AMHERST — Two weeks after officially being introduced as the new UMass football coach, Walt Bell has made his first additions to the roster.
Bell received eight National Letters of Intent Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period that ends Friday. This section of Bell’s first recruiting class was a mix between high school seniors (five) and junior college products with two years of eligibility (three).
“These eight young men are building the foundation for what we’re now working to achieve here at the University of Massachusetts,” Bell said in a release. “I’m excited to call them Minutemen and proud to have them as the first eight members of our first signing class at UMass. These young men share our vision and our goals for this program and I’m looking forward to working with them soon.”
The first signature to reach UMass came from wide receiver Taj Jones out of Pope John XXIII in New Jersey. The Minutemen also added two-star receiver Jermaine Johnson out of DeMatha Catholic in Maryland.
Bell picked up a pair of in-state products with Everett High School teammates Kevin Brown, a running back, and Helber Fagundes, an offensive lineman who originally pledged to UMass last year. The final high school senior who sent in his letter Wednesday was defensive lineman Cletus Mathurin, who attended Chesire Academy in Connecticut.
UMass also signed defensive back Malik Sanders out of Northwest Mississippi College and offensive lineman Bryce Wade from Jones County College. The pair held their official visits to UMass this past weekend and verbally committed soon afterwards.
Former Kentucky defensive end Jaylin Bannerman was the eighth and final member of the class to send in his letter Wednesday. The Ohio native made his announcement public on Wednesday afternoon after playing at Arizona Western College in 2018.