Image via Eastern Michigan Athletics
UMass: How’d they get here?
Or, a better question: why is UMass here?
OK, maybe that came off a little smug, which isn’t the best attitude to show from a Mid-American Conference-based writer.
But as UMass enters Year #14 as an FBS-level program, it still has not experienced the joys of a winning season, let alone a bowl game. The best single-season record this program has posted was 4-8, which was twice accomplished (loose phrasing of the term, but I digress) three coaches ago.
If you look through the history books, you’ll read that UMass was once a team that traditionally housed some pretty good football teams. It was a Division II playoff team once (1977), and as an FCS or I-AA program, it reached the playoffs eight times between 1978 and 2007. The 1998 unit won the DI-AA Championship game over Georgia Southern (55-43) under first-year coach Mark Whipple.
Eight years later, in 2006, UMass reached the DI Championship game again, but fell 28-17 to Appalachian State.
Finally, starting in 2012, UMass would finally get to say it plays Big Boy Football. Somebody finally agreed to let UMass join its FBS conference, but UMass refused to let its basketball and Olympic sports be part of the new group. From 2012-2015, UMass joined the MAC in football only, while its other sports remained in the Atlantic-10.
Once the short-term agreement ran up, UMass still wouldn’t let its basketball (et al.) teams be part of the MAC brand, so it was left free to enjoy life as an independent. If a better conference membership option would become available, UMass would’ve taken it.
A better option did not make itself available to UMass.
In its nine seasons as an independent, UMass had six seasons where it won two or fewer games.
In February 2024, UMass finally made the decision the MAC had long hoped for. Maybe to a degree of reluctance, UMass re-joined the MAC as a full-time member, basketball and all.
In 2021, UMass became the first FBS-level team to lose to two FCS-level opponents in the same season (Rhode Island, 35-22; Maine, 35-10). The other three losses to FCS schools came in 2013 (Maine, 24-14), 2019 (Southern Illinois, 45-20), and last year (Bryant, 27-26).
2012 Charley Molnar: 1-11 (1-7 MAC)
2013 Charley Molnar: 1-11 (1-7 MAC)
2014 Mark Whipple: 3-9 (3-5 MAC)
2015 Mark Whipple: 3-9 (2-6 MAC)
2016 Mark Whipple: 2-10
2017 Mark Whipple: 4-8
2018 Mark Whipple: 4-8
2019 Walt Bell: 1-11
2020 Walt Bell: 0-4
2021 Walt Bell: 1-11
2022 Don Brown: 1-11
2023 Don Brown: 3-9
2024 Don Brown: 2-10
2025 Joe Harasymiak: 0-12 (0-8 MAC)
Current head coach Joe Harasymiak was once the youngest Division-I head coach for Maine, at the age of 29. He got the Bears to the FCS playoffs in 2018, and the team reached a #4 national ranking.
Harasymiak spent the 2019 through 2024 seasons in the Big Ten, as a safeties and co-defensive coordinator for P.J. Fleck’s Minnesota, then as a straight-up DC at Rutgers for Greg Schiano.
His first season leading UMass went without a win, and the team surrendered 40+ points seven times, including the entire month of November. Thankfully, unlike the last time UMass was in the MAC, there’s at least the transfer portal to lean on for a quick fix (fingers crossed).
UMass’ offense was last in the country in yards per play (3.87), total touchdowns (15), and passing yards per attempt (4.6), and offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian is now… in the NFL as the Cleveland Browns’ quarterbacks coach(???).
Max Warner joins UMass as the new OC, who, among other stops since 2006, was a QB coach and co-OC for Scot Loeffler’s Bowling Green teams (2019-24) and was an analyst for Toledo last year. Jared Keyte returns as a second-year defensive coordinator. He coached with Harasymiak at Maine, and stayed there when Harasymiak made his move up to Minnesota (2016-21). Keyte joined Harasymiak’s defensive crew at Rutgers (2023-24). (Keyte also spent the 2015 season at Rutgers as quality control).
PLAYERS OF NOTE
QB, “Pop” Watson III — A local flavor returns to the state after the former Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year winner in high school spent his first three college years at Virginia Tech. As a Hokie, Watson played in 11 games (2 starts), was a 57% passer (36/63) for 558 yards (8.85 Y/A) with 1 TD and 2 INT. Watson’s also a runner; he rushed 54 times for 81 total yards with 2 TDs in his three years at VT.
TE, Max Dowling — Returns after appearing in all 12 games for UMass last year (10 starts). Joined as a transfer from UT Martin (2023-24) and Kansas (2022). Last year, he started 10 games, caught 20 passes for 199 yards (3 TD).
LB, Tyler Martin — Returns after picking up Third Team All-MAC honors last year. Spent the 2022 season at Arizona before his transfer to UMass. Team’s leading tackler with 104 total in 2025 (36 solo, 4 TFL), along with 1 interception and 3 pass breakups.
S, Zeraun Daniel — UMass’ #3 tackler last year as a first-year transfer from Georgetown (75 tackles, 34 solo, 2.5 TFL, 2 pass breakups, 1 fumble).
CB, Isaiah Reed — A UCF (4 games) and Brown (FCS, 2021-24) transfer who was a First Team All-Ivy player in 2023 before injuries limited him as a senior. At Brown, Reed played in 34 games, made 148 tackles (109 solo, 9 TFL, 1.5 sacks), 7 interceptions, 34 pass breakups, and one blocked kick.
