AMHERST — UMass defensive back James “Pop” Allen isn’t pretending next week’s season opener is just another game.
Allen, who changed his name from James Oliphant in the offseason, is a Florida native. His Fort Lauderdale home is a five-hour drive from Gainesville, where the Minutemen will face the Florida Gators, at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 3. But Florida is Florida and playing well there would mean a lot to him.
“I usually don’t take things personally. But this is personal. I’m going back home. My family is going to be there. I’m from Florida. They’re going to feel my wrath, hopefully,” he said. “We Florida boys really have pride. We say ‘Florida boys do it better.’ We’re competitors. That’s all we do down there. At home I had top recruits on my team at St. Thomas. Every day it was athletes going against each other in practice. We’re dawgs. If you don’t compete, we don’t claim you.”
He’s not exaggerating about his high school. He was a standout for St. Thomas Aquinas, a school where it’s not easy to stand out. The Raiders are annually stocked with future collegians and pros. Last year, 18 players signed letters of intent to Division I schools and 17 alumni played in the NFL.
Allen was a leader, a strong cornerback and an outstanding kick and punt returner. But his 5-foot-8, 155-pound stature made schools hesitant. He’s eager to prove to everyone who didn’t offer a scholarship that they missed out.
“God does everything for a reason. I’m not upset where I landed. I’m very thankful to be in this position,” Allen said. “But a lot of teams, Florida included, told me if you were two or three inches taller we would have given you the offer on the spot because of what I was doing in high school.”
UMass’ second foe is on his list too.
“Boston College overlooked me. They wanted me to come on an unofficial visit. They said if I had good numbers at the camp, I’d get the offer. I had impressive numbers and I didn’t get an offer,” said Allen, who’ll face BC on Sept. 10 at Foxborough. “But Florida teams are more personal. I’m from there. If you don’t have faith in the players from around you, that’s a knock on me and that’s personal.”
He’ll have a chance to prove himself. Allen saw some action last year as a true freshman. He’s a candidate to start at corner this year and even if he doesn’t he’ll certainly play in the secondary. He’s also UMass’ top kick returner after averaging 23.1 yards per return last year.
“He’s got ability. He can run. He did a good job on returns,” UMass coach Mark Whipple said. “I think he’s done a good job.”
ALL HOME GAMES ON TV — UMass announced Friday that all six of its home games will be broadcast by American Sports Network and carried locally on NESN or NESNplus. ESPN3 will stream the online broadcast.
UMass won’t receive or pay money in the deal. ASN will pay for all production costs.
UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford said he chose the deal with the most visibility over options that would have given the school some money, but less games that are actually televised.
ALUMNI ON TV — Former UMass wide receiver Tajae Sharpe, who has had a strong camp for Tennessee, will face the Oakland Raiders, Saturday at 8 p.m. on CBS.
The NFL Network will replay Friday’s late game between Green Bay and San Francisco Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The Packers feature former UMass corner Randall Jette, trying to make the team as an undrafted free agent.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage