AMHERST — There are two ways to look at the UMass defensive line this preseason.
The plethora of young, inexperienced linemen could be a forewarning of struggles in the trenches as the program tries to replace three starters. Or, it could signal the Minutemen’s recruiting has improved enough to sign players with the talent to compete for significant playing time early in their careers.
What the group lacks in experience, Minutemen coach Mark Whipple said it makes up for in depth, which in turn allows the UMass defensive coaches to get more creative with their schemes.
“We’ve been trying to get more players,” Whipple said. “We’re a little deeper on the defensive line, and we’re trying to mix and match some of those guys in certain situations. Maybe we’ll move the linebackers down to help with the pass rush or move some D-ends inside to use some greyhound packages on third down to try to get after the quarterback.”
Depth issues have plagued UMass along the defensive front since it made the move to FBS in 2012. Whipple pointed to several games against SEC opponents over the past few years in which the Minutemen simply wore down defensively because they lacked competitive numbers to keep everyone fresh.
Senior end Joe Previte said he was very optimistic about this group and confident UMass can remain fresher for crunch time in the fourth quarter.
“In my time here, we’ve always had issues with depth on the D-line,” Previte said. “I think we have a good group of guys right now, we have a solid group of eight guys who can come in and play, and I’m really excited about this group.”
The optimism was a slight change of heart for Previte, who admitted he was nervous for spring practices with so many losses along the defensive line.
“That was my biggest concern, but spring ball gave me a lot of confidence in these guys and through camp, they’ve looked pretty good, too,” Previte said. “They’re doing a good job right now, so I’m pretty pleased with this group.”
Whipple complimented Previte’s leadership by mentioning that the Brockton native was given the Michael Boland Inspirational Award in the spring for his character and respect. The veteran coach said the senior has been a little more vocal in the defensive line room, but otherwise has not changed much since last season and continued to go about his business while setting a good example of a football player at UMass.
Previte said he just wants to be helpful to his teammates and use his experience to make those around him better every day.
“I try to be like another coach out there,” Previte said. “I’m always the first guy to say ‘good job’ or whatever and I like to get the guys fired up.
“I just try to do the right thing every day, and if I’m doing the right thing then the younger guys see this is the way to do it. It’s like monkey see, monkey do, if you have the vet do it first, do it right then everybody will follow. It’s a pretty important role.”
Previte is the only returning starter along the defensive line, but not the only lineman with experience on the field. Five other players have made at least one tackle in a game for the Minutemen, although their 57 combined stops last year are only 10 more the number Previte has had in the last two seasons.
One of the players expected to shoulder a bigger load this season is end Leon Flanagan Jr., the only other lineman on the roster who has made a start. The junior made 16 tackles last season, eight of which came during his start against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 2.
Although Flanagan said the competition is “fierce” between the linemen for playing time, the position group itself is supportive of one another. He said they all realize the importance of making sure every member is ready for action because they never know what could happen in a game.
“We give each other a lot of good confidence, we’re very positive with each other and lift each other up,” Flanagan said. “We all have different abilities, so we all critique ourselves and we’ll tell each other based on the position, ‘This is what you need to do better.’ We all do that and we all just make each other better in the meeting rooms.”
Flanagan said that example has been set by Previte, whom he called the “grandfather of the defensive line” and a “pioneer” for the unit. He said the energy and leadership Previte shows daily helps motivate and energize the younger defensive linemen.
“We’re all very appreciative that we have somebody like him that helps us push and helps us to get up when we’re down,” Flanagan said. “Joe’s presence is just so great that you feel that energy that he gives to you and you want to just shift that energy to everybody else.”
Josh Walfish can be reached at jwalfish@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshWalfishDHG. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.