AMHERST — UMass lacked weapons on the perimeter last season.
The team’s leading receiver from last year’s COVID-19 shortened four-game season, Samuel Emilus (17 catches, 168 yards, the year’s only touchdown) transferred to Louisiana Tech. UMass only mustered 121.5 receiving yards per game.
After reloading in recruiting, adding experienced transfers and developing the players that remained, the Minutemen now have an arsenal.
“It’s night and day compared to what we had in the spring. We had limited bodies, and it was whoever could go, could go,” UMass assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Luke Paschall said on the Plant the Flag Inside UMass Athletics Podcast. “The competition’s really high. Everybody has the chance to play, for the most part. Every day has been a battle, and that’s been a good thing.”
Only three wide receivers still on the roster caught passes for the Minutemen last year: Jermaine “OC” Johnson, Jr. (14 catches, 96 yards), Melvin Hill (4-36) and Victor Santiago (2-4). Johnson also played in 12 games as a freshman and profiles well as a dangerous slot weapon that can make catches in traffic then threaten after the catch.
“It’s night and day. With repetitions and with game reps and being forced in when he probably shouldn’t have played as a true freshman, but where we were at we had to,” Paschall said. “He’s a guy that can really run, and not only does he know where he’s at at the slot position but he could probably go outside. He knows everything on the field.”
The Minutemen also manufactured experience by bringing in transfers Rico Arnold, a former Conference USA All-Freshman team performer at Charlotte, Eric Collins from NC State and Isaac Ross at Charleston Southern.
Arnold compiled 22 catches for 302 yards in 2018 and missed the 2019 season recovering from a surgery. He played five games lat season and made two catches.
Collins was largely a special teams performer with the Wolfpack but played four games at wideout in 2019. He played one season at Mississippi Valley State before transferring to NC State.
At Charleston, which played its regular season in the spring, Ross had 102 yards and a touchdown.
“We can win on the outside, win on the inside. That opens up the offense more,” Arnold said. “When you’re the X receiver you know you’re going to be the main target, knowing you’re that guy. You’ve got to prepare that way so you know you’ve got to bring it.”
UMass’ experienced receivers have made the transition easier for talented freshmen Michael Fitzgerald and Jamir Roberts.
Fitzgerald is a 6-foot-6 three-star recruit from Georgia that also boasts an impressive basketball highlight tape. He was used to dominating high school cornerbacks with his size and athleticism, but players like Arnold have shown him how to be a complete receiver.
“Oh yeah for sure, it’s been fun like just learning new things every day,” Fitzgerald said. “There were a couple of things I did, changes now to blocking and stuff like that you don’t really get the details in high school with certain style so it’s really just learning certain things I have to do when I don’t get the ball more or less than when I have the ball.”
If Fitzgerald is the thunder in that freshman pair, Roberts brings the lightning. The Maryland native made the Adidas Indoor Nationals 55-meter dash finals and the AAU Indoor National Championships finals in the 60 last spring.
“(Roberts) is the fastest player I’ve ever coached, probably the fastest player we’ll play on the schedule this year,” Paschall said. “He’s the fastest human being I’ve ever seen in person. He can absolutely go.”
That diversity in skill set allows UMass to win in multiple ways throwing the ball.
“You’ve got a little bit of everything you need from an outside guy, a red zone guy,” UMass coach Walt Bell said. “Coach Paschall does a great job with them. We feel good about that room as long as we can stay healthy.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.