February, 2013:

UMass Recruit: Jared Coker

Jared Coker, a 6’5, 275-pound guard that we’ve talked about before, is showing heightened interest in UMass and plans on taking a second visit to the school, according to a source with knowledge of his recruitment. Coker, a junior at Briar Woods High School in Virginia, took an unofficial visit to UMass with his dad back in early February, and the Minutemen offered a few days later, according to the source. UMass was the first school to offer. He will come up to campus “during spring ball” with his mom to check out the school. It sounds like Jeff Burris, UMass’ cornerbacks [...]

UMass Recruiting: Noye, Notes

Feb 28th, 2013

by Bob McGovern.

18 comments

UMass has made a verbal offer to Justin Noye, a 2014 dual-threat quarterback from Rochester, N.Y. Noye tweeted about the offer: Noye is 6’2, 185 pounds and currently has offers from Syracuse, Albany, Buffalo, UConn and Rutgers, according to 247 Sports. Check out his highlights here: – NOTES: The Minutemen also offered Solomon Vault, a speedy athlete from Maryland. Vault tweeted about the offer. Vault currently has offers from Pitt, Marshall, Western Michigan and Old Dominion, according to Rivals. This kid is outrageously fast. Check out his highlights here. … George Rushing, a wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale, also picked up a [...]

Maroon Musket Mailbag

Feb 27th, 2013

by Bob McGovern.

20 comments

We received a lot of e-mails after last week’s Maroon Musket Mailbag, and I plan on getting to each one. With that being said, please keep them coming. Answering these questions gives me a second to breathe during UMass’ machine-gun approach to 2014 recruiting. You can reach us at: maroonmusket@gmail.com. Today’s e-mail is from Zach Emery, who had many other questions that we will definitely get to as we have more time (and, quite frankly, more answers): – What other improvements (besides bathrooms) do you think should be added to the McGuirk renovation? While your question specifically says “besides bathrooms,” I [...]

Dave Johnson to Coach Offensive Line/Run Game

Feb 26th, 2013

by Bob McGovern.

4 comments

Dave Johnson, a coach with more than 27 years of collegiate experience, has been hired by UMass as its new offensive line coach and run game coordinator, according to a source with knowledge of the hiring process. Johnson will be joining the team immediately. FootballScoop.com, a site that follows the comings and goings of football coaches, initially reported that he was hired, and the Maroon Musket was able to confirm the hire and position. Johnson will replace Ron Hudson, who left UMass to coach Nevada in mid-January. Johnson was last the tight ends coach for the University of Cincinnati. Prior to joining the [...]