AMHERST — Sleep is already hard to come by for UMass sophomore cornerback Isaiah Rodgers. It’ll be even harder come Friday.
Rodgers has been eagerly awaiting Saturday’s opener against Hawaii (6 p.m., McGuirk Stadium) since the Minutemen lost to the Warriors in November and now that it’s closing in, the anticipation is getting to him.
“I can barely sleep,” he said. “I can’t wait.”
Rodgers could have a chance to make an impact right away. If the Minutemen receive to start the game, he’s a starting kickoff returner along with Andy Isabella.
“I like it because you could be the first person to touch the ball,” he said. “You could start the game off and get momentum from the first play of the game.”
While this will be his second season returning kicks, he’s now the team’s primary punt returner as well.
“Anything can happen on a punt return,” UMass coach Mark Whipple said. “Once the ball is in the air you have to make something happen.”
Whipple said in game one, he’s more concerned with handling the kicks cleanly.
“He’s been good. In the first game the most important thing is taking care of the ball,” he said.
The following is a look at the special teams according to the depth chart released by UMass on Monday:
Returners
Rodgers is the No. 1 punt returner. Freshman Jesse Britt is listed behind him on the depth chart, but Isabella could see action there as well.
Isabella and sophomore Bilal Ally are listed along with Rodgers for kick returns.
Senior Logan Laurent will handle field goals and extra points, while junior Mike Caggiano will handle kickoffs.
Laurent, who averaged 41.6 yards per punt last year, will start for his fourth straight season. Laurent is on the Ray Guy Award watch list.
Senior Nick Berus returns as the long-snapper, while senior fullback Andrew Libby holds.
NO LONGER A WALK-ON — When Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy told the assembled players that there had been some reports of disruption in the dorms, Alfred Adarkwah was surprised, and even more so when he heard his name called.
As he walked to the front of the team’s meeting, the chancellor cracked a smile. There was no trouble. Adarkwah, a junior walk-on receiver from Worcester, was about to be a former walk-on. When Subbaswamy announced Adarkwah was being given a scholarship, his teammates mobbed him.
“I had no idea, but when he started smiling and said I’d earned a scholarship, my whole world changed,” Adarkwah said. “It’s one of the more memorable moments of my life. But I don’t regret the path I took. Walking on to the team has brought character out of me. I love it. It’s something I’m proud of and who I am today.”
Whipple said Adarkwah was very deserving.
“He works his tail off. He’s done a great job in the classroom. He represents everything we do. He’s a team guy. He’s getting better and better,” he said. “It was fun. It was great to share it with the chancellor. The best part of the job is being able to reward guys that really work hard and are team players and represent the ideals of what we want in a student here.”
Adarkwah immediately called home.
“My dad was going to work and my mom was coming out of work,” said Adarkwah, who has a sister in college and a brother headed there next year. “Calling them brought them joy. I’m just glad to have them happy.”
BROADCAST — Because of conflicts with the Red Sox, UMass’ games with Hawaii, Old Dominion (Sept. 9), Temple (Sept. 15) and Ohio (Sept. 30) will be on WHYN 560 AM. Other games could get moved depending on potential postseason games for the Red Sox.
The Hawaii, ODU and Ohio games will be aired locally on NESNplus for the same reason.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage