AMHERST — UMass defensive line coach Dave Wissman retired from coaching last week for health reasons, the school confirmed Monday.
Wissman, a 1993 UMass graduate from Shelburne Falls, underwent an operation over the summer prior to starting his second year with the Minutemen and that factored into his decision to step away in the middle of the season. He served as a high school football coach in western Massachusetts from 1986-2007 before joining the staff at Sacred Heart from 2009-16, the final six years spent as the defensive coordinator.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision to make and one I weighed thoroughly,” Wissman said in a statement. “After considerable discussion with my family, I believe it is necessary for me to step away from coaching football for my long-term health. I would like to thank the UMass football family during this trying time. Most of all, I have labored over this decision intensely because I will miss my boys in the defensive line room, they are a great group of young men.”
Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, a defensive graduate assistant who worked with the defensive line this year, will serve as the interim line coach for UMass’ final three games.
“We completely support Dave in this decision as he must step away from coaching for his personal health and well-being,” UMass coach Mark Whipple said in a statement. “He has been a great role model and leader for our defensive line since the day he arrived and we wish him only the best.”
RECEIVERS PITCH IN: A successful running attack is almost always credited to a strong offensive line.
On Saturday against UConn, it was the UMass line that garnered much of the praise for how well it blocked for Marquis Young and Jordan Fredericks. Lost in the shuffle were receivers like Brennon Dingle and Sadiq Palmer, neither of whom had a reception in the victory.
UMass only threw the ball 15 times due to the rainy conditions, but that didn’t stop coach Mark Whipple from saying it might have been the best performance from his wide receivers this season. He said their commitment to blocking and working for the running game helped open up the lanes for Young, who had his first 100-yard game of the season.
“The receiving corps as a whole really hustled and worked as hard as they have all year,” Whipple said. “They knew it wasn’t going to be a 40-pass game and I was really proud of them and it had a lot to do with the win. Brennon went in there and blocked and Sadiq did a good job. There’s a reason why Marquis got (148 yards), it wasn’t just the line. We’ve been harping on it and (wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson) did a really good job.”
JOHNSON TO TIGHT END: Freshman Josiah Johnson, who was brought in as a quarterback, has played tight end in two of UMass’ last three games. Whipple said it wasn’t a permanent switch for the 6-foot-5, 210-pound freshman, but that it was a way for him to contribute early with a loaded quarterbacks room.
“He started to do a good job on the scout team, so we kind of incorporated him on some plays and some things that way for him,” Whipple said. “He likes to play and he’s a little more physical than he would look. He started on scout team and then he wanted to be on special teams, and we put him at tight end before we played (Boston College) and we just kept watching him.”
TRANSFER WAVE: The transfer wave has hit UMass again, as junior running back Bilal Ally announced his departure from the program. Ally is the fourth player in the last three weeks to leave the school joining wide receiver Jessie Britt, defensive back Brian Roberts Jr. and wideout Patrick Volcy.
Whipple said it was their decision to make and said UMass would do what it could to be helpful in the transfer process.
“They all got beat out, they didn’t want to compete anymore, all the guys,” Whipple said. “They were told where they stood and they didn’t like it. That’s happened to a lot of other guys before. It’s just part of it. You make decisions and we’re going to protect them and help them. We didn’t play them so they wouldn’t use the year. It is what it is.”
MINUTEMEN SURGE UP POLLS: After a weekend sweep of Merrimack to begin Hockey East action, UMass moved up to No. 11 in both the USA Hockey and U.S. College Hockey Online polls. The Minutemen were 16th last week in the USCHO poll and were just outside the top-15 in the USA Hockey rankings.
Amherst native John Leonard was named the Hockey East Player of the Week after the sophomore forward registered a goal and five assists in the Minutemen’s two wins. He is the third straight UMass player to earn the award after sophomore defenseman Cale Makar was honored the past two weeks.