you're preaching to the choir. I donated to the DB fund but let's get to 2026. How much is in the NIL fund???minutefanjsf wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2026 3:42 pm In 2016, UMass played its first independent schedule. This was created by Bamford. His plan was to play big time games. In the years prior, with Gillette as the main home stadium, the goal was to schedule marquee games because no-one wanted to see the MAC. IN 2016 UMass lost by a combined 50 points to BC, Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina. We lost by more to Troy by 42 the same year. The early years of independence were set up the same as UConn is with games to attract fans. We couldn't win. Whipple was 4-8 his last two seasons. Bell came in and played no more than two P4 games and couldn't win more than a game a season and had no losses within two touchdowns. Bell was Bamford's hire. DB came in and didn't win enough, either, and it was maddening. Losing to Liberty and Miami and UConn by a combined 9 points (yes, DB was gone for the UConn game)was light years ahead of Bell or what happened last year. Bamford oversaw all of this. Bamford somehow got Missouri and BC to Amherst. Credit there. We were no shows both times. Whipple had the least amount of money and the hardest schedules. He and Brown brought in players who had pro aspirations and some made the NFL.
2026 Season
Re: 2026 Season
The Zoo!!!!
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minutefanjsf
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Re: 2026 Season
We posted at the same time. This was not a direct response to you. It was more to Steve. I am not sure what NIL is now and believe the chasm between P4 and where we are now is bigger than under Whipple as a result of NIL, but I am not sure. Whipple and Brown worked wonders with no money. They also preceded the portal. Guys that ended in the pros would have been long gone (Rodgers, Isabella, Young) or never committed (Ford, Brenneman, etc) under them if the portal existed. The lack of guys jumping to P4 is the alarming part now. So, I'm not sure what about of money will close that gap.ZooMass84 wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2026 4:33 pmyou're preaching to the choir. I donated to the DB fund but let's get to 2026. How much is in the NIL fund???minutefanjsf wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2026 3:42 pm In 2016, UMass played its first independent schedule. This was created by Bamford. His plan was to play big time games. In the years prior, with Gillette as the main home stadium, the goal was to schedule marquee games because no-one wanted to see the MAC. IN 2016 UMass lost by a combined 50 points to BC, Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina. We lost by more to Troy by 42 the same year. The early years of independence were set up the same as UConn is with games to attract fans. We couldn't win. Whipple was 4-8 his last two seasons. Bell came in and played no more than two P4 games and couldn't win more than a game a season and had no losses within two touchdowns. Bell was Bamford's hire. DB came in and didn't win enough, either, and it was maddening. Losing to Liberty and Miami and UConn by a combined 9 points (yes, DB was gone for the UConn game)was light years ahead of Bell or what happened last year. Bamford oversaw all of this. Bamford somehow got Missouri and BC to Amherst. Credit there. We were no shows both times. Whipple had the least amount of money and the hardest schedules. He and Brown brought in players who had pro aspirations and some made the NFL.
Re: 2026 Season
When Whipple was coach we actually beat BYU away.
Re: 2026 Season
When Whipple was coach we actually beat BYU away.
Also this years schedule is a nothing burger. 2 games against (very weak) FCS teams and games out of conference Connecticut (who will be bad again now that Mora is gone) and Rutgers one of the worst power 4 teams.
Also this years schedule is a nothing burger. 2 games against (very weak) FCS teams and games out of conference Connecticut (who will be bad again now that Mora is gone) and Rutgers one of the worst power 4 teams.
Re: 2026 Season
Absolutely was a good win and Bamford has responsibility. He has responsibility going forward to all sports, but football day to day operations is layered away from Bamford. Bamford is not a major issue for football this season or going forward! So, keep posting the same attacks against Bamford in an area and season that he is not a major issue and myself for supporting football and pointing out there have been positive changes and we have Thorr and a GM.vanmeter wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2026 6:20 pm When Whipple was coach we actually beat BYU away.
Also this years schedule is a nothing burger. 2 games against (very weak) FCS teams and games out of conference Connecticut (who will be bad again now that Mora is gone) and Rutgers one of the worst power 4 teams.
Understand Bamford is fully responsible for men's basketball that has flounder since Bamford took over, except DK's 2014 NCAA season, thanks Chaz! But this is the football forum on a thread about the upcoming season. So, keep repeating your dissatisfaction for Ryan Bamford in an area that has received more parts to the puzzle than ever; money, coaching staff, NIL and now with team chemistry and connected coaching staff. Hoping they click together and will shift to talking about this year’s team and not Bamford and the past seasons.
You are taught history so you do not repeat the same mistakes. For football, see many of the mistakes corrected as funding, coaching support and staff, administrations and a conference home.
Be proud of the present and look to the future.
Re: 2026 Season
As an FYI McCutcheon was the AD in 2014 when we made the NCAA'S.
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InnervisionsUMASS
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Re: 2026 Season
vanmeter wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2026 8:21 am As an FYI McCutcheon was the AD in 2014 when we made the NCAA'S.
Facts have no place in this discussion, vanmeter!
Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades
Re: 2026 Season
Steve, this is insanity. You still cannot comprehend that this is not Basketball Versus Football. Do people like / prefer one more than the other... sure, of course. Do people want one of these teams gone? No, nobody wants that. Every person here wants UMass to be competitive in both programs.
___________________________________________
First, when you are talking about Athletic Exposure on a national level, nobody cares about Learfield results. Is it great and a sense of pride for Alums when Soccer or Lacrosse or any of those programs are successful - Of course. But in the grand scheme of things it is a story that people see, say Oh Cool... and they are back on the Front Porch Sports.
We all know that full support from the University was/is subpar at best. Nobody blames Bamford for that, we all know that is not his fault.
That, however, does not excuse him from the poor results of these programs for the last 12 years. As has been discussed, Whipple (whom Bamford inherited) was far more successful than all of Bamford hires COMBINED - AND Whipple had even less university support as well as overall tougher schedules than any of them as well.
LET'S START WITH FOOTBALL:
1) Leaving MAC was not his decision... However, he was hired to find a better situation for UMass athletics. In simplest terms - He did not. You act like this was a Win for him? He was not hired to go back to MAC... let alone take 10 years to do that. That is a fail....
2) Acknowledging that funding has been insufficient, expecting bowl eligible football is a stretch (to be kind), but having a program that has been one of the bottom 5 EVERY SINGLE year since Whip left is also unacceptable. Mediocre / semi competitive football is not an unreasonable expectation, even with limited funding (other schools face the same problem and have not suffered the same sustained futility of UMass Football) and they have been unable to achieve even that level since Whip left. That rests directly on the shoulders of Bamford.
3) How many "Plans" has he presented starting with Whips departure? Three or four if I remember correctly.... NONE have come to fruition.. NONE. But sure, this time it is different.
4) Bamford has fattened up the AD budget by an additional $350K with a new hire to do RB's job for him in football. Is that an admission of his inability to manage football? One would think so ... Football is the biggest expense under his purview, he passed responsibility for it to another person and the guy still gets a raise as well?
5) Bamford's latest "plan" for the stadium is cosmetic enhancements to the tune of $20 Million Dollars.... Because 1 or 2 win football teams will bring in more fans if the scenery has more eye appeal. Every penny of that $20M should be committed to what the product is on the field right now. Fans will go to a cesspool if that team is winning... but we will spend it on Trees and paint instead - Genius!
6) What happened when UMass did have the one glorious weekend of great (by UMass standards) attendance? It was a logistical nightmare for many as parking and transportation was a mess. Like it or not, that is part of Bamford's responsibility as well.
OK NOW BASKETBALL:
1) As you have noted, Basketball has been supported enough to be be competitive. Have they been competitive? This is arguable.... Since RB's arrival, basketball has had ZERO post season tournaments and 2 winning seasons (not including 8-7 covid season). Their best season was a 20-11 4th place finish (which ended with a VCU beat-down in their 1 game of the A-10 tourney). Is that truly competitive?
2) Bamford is in charge of THE HIGHEST paid state employee in Massachusetts... has that employee earned his salary? More so, has that employee been held publicly accountable for those underwhelming results? No, instead het got an extension....?!?!
I will stop there.... that is already enough
______________________________________________________
I will ask you (again): What has improved from 2015 to today in UMass's front porch programs? Whether Bamford was here right now or not, additional institutional support had to happen, so that doesn't count... WHAT HAS BAMFORD DONE?
Two sports, two different situations, two different levels of support (almost opposite of each other) but for all intents and purposes - THE SAME OVERALL RESULTS..... Neither has improved in 12 years.
What is the common denominator? ------- Ryan Bamford. Three of the top 5 highest paid employees in this state are Basketball HC, Football HC, and their boss ... and UMass Athletics front port sports have virtually nothing to show for that spend except excuses and seemingly no accountability.
Look i got through the whole thing without swearing even one time - Maybe Jack will not be offended.....
___________________________________________
First, when you are talking about Athletic Exposure on a national level, nobody cares about Learfield results. Is it great and a sense of pride for Alums when Soccer or Lacrosse or any of those programs are successful - Of course. But in the grand scheme of things it is a story that people see, say Oh Cool... and they are back on the Front Porch Sports.
We all know that full support from the University was/is subpar at best. Nobody blames Bamford for that, we all know that is not his fault.
That, however, does not excuse him from the poor results of these programs for the last 12 years. As has been discussed, Whipple (whom Bamford inherited) was far more successful than all of Bamford hires COMBINED - AND Whipple had even less university support as well as overall tougher schedules than any of them as well.
LET'S START WITH FOOTBALL:
1) Leaving MAC was not his decision... However, he was hired to find a better situation for UMass athletics. In simplest terms - He did not. You act like this was a Win for him? He was not hired to go back to MAC... let alone take 10 years to do that. That is a fail....
2) Acknowledging that funding has been insufficient, expecting bowl eligible football is a stretch (to be kind), but having a program that has been one of the bottom 5 EVERY SINGLE year since Whip left is also unacceptable. Mediocre / semi competitive football is not an unreasonable expectation, even with limited funding (other schools face the same problem and have not suffered the same sustained futility of UMass Football) and they have been unable to achieve even that level since Whip left. That rests directly on the shoulders of Bamford.
3) How many "Plans" has he presented starting with Whips departure? Three or four if I remember correctly.... NONE have come to fruition.. NONE. But sure, this time it is different.
4) Bamford has fattened up the AD budget by an additional $350K with a new hire to do RB's job for him in football. Is that an admission of his inability to manage football? One would think so ... Football is the biggest expense under his purview, he passed responsibility for it to another person and the guy still gets a raise as well?
5) Bamford's latest "plan" for the stadium is cosmetic enhancements to the tune of $20 Million Dollars.... Because 1 or 2 win football teams will bring in more fans if the scenery has more eye appeal. Every penny of that $20M should be committed to what the product is on the field right now. Fans will go to a cesspool if that team is winning... but we will spend it on Trees and paint instead - Genius!
6) What happened when UMass did have the one glorious weekend of great (by UMass standards) attendance? It was a logistical nightmare for many as parking and transportation was a mess. Like it or not, that is part of Bamford's responsibility as well.
OK NOW BASKETBALL:
1) As you have noted, Basketball has been supported enough to be be competitive. Have they been competitive? This is arguable.... Since RB's arrival, basketball has had ZERO post season tournaments and 2 winning seasons (not including 8-7 covid season). Their best season was a 20-11 4th place finish (which ended with a VCU beat-down in their 1 game of the A-10 tourney). Is that truly competitive?
2) Bamford is in charge of THE HIGHEST paid state employee in Massachusetts... has that employee earned his salary? More so, has that employee been held publicly accountable for those underwhelming results? No, instead het got an extension....?!?!
I will stop there.... that is already enough
______________________________________________________
I will ask you (again): What has improved from 2015 to today in UMass's front porch programs? Whether Bamford was here right now or not, additional institutional support had to happen, so that doesn't count... WHAT HAS BAMFORD DONE?
Two sports, two different situations, two different levels of support (almost opposite of each other) but for all intents and purposes - THE SAME OVERALL RESULTS..... Neither has improved in 12 years.
What is the common denominator? ------- Ryan Bamford. Three of the top 5 highest paid employees in this state are Basketball HC, Football HC, and their boss ... and UMass Athletics front port sports have virtually nothing to show for that spend except excuses and seemingly no accountability.
Look i got through the whole thing without swearing even one time - Maybe Jack will not be offended.....
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Juice Stand
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Re: 2026 Season
Nice work Eldon on the post and cleaning up the language. Great and very reasonably points. Can we still call you Feldon though?
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InnervisionsUMASS
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Re: 2026 Season
Well stated, eldon. Could have used a few swears and another kick in DK's balls, but otherwise well done 
Speaking of this point...
.... many have said that Thorr has essentially been hired to be the UMass Football GM. While I think his responsibilities are much more than this, I'll put this out there anyways:
https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/ncaa/sa ... al-manager
If he is in fact our Football GM, as of October 2025, he'd fall in the Top 25 of highest paid Football GMs in FBS. He'd be the only non-Power 5 in that Top 25 list. Assuming his hiring wasn't indeed a transition plan like I speculated and hoped, that's certainly an investment into Football. But that's also a massive weight on his shoulders and bullseye on his back. The results better come quickly, for everyone's sake.
Speaking of this point...
eldonabe wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2026 9:41 am
4) Bamford has fattened up the AD budget by an additional $350K with a new hire to do RB's job for him in football. Is that an admission of his inability to manage football? One would think so ... Football is the biggest expense under his purview, he passed responsibility for it to another person and the guy still gets a raise as well?
.... many have said that Thorr has essentially been hired to be the UMass Football GM. While I think his responsibilities are much more than this, I'll put this out there anyways:
https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/ncaa/sa ... al-manager
If he is in fact our Football GM, as of October 2025, he'd fall in the Top 25 of highest paid Football GMs in FBS. He'd be the only non-Power 5 in that Top 25 list. Assuming his hiring wasn't indeed a transition plan like I speculated and hoped, that's certainly an investment into Football. But that's also a massive weight on his shoulders and bullseye on his back. The results better come quickly, for everyone's sake.
Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades
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Re: 2026 Season
Hiring Thorr is the perfect deflection strategy for Bamford, a master of creating situations at just the right time to keep himself employed. If things don't improve he has someone to blame, and if things turn in a positive direction he can say "hey, hiring that guy was MY idea!".
Re: 2026 Season
Stop put words in my mouth Eldon. Never said it is football verses with basketball. Said Bamford is not a major issue now with football and to stop polluting this forum with the same arguments against Bamford. Said many sports are doing well and basketball has not since Ryan Bamford's arrival.
But carryon deflecting the the subject of this 2026 Football Season with your main bitching. Just acknowledge it has been an issue with basketball and in the prior post, noted the captain obvious stuff on the issues with this past season's bb team and Frank is smart enough to adjust.
But carryon deflecting the the subject of this 2026 Football Season with your main bitching. Just acknowledge it has been an issue with basketball and in the prior post, noted the captain obvious stuff on the issues with this past season's bb team and Frank is smart enough to adjust.
Steve81 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2026 8:11 am.. Bamford has responsibility. He has responsibility going forward to all sports, but football day to day operations is layered away from Bamford. Bamford is not a major issue for football this season or going forward! So, keep posting the same attacks against Bamford in an area and season that he is not a major issue and myself for supporting football and pointing out there have been positive changes and we have Thorr and a GM.
Understand Bamford is fully responsible for men's basketball that has flounder since Bamford took over
Be proud of the present and look to the future.
Re: 2026 Season
This is a good idea. UMass should something similar
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Re: 2026 Season
Steve81 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2026 10:54 am Stop put words in my mouth Eldon. Never said it is football verses with basketball. Said Bamford is not a major issue now with football and to stop polluting this forum with the same arguments against Bamford. Said many sports are doing well and basketball has not since Ryan Bamford's arrival.
But carryon deflecting the the subject of this 2026 Football Season with your main bitching. Just acknowledge it has been an issue with basketball and in the prior post, noted the captain obvious stuff on the issues with this past season's bb team and Frank is smart enough to adjust.
Steve81 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2026 8:11 am.. Bamford has responsibility. He has responsibility going forward to all sports, but football day to day operations is layered away from Bamford. Bamford is not a major issue for football this season or going forward! So, keep posting the same attacks against Bamford in an area and season that he is not a major issue and myself for supporting football and pointing out there have been positive changes and we have Thorr and a GM.
Understand Bamford is fully responsible for men's basketball that has flounder since Bamford took over
Steve you constantly call the Basketball First fans as the biggest haters of Football. You were railing on it especially when people were not happy about the MAC move.
Deflecting???? Bamford is AD of UMass athletics... ALL of their Athletics, not just some of them or everything except football.
The money he has spent on football regardless of how much or how little has been ineffective. You keep pounding on funding / spending more than others.... that will make us better..... UMass was a competitive spender on basketball and did not compete. WHY.... WHY do you feel that football is different? If Bamford had any clue - some kind of improvement would have been seen in the football program - they went 0'fer playing in the 9th or 10th ranked FBS conference (that is last BTW) - ZERO WINS. That is almost as hard as ZERO losses.
Bamford is also fully responsible for football - FULLY.
As for your "Frank is smart enough to adjust" comment? What planet are you living on? Last season was just every other season in his entire 19 year (as a head coach) career... now, suddenly, he has seen the light and he will just change his ways? That ship has sailed.... It will take approximately 3 minutes into next season's first game to see that "new attitude" implode. Just the other day all he could harp on was recruiting for "loyal players".... talk about still being out of touch.
Do yourself a favor (in fact I highly recommend any of you here to do the same )- Go to the Google Machine and Type in "Basketball Frank Martin is a lunatic". You tell me if this is a guy who is "smart enough to adjust".....
THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEEDS NEW LEADERSHIP - like, yesterday!