the conference championship. On four occasions (1960, 1971, 1982 and 1986) they shared the title. It makes the rivalry one of the most meaningful despite its lack of curb appeal.

UConn moved up to the FBS (Division I-A) as an independent in 2000, joined the Big East in 2004 and are now members of the American. UMass moved up to the FBS ranks via the MAC in 2012 and declared its independence in 2016. The Minutemen lead all-time 36-34-2, but the Huskies won the only-ever FBS meeting between the two 37-0 in 2012.

(02-28-2018 12:19 PM)McKinney Wrote: [ -> ]http://www.fbschedules.com/2018/02/10-lo...schedules/

The U-Game (Connecticut-Massachusetts rivalry) is featured.

Quote:UConn–UMass “The U Game”

First played: 1897

Last played: 2012

Scheduled for: 2018/2019 and 2020/2021

Trophy: None

UConn and UMass played each other annually from 1952-1999 as powerhouse members of the old Yankee Conference. In 29 of these 48 seasons (or 60%), either the Huskies or Minutemen captured the conference championship. On four occasions (1960, 1971, 1982 and 1986) they shared the title. It makes the rivalry one of the most meaningful despite its lack of curb appeal.

UConn moved up to the FBS (Division I-A) as an independent in 2000, joined the Big East in 2004 and are now members of the American. UMass moved up to the FBS ranks via the MAC in 2012 and declared its independence in 2016. The Minutemen lead all-time 36-34-2, but the Huskies won the only-ever FBS meeting between the two 37-0 in 2012.

Glad to hear that this is happening. IMHO, a local rivalry game is what both schools need more than ever. You two should be scheduling each other in every sport every year.

(02-24-2018 07:51 PM)Steve1981 Wrote: [ -> ]Posted today in the thread of the bottom of the last post, it's not a bubble but like Texas A & M. Quoting both Ryan McKinney and Michael Traini.

MT

Quote:Just as with the pics of a new stadium plan, these are just mock ups and are not final until released by the school in an announcement of construction, which we have not had yet of course.

Looks like the school has partnered with Legacy Building Solutions (https://www.legacybuildingsolutions.com/), a company that specializes in fabric buildings, but again these are not bubbles. Legacy built the McFerrin Athletic Complex on the campus of Texas A&M in 2007 (http://12thman.com/sports/2015/3/23/GEN_2014010157.aspx)

Not only would this building give the school an IPF for all sports, it would also give the T&F program a new competitive space as well. UMass needs one of these for its entire athletic department more than absolutely anything else right now. Hopefully they will be able to get it to come to fruition.

RM

Quote:^ It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but frankly if it'll help produce more competitive teams it sounds good to me.

I have to say, according to their website legacy seems to offer some really cool features. It's durable in all weather, including "icebreakers" to break up snow and ice that slides off the fabric roof, the fabric allows in natural light, it supports solar panels, it's supposedly more corrosion resistant than traditional buildings, and it can be built faster than a traditional building.

MT

Quote:That's a quite impressive facility IMHO, particularly for UMass who has always had issues getting things like this for athletics off the ground, the JFK CC and FPC notwithstanding. It gives them everything they could need and gets T&F a brand new competition space, which is a very good thing.

Legacy Building can put that thing up very fast as well. Given the way they construct these buildings it would be a relatively quick turnaround in construction terms as to how long it would take from groundbreaking to completion. The biggest issue with be breaking ground however, as it usually is. If they can get to that point, it could easily be up before the subsequent football season starts.

Always cool and adding this.

i really wish somebody started making those games again.

UMass Football Career Night & Alumni Networking Event

https://www.facebook.com/UMassFootball/v...352233136/

Schedule is complete through 2020 and 8 games each are scheduled for 2021 and 2022. However 2023 looks a little concerning with 5 away games scheduled.

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/mid-amer...utemen.php

Details from today's release:

Quote:UMass Football Future Schedule Series Additions
Akron: Sept. 28, 2019 (Amherst, Mass.) • Oct. 3, 2020 (Akron, Ohio)
Albany: Sept. 19, 2020 (Amherst, Mass.)
Army: Oct. 28, 2023 (West Point, N.Y.) • Sept. 7, 2024 (Amherst, Mass.) • Nov. 22, 2025 (West Point) • Nov. 21, 2026 (Amherst) • Nov. 20, 2027 (West Point) • Nov. 18, 2028 (Amherst)
Coastal Carolina: Sept. 21, 2019 (Amherst, Mass.) • Sept. 25, 2021 (Conway, S.C.)
Eastern Michigan: Sept. 10, 2022 (Amherst, Mass.) • Sept. 16, 2023 (Ypsilanti, Mich.)
Liberty: Oct. 29, 2022 (Amherst, Mass.) • Nov. 11, 2023 (Lynchburg, Va.) • Nov. 16, 2024 (Amherst) • Nov. 1, 2025 (Lynchburg)
Maine: Nov. 13, 2021 (Amherst, Mass.)
Southern Illinois: Sept. 7, 2019 (Amherst, Mass.)
Temple: Oct. 10, 2020 (Amherst, Mass.) • Sept. 24, 2022 (Philadelphia, Pa.)

http://www.umassathletics.com/news/2018/...dules.aspx

Fix the Stadium and you will get mare home games.

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UMass and UConn should play Thanksgiving weekend every year. Talk about potential New England tradition.

(03-05-2018 06:57 PM)panama Wrote: [ -> ]Fix the Stadium and you will get mare home games.

We're more worried about the IPF right now. I think our stadium is fine for most games. If the opponent merits it we go to Gillette.

(03-05-2018 07:10 PM)esayem Wrote: [ -> ]UMass and UConn should play Thanksgiving weekend every year. Talk about potential New England tradition.

Love the idea!

(03-05-2018 08:03 PM)McKinney Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-05-2018 07:10 PM)esayem Wrote: [ -> ]UMass and UConn should play Thanksgiving weekend every year. Talk about potential New England tradition.

Love the idea!

I live deep in SEC country and I always root for UMass to pull the upset. You guys schedule with reckless abandon, I love it.

^ Always appreciate the support. We'll get 'em one of these days!

I like to think our AD has the philosophy of "we may have played 117 seasons in divisions perhaps below where we should have been playing, but we're gonna schedule the big boys like we've been playing them for years". It's either that or it's a money grab, but well that's not as playful a thought. :D

Thanks esayem. Thinking about Georgia this year since while in the service there was a guy from Athens. Was naive and didn't realize about the university. The one thing that would change that if somehow connect with him, but sh-t don't remember his name and he worked the ranges, cushy job at Fort Bragg in the late 70's. Mostly will travel to Boston College and UConn this year as easy road games.