After an 0-12 2025-26 season, the Massachusetts football team returns to the field for spring practice with a clear goal: hitting the reset button. With a revamped roster, renewed energy and a coaching staff focused on toughness and hard work, this spring is about more than just repetitions.
The Minutemen are using these early practices to lay the foundation for a completely different team come fall. I attended the first week of the highly organized two-hour practices. Here’s what I noticed.
Quarterback play
Head coach Joe Harasymiak said that his team’s quarterback play last season was atrocious, so he brought in three new guys to fill that role. Transfers William “Pop” Watson III and RJ Johnson III, as well as freshman Aedan McCarthy, have all impressed in the opening week of spring camp.
Watson III stood out on the first Tuesday of camp with how silky smooth the ball looked coming out of his hand. The Springfield native seemed like he had no cobwebs to shake off and was accurately swinging the ball all over the field and into tight gaps.
McCarthy impressed me the most on the second Tuesday of camp. He made some very notable throws, including a deep ball for Joseph Griffin Jr., who went up to grab the pass. He also found fellow freshman Drew Alsup all the way down the field in stride for a touchdown.
Florida A&M transfer Johnson III also looked strong and, more importantly, consistent throughout the entire week. Consistency will be huge for the Minutemen’s success, with hopes that this new quarterback room is better than last year’s.
“I think they all bring something to the table,” Harasymiak said. “Obviously, everybody talks about [Watson III], and what he brings. And [you’ve] got [Johnson III]. If you’re out there today, you can see the way [McCarthy] can throw the ball.”
Energy and working hard
There is a new energy in the bubble compared to last season. Harasymiak is emphasizing to his players that he’s going to work them hard. From the start of practice, there’s a noticeable urgency in everything the team does, whether it’s sprinting between drills, finishing plays or how vocal players are with each other. Leaders like Tyler Martin, Timmy Hinspeter and Isaiah Reed are pushing their teammates and holding each other accountable.
You can tell this staff is trying to make players mentally tough, not just schematically better. Players aren’t getting let off easy and that seems intentional as the staff tries to reshape the program’s identity.
“This ain’t [going to] be easy,” Harasymaik said. “I told them… ‘I’m going to grind you into the earth, and when you think you’re [going to] quit, we’re [going to] keep going’ … It has never been clearer to me what this team needs: … [to] keep pushing them.”
The defense has been strong, making big plays during offense-versus-defense drills, igniting excitement on the defensive sideline each time, and pushing teammates to match that energy. Every drill, even special teams, is done quickly and with energy. Preparing for field goal drills felt like two armies charging onto the field with war cries.
“[I’m] pretty happy with our intensity [and] our speed that [we’ve] played with so far,” Defensive Coordinator Jared Keyte said. “I think each practice, you’ve seen incremental improvement, from practice one to practice four, in both our speed, our violence and our tempo.”
Myles Donato can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @myles_donato.
