AMHERST — If there was a straw poll about the most improved offensive lineman this offseason, Larnel Coleman might win in a landslide.
The redshirt sophomore signed with UMass in 2016 out of St. Clement in Malden weighing just 249 pounds on his 6-foot-7 frame. He entered preseason camp this year listed at 300 pounds, a dramatic transformation that hasn’t hindered his athletic gifts.
“He’s definitely the most improved player on the O line,” senior Jake Largay said. “I think he came in at 260 pounds and now he’s probably close to 305-310, but he’s still maintained that athletic ability. He definitely has some of the quickest feet on the O-line because he’s very tall but still in good shape. He’s probably one of the better pass setter’s on the team because he’s so long.”
Coleman was a key reserve for the Minutemen last year, playing in all 12 games, including a start against Maine on Nov. 11. He also played almost the entire second half of UMass’ loss at Tennessee on Sept. 23, giving him valuable experience against elite competition.
The hope is that all of those snaps will help Coleman this year as he takes over from Jack Driscoll protecting Andrew Ford’s blindside at right tackle.
“He played a lot of football for us and got some good experience, but I’ve really seen him grow (this offseason),” UMass offensive line coach Mike Foley said. “This is going to be his third year, and he’s really getting his techniques down, he’s really into it. I’ve seen a ton of improvement from him, and I’m very happy with how he’s coming along. Now he just needs to get it down on game day and do it on a full-time basis.”
Coleman is the only new starter along the offensive line for UMass, which is the largest line in FBS at an average of nearly 329 pounds per starter. Largay said the Minutemen had the talent to go along with their heft last season, but couldn’t build the connections quickly enough to succeed.
He said that hasn’t been an issue this season as Coleman has slid into the starting tackle spot without a hitch.
“Last year coming out, we had a lot of talent, … but we didn’t have that one extra thing, which was chemistry,” Largay said. “This year, playing next to each other for so long, Larnel is the only new addition that we have starting and he’s already bought into it. We all just have that chemistry, we work together to flow as an O-line, and that’s exactly what we need to do.”
Coleman credited the veterans around him for making his transition into the starting lineup easier. He said he’s been able to build strong bonds with his fellow linemen during his three years in Amherst that helped him slide into the line seamlessly.
“They help me a lot,” Coleman said. “Any question I’ve got, even if it’s mid-play like ‘Hey, who do I got,’ they’ll help me out immediately. They stay on me and make sure I know my stuff, we’re all one unit.”
UMass is expected to rotate eight to nine offensive linemen into the game this season, which should keep the starters fresh for those pivotal late-game drives. The depth also gives the Minutemen the opportunity to let younger players gain some experience on the field.
Foley pointed to Coleman as an example of a player who benefited from the team’s rotation last season. He said he hopes the younger players will be able to use these snaps as a launching pad the same way Coleman did last season.
“The benefit is those younger guys when they get in and they get a couple of series during a game, they’re in a situation where maybe when you really need them, they’ve been on the field before and have experience,” Foley said. “It’s truly a pro-style type of offense and it’s not something they learn overnight. … We can rotate some guys in, we’ve got some depth that we feel we can rotate guys a little bit and get some experience, and that’s only going to help us in the long run.”
In the short term, Coleman has pretty big shoes to fill along the line. Driscoll was arguably the Minutemen’s best lineman last year while earning second-team all-ECAC plaudits and being named a first-team all-Indpendent selection by Phil Steele. He transferred to Auburn over the summer.
However, Largay said Coleman has grown enough in all the necessary areas to help the line become better this season.
“We didn’t lose much with Jack leaving,” Largay said, “Because (Coleman)’s taking the role pretty well, and he’s definitely matured as well. He’s grown up a little bit and I think that’s all he needed.”
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.