AMHERST — Ellis Merriweather pointed at fellow UMass running back Kay’Ron Adams as his eyes lit up.
“That dude right there is a monster. He excites me. If I’m down, if I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do he comes up to me and he lets me know,” Merriweather said. “So it’s great. He knows how to practice, he knows how to attack the day. It provides some more experience.”
Adams played two seasons at Rutgers in the Big Ten. The Warren, Ohio, native accumulated 320 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 18 games. He’s one of 10 players on the UMass football roster that previously spent time at a Power 5 school (one in the Big 10, ACC, SEC, Pac 12 or Big 12). All of them except former Notre Dame defensive back Noah Boykins, who had 15 tackles in four games last season for the Minutemen.
The NCAA’s new transfer rule, which allowed players to transfer freely once without needing to sit out a year even as undergraduates, facilitated the influx.
“We’re always trying to elevate the roster at both ends. We’ve attacked our walk-on program, we’ve attacked the transfer portal, junior college, anything we can do to elevate our roster any way, shape, form, or fashion,” UMass coach Walt Bell said. “The bottom, the middle, the top. We’re just trying to get better.”
An infusion of that kind of talent can raise both the Minutemen’s ceiling and floor. Even if they didn’t stick with programs at that level, having the physical makeup and capability to play in Power 5 games will only benefit UMass as it tries to rebuild its program and break an 11-game losing streak dating back to Sept. 28, 2019.
Redshirt junior Bryce Watts has the most experience, playing 25 games in two years before transferring to North Carolina. He sat out the 2019 season due to transfer rules and opted out of 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns.
He’s one of two former Tar Heels that will bring speed and ferocity to UMass’ secondary. Redshirt sophomore Bryson Richardson sat out 2019 with a season-ending injury then entered the transfer portal last September.
“It’s just a different mindset. The level of competition – some might say, ‘oh it’s not the same, you were in a Power 5, you played all these ACC teams, SEC teams,’ but at the end of the day, football is football,” Richardson said. “When it comes to preparation, I’ve got to prepare the same way like I did from when I was at UNC.”
UMass also doubled up on Rutgers transfers with redshirt freshman defensive tackle Devin Baldwin. The Michigan native played two games as a freshman with the Scarlet Knights.
Graduate transfer quarterback Tyler Lytle appeared seven times for Colorado, while wide receiver Eric Collins saw action in eight games across two seasons at North Carolina State. Willie Allen was originally an LSU signee before spending two seasons at Louisiana Tech. The former four-star recruit then transferred to Michigan before spring ball but left the Wolverines for UMass this season. Redshirt sophomore kicker Jay LaRosa spent time at Ole Miss, and linebacker Mike Saliba, a Dedham native, was a preferred walk-on at Arizona.
Some will start, while others will add depth, competition or experience. Wherever they came from and however they contribute, they’re Minutemen now.
“I definitely want to be a guy that came in and really helped this team excel to a top program,” Adams said. “I want to establish myself as one of the best backs in the nation and come in and work every day.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.