AMHERST — As UMass continually reshapes its roster in year No. 3 of the Don Brown era, players and coaches both say that the Minutemen will be faster this year than last year.

“I’m going to tell you what we do better right now than at any time I can remember,” Brown said after a recent practice. “We’re running the alleys and getting on the perimeter fast. That’s a big deal now. You can say, ‘oh yeah, that guy, he recognizes and goes.’ Well, he may recognize and go, but foot-wise, speed-wise, if he’s not fast, it doesn’t get it done.”

At running back, leading rusher and power-back Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams is gone for Michigan State. Backup Greg Desrosiers, who running backs coach Damian Mincey labeled as UMass’ “speed, burst guy,” is at Memphis now. In their place, the Minutemen have a committee that includes returning third-stringer Jalen John, sophomore transfer CJ Hester (Western Michigan) and grad-transfer Brandon Campbell (USC/Houston).

“At first, you’ve got to be worried that those two serious running backs are gone,” fifth-year center Josh Atwood said. “But honestly, I think we’ve brought so much speed back into the equation. Watching (freshman Da'Marion Alberic) out there is insane, I’ve never seen a running back run that fast. Even CJ (Hester) and Jalen John, they’re stepping up to the plate. Jackson Paradis, stepping up to the plate. So I don’t think it’s going to affect us as people think.”

Atwood said that he and the rest of the offensive line have been adapting to the differing running styles of the new backs. He said their speed has forced the line to get more vertical and stay in their zones better than they previously did.

Mincey said the Minutemen running backs room has gotten faster, and he said they now have three or four backs that can hit over 20 miles per hour. He labeled John as the “old, savvy vet” of the room and said he’s been impressed by Hester’s play despite being just 19 years old.

“He brings that speed element,” Mincey said. “Really good quickness. Catches the ball well, can run physical, play inside the tackles.”

Campbell, UMass’ newest addition, has impressed as well. Brown said he adds more speed to the running back room.

“He had one run today where I was like, ‘damn!’” Brown exclaimed after a recent practice. 

When asked why he wanted to add Campbell to the team, Brown said, “because I went ‘damn!’ He did exactly what we’d hope he’d do.”

At receiver, grad-transfer Sterling Galban should add a speed boost in the slot and on deep balls. He also has experience in the return game and has worked with a group of others returning punts and kicks throughout preseason practice. Last year’s leading receiver Anthony Simpson said he loves taking advantage of Galban’s speed in EA Sports’ latest video game, “College Football 25.”

And at quarterback, Taisun Phommachanh has been slowly returning to form after a knee injury suffered in the second week last season forced him to miss three games and limited his running ability when he did return. He ran for 130 yards in the six quarters before the injury, including 96 in a season-opening upset over New Mexico State, but totaled negative rushing yards in each of his seven games post-injury. He missed all of spring football but has been a full participant in fall camp, albeit with a heavy knee brace.

New offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery said he’s been working to design his offense around Phommachanh’s strengths.

“I’ve been places where we did not have a running quarterback, and defenses can do some things in the box and take away your running game and make you one-dimensional,” Montgomery said. “But I think with the things that he can do, we’ll be able to spread the field and keep people honest.”

Brown also thinks the Minutemen have gotten faster on the defensive perimeter. UMass added seven transfers to its defensive backs room this offseason, including five grad-transfers from FCS programs.

“There were situations during the course of (last) year where we had corners down, so obviously your perimeter speed gets impacted,” Brown said. “But the eight guys we’re working with at corner can all run, so that’s a non-issue. The question is just getting everyone up to speed and knowing which way to go and what to do.”

UMass ranked 78th in FBS last season with 54 plays of 20 or more yards. Atwood thinks the Minutemen offense can be more explosive this year.

“I think we’re fast,” Atwood said. “We have (Anthony) Simpson outside, we have Jacquon (Gibson) playing, Jakobie (Keeney-James) and that running back room. If we can get into space and get upfield, I think we can get some explosive plays and score some touchdowns.”