UMass has yet to win a single game during the 2025 college football season. They are dealing with a ridiculous amount of injuries that take the current outlook for the next five games from bad to worse.
It is going to be a real problem.
One of the worst college football teams in the country can barely field a complete roster for Saturday. Players who were never supposed to see the field are now thrust into the starting lineup.
UMass is already 0-7.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst returned to the Division-I level of college football in 2012 and won a combined 26 games over the last 14 seasons. Its winning percentage hovers around .154 during that stretch.
The Minutemen consistently finish near the bottom of the standings for all 136 FBS programs.
They have not won four games in a single season since 2018. They went 1-11 in 2021 and 2022, 3-9 in 2023 and 2-10 in 2024. It has been rough.
And this year is more of the same.
UMass dropped to 0-7 last Saturday in heartbreaking fashion. Buffalo threw an interception with one minute left on the clock that appeared to end the game.
INT!! MCGILL!!#Flagship 🚩 pic.twitter.com/MzlVV8aHcs
— UMass Football (@UMassFootball) October 18, 2025
The Minutemen still went on to lose 28-21. Ouch.
Injuries keep piling up.
UMass hopes to get its first win of the season against Central Michigan on Saturday. It is a 16.5-point underdog.
Barring a miraculous rally from the underdogs, that number might be too low.
The Minutemen are dealing with a ridiculous amount of injuries, especially on defense. The following people are considered out or (at best) questionable, per Ezekiel Altman:
- Wide receiver —
- Team captain Jacquon Gibson
- Tyree Kelly
- Jake McConnachie
- Running back —
- Team captain Rocko Griffin
- Tight end —
- Reece Adkins
- Offensive line —
- Mao Glynn
- Sullivan Weidman
- Kyle Brown
- Linebacker —
- Leading tackler Timmy Hinspeter
- Rashad Henry
- Zachary Farris
- Team captain Derrieon Craig
- Dean Shaffer (medically retired)
- Defensive line —
- Team captain Shymell Davis
- Shambre Jackson
- David Onuoha
- Josh Nobles
- Secondary —
- TJ Magee
- DD Snyder
- Ryan Barnes
That is a list of 20 players who will not play for UMass this weekend. Most of their replacements are young and inexperienced.
“We have no other option (to play young guys),” said head coach Joe Harasymiak. “We’re going to have some guys that were on scout team that are going to be taking some one reps, some two reps.”
A fourth-string walk-on defensive back is going to get playing time. That does not bode well for the Minutemen pass defense against the Chippewas.
The roster is so depleted that coach Harasymiak had to come out of retirement for practice this week. He played safety on the scout team. Not by choice. By necessity.
It would be shocking if UMass beats Central Michigan with the majority of its starting lineup ruled out. The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and true college football fans are rooting for the upset!