The UMass football team’s season-opener at Rutgers on Sept. 3 is fast approaching and as its fall camp winds down, the anticipation is ratcheting up.
The Minutemen’s offense continues to work through an overhaul led by new offensive coordinator Max Warner and offensive lineman Greg Knox III and running back Elijah Faulkner touched on what the new play-caller has brought to the program.
“He’s real fiery, but I feel like that’s what we needed,” Knox III said. “I feel like that’s what this team needed, someone to light a fire in somebody. He’ll get up here, in team meetings, he wouldn’t even talk about football, he would just talk about getting us ready for practice, getting us ready to go. I feel like that’s the biggest thing.”
“The thing about Coach Warner is he’s unapologetically himself,” Faulkner said. “If you like it or not, there’s not really a choice. It is what it is. I don’t think our offense would be ready to practice everyday if it wasn’t for his [persistence].”
Warner has been tasked to reconstruct UMass’ offense from its historically poor output in 2025 (last in FBS in points scored and total yards), to a level where touchdowns aren’t few and far between.
When Warner addressed the media in early August, he was ‘cautiously optimistic’ in the progress the unit had shown to that point.
Now about a week away from the Minutemen’s first game against the Scarlet Knights, Knox III believes the offense is on the right track.
“Coach Warner, he’s got his things that he does that’s different from my last school,” Knox III said. “All in all, I feel like just implementing new things into a offense can really mess up a defense.”
Knox III spent the past four seasons at McNeese State, where the 6-foot-6 lineman appeared in 25 career games for the Cowboys.
Now a graduate transfer with the Minutemen, Knox III revealed UMass’ coaching staff has been much more involved with his daily preparation than he’s been accustomed to.
“I’ve never had hands-on coaching like that,” Knox III said.
Knox III specifically referenced J.D. DiRenzo, a volunteer assistant at UMass who played in the NFL, as a valuable resource who’s had him focus on technique during fall camp.
For Faulkner, this preseason has been his second go-around in Amherst as the sophomore is one of a handful of returners from last season’s squad.
Appearing in all 12 games as a freshman, Faulkner disclosed a mindset shift has guided his approach to his sequel fall camp.
“Being a freshman going through your first fall camp, you really don’t know what to expect,” Faulkner said. “I would say, I was going into the camp last year thinking, ‘I want to do as best as I can. I want to learn as much I can and I want to do as best as I can.’ This year going into camp, I want to exceed my expectations and I’m going to everything in my ability to be the best as I can.”
Faulkner will likely be battling with Justin Williams-Thomas, a transfer from Marshall, for the No. 1 running back spot, yet the Pittsburgh product feels a renewed connection to his teammates in year two of head coach Joe Harasymiak’s tenure.
“I really enjoy being around the team,” Faulkner said. “Even in these dog days of camp…sitting next to Pop [Watson] or talking in the running back room, it really gets me through it and motivates me.”
Rutgers names starting QB
Dylan Lonergan will be the Scarlet Knights’ starting quarterback, per ESPN’s college football senior writer Pete Thamel.
Lonergan previously starred at Boston College last season, before beginning his college career at Alabama, prior to that.
Lonergan beat out A.J. Surace for Rutgers’ starting gig.
