Don Brown started recruiting the moment he stepped off the plane in Massachusetts.
The new UMass football coach’s emphasis on recruiting – particularly in New England – bore its first fruits Wednesday when nine players signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Four are from Massachusetts: Doherty defensive lineman Kofi Asare of Worcester, Tilton School quarterback Chase Brewster of Hanover, Cambridge’s Ty Harding from the Buckingham Brown & Nichols School and Jaylen Murphy from Everett.
“I felt the most important thing was to get out on the road and get around people in the state and coaches in the state and reiterate what we feel about the players in the state of Massachusetts,” Brown said.
Asare had 61 tackles, seven sacks and a touchdown playing for Doherty. He was also and Inter High All Star and Division II All Star.
Brewster is a three-star quarterback that made the all-NEPSAC first team and was the NEPSAC quarterback of the year. He threw for 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns while running for 300 yards.
Harding, a late addition to the class, is a two-star athlete and the No. 12 player in Massachusetts according to 247sports.com. He was named first-team All-New England and a Boston Herald All-Scholastic after scoring nine touchdowns and averaging more than 20 yards per reception in a do-it-all role.
Murphy amassed seven sacks last year at Everett.
Brown also did a solid job keeping some of former coach Walt Bell’s recruits in the fold. That includes two three-star prospects: running back Donta Whack from Sanford, Fla. and corner Cornelius Wright from Miami.
Whack ran for 915 yards and eight scores in helping Seminole High reach the Florida 8A regional final.
Wright registered 35 total tackles, thee for loss, and grabbed an interception while providing a dangerous presence as a return man.
Two-star offensive lineman Tyler Leinberger will join the program from Chester, Va., and Jacquon Gibson is a two-star receiver from Cornelius, N.C.
From the junior college ranks, Jalen Stewart signed out of Monroe College. The Bethlehem, Pa. native is either a three- or two-star prospect depending on the recruiting service.
“We feel like step one is completed. Everything went according to script. No surprises to day, which is always, knock on wood, a good thing,” Brown said. “The thing that we wanted coaches to know is we’re here to stay, and I’m here to stay. We’re looking forward to the second phase of our recruiting.”
Brown said he expects two more players to join out of the transfer portal in the spring but couldn’t comment more on it. He also said the next phase of UMass’ recruiting process ahead of national signing day in February will likely revolve around work done through the portal to bolster areas of need.