Jaret Pallotta wanted to make his college choice early and UMass felt like a fit right away.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound quarterback from Canton, Ohio, visited Amherst last month on his way to the spring game at Dartmouth, where his brother Jake is the starting quarterback.
“I met with Coach (Mark) Whipple in his office and he offered. I loved everything about UMass,” said Pallotta, who was ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports. “It was definitely a goal of mine to choose early. I wanted to enjoy my senior season with my teammates.”
With more and more programs running spread offense, Pallotta said UMass’ pro set stood out. Despite living in Browns country, Pallotta is a Steelers fan. The fact that Whipple helped develop Ben Roethlisberger when he coached with the Steelers, impressed Pallotta.
“I love Coach Whipple and I think the offense he runs is perfect for my set of skills,” said Pallotta, who was also considering Western Kentucky and Toledo. “The offense he runs fits me. It’s an NFL type offense. At the end of the day my goal is to play in the NFL and this gives me a great opportunity to showcase my skills in a great system.”
Pallotta will be eligible to officially sign a letter of intent on Dec. 20, the start of college football’s first early signing period.
He’d be a freshman in 2018, joining a roster that could feature Andrew Ford and Ross Comis, who’d both be seniors, and Randall West and Michael Curtis, who’ll be juniors.
Pallotta said he threw for 2,100 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a junior.
“I want to cut down on interceptions and get better running the ball,” he said. “If I can be a threat running the ball and keep defenses honest our offense could be really deadly.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage