AMHERST — Wednesday marks one week as UMass football head coach for Joe Harasymiak, who replaced Don Brown and stands as the 32nd leader in program history.

Harasymiak made quite the splash during his introductory press conference on Friday morning at the Martin Jacobson Football Performance Center, pitching convincing remarks about togetherness and toughness – sprinkling in examples of his deep northeast background when doing so. But, of course, a new coaching hire comes with question marks. Harasymiak doesn’t necessarily carry questions about his coaching abilities, but he hasn’t been a head coach since 2018.

A lot has changed in college football over the last half decade-plus.

It’s not like Harasymiak is coming from another head coaching job, so it isn’t a definite that he can just bring “his guys” with him – players and staffers included – like others have done in recent memory. He does, however, have a lot of money to pay his assistants (the most in the Mid-American Conference, UMass’ new home in 2025), and a lot to give his players in NIL (nearly $2 million come next season).

That said, here is an update on Harasymiak’s coaching staff as well as what Minutemen players have hit the portal so far.

What’s left on staff

Harasymiak said when he was formally announced as head coach on Friday that he hasn’t solidified his assistant coaches quite yet. Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford noted that his new football leader will get a $2.7 million staff pool to find the right coaches that will fit his style.

On the UMass athletics website, only four full-time coaching positions are currently listed outside of Harasymiak. Both Shane Montgomery and Keith Dudzinski – the offensive and defensive coordinators from last year’s team – are not among those listed. Neither are assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Ben Albert or running backs coach Damian Mincey. The only position group coaches still on board, per the coaching staff page on UMass’ website, are offensive line coach Alex Miller and tight ends coach Matt Layman.

Aside from them, only Jim Reid and Jake Lane are listed as analysts, and Jake Fire and Joey Rahal as graduate assistants. Coincidentally, Miller, Layman and Reid all carried over from Walt Bell’s staff to Don Brown.

But things are still changing in Amherst, and it isn’t confirmed that those coaches will still be around when Harasymiak finalizes his staff. Some, if not all, of those still employed by UMass could head elsewhere in the weeks ahead.

Harasymiak, who is fresh off leading Rutgers’ defense to a top 20 finish, is still searching for the right football minds to come join the program. A source close to the program tells the Gazette that some hires can be expected later this week.

“That’s ongoing,” Harasymiak said on Friday. “We’ll take our time and make the best decisions. Any time I’ve been through this, whether as an assistant or head coach, you never want to rush. It’s not about rushing, [we’re] taking our time. There’s a lot of great football coaches everywhere, and we’re going to make sure that we scope the landscape and put together the best staff. And we will.”

Several players hit the portal

On Monday, the transfer portal officially opened across college football. And as is usually the case, many players wasted no time announcing they’d be moving on from their current school and looking to find a situation that better fits their needs.

Like every other program, UMass witnessed some of its players jump into the portal. It’s always expected considering the day and age of college football, but it’s likely the Minutemen were expecting a heavier departure load during this cycle than normal because of Harasymiak taking the reins to lead the program. Almost all of UMass’ players from the 2024 roster were recruited by Don Brown.

The biggest names leaving UMass as of Tuesday afternoon were redshirt freshman quarterback Ahmad Haston and junior running back Jalen John. With rising sophomore AJ Hairston showing flashes of stardom (five TDs, zero INTs) during his four games played this past season, it isn’t a shock that Haston decided to try his luck elsewhere instead of competing for a starting spot next spring/summer. Haston threw for only 39 yards on nine attempts, but he rushed for 174 yards and a score on the ground – showcasing his dual-threat capability. He still has tons of eligibility and plenty of upside, which is an attractive combination for coaches searching for a quarterback. Hairston suffered an injury to his throwing arm in the season finale, but shouldn’t miss any time come next season.

As for John, he led UMass in rushing yards (583) and touchdowns (5) and had by far the longest rush (68) on the team this fall. John came over from Arizona – where Brown was a defensive coordinator before UMass – after the 2021 season and didn’t play at all in 2022. He only registered 10 carries in 2023 before taking over as the lead back following the departures of both Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams and Greg Desrosiers last offseason. John has one year of eligibility remaining, and proved he can play at a high level when he rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown against Georgia on Nov. 23.

Edge rusher Kofi Asare, defensive lineman Aaron Beckwith, defensive lineman Tyson Watson and wide receiver Anthony Simpson – who left the program early in the season – are other notable names currently in the transfer portal.

UMass has yet to add any players in the portal as of Tuesday afternoon.