AMHERST — When UMass football defensive coordinator Jared Keyte was asked on Monday after practice if he thought his unit was ahead of the Minutemen offense through a week of fall camp, he laughed it off and said he’s just focused on his side of the ball.
But during the live, 11-on-11 portions of Monday’s sessions, it looked like that’s the case.
UMass’ front seven — its defensive line and linebackers — dominated. They generated a consistent pass rush to get in the backfield on quarterbacks AJ Hairston, Grant Jordan and Brandon Rose and didn’t provide much running room for the Minutemen backfield. Of course, the key to a good pass rush starts in the secondary with elite coverage, and UMass had just that on several occasions.
Shoulder pads collided and smacked together for about two hours at McGuirk Alumni Stadium, and although there was no tackling, it didn’t take away from the palpable energy in the building. Football will be played in Amherst later this month.
“We’re focused on the process,” Keyte said. “I don’t know if anybody is ahead or behind. I know we all have things we’ve got to coach day-to-day, so we’re just trying to build and have growth day-to-day … I like where we’re heading. From an install standpoint, we’re on pace. Certainly as the installs grow, it becomes more for the guys to remember, it’s going to get a little more difficult. From an effort standpoint, we’re trying to focus on the process of getting ourselves aligned, communicating, swarming to the ball, finishing with good body position. I like where we’re headed.”
Keyte came over from Rutgers with first-year UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak. Prior to their time together with the Scarlet Knights, Keyte was on Harasymiak’s staff at Maine when he served as head coach for three years from 2016-18. It’s likely that it’ll be Harasymiak calling the defense given his successful track record doing so at Rutgers and before that Minnesota, but Keyte is clearly someone Harasymiak trusts to be heavily involved in the scheming and game-planning on the defensive side of the ball.
UMass will mix up its defensive look depending on its opponent, Keyte said on Monday. The Minutemen won’t be married to one scheme this fall. Whether it’s four down linemen or three, a nickel or dime package, Keyte and Harasymiak are going to do whatever they can to confuse their fellow MAC quarterbacks.
That starts with keeping them inside the tackle boxes.
“The biggest thing that we’re trying to do is keep the [opposing] quarterback in the pocket,” Keyte said. “If we can force him to make bad decisions from there and feel the collapse, that’ll put us in position to get sacks. But it’s going to be the guys up front making sure we contain and getting after him.”
Considering fall camp just started last week, Keyte didn’t say if a particular position group has stood out to him. But since spring camp about five months ago, improvement has been shown everywhere.
“I think you can go spot to spot and find some guys,” he said. “I really like how violent our defensive line is playing. Our linebackers are playing fast and our DBs are communicating. I’m happy with the progress, but we’re just scratching the surface of what we could be.”
A standout on that defensive line thus far is Tim Grant-Randall. At 6-foot, 285 pounds, the graduate senior from Houston, Texas is in his second season in Amherst. Grant-Randall started at Eastern Michigan, where he played for three years, before transferring to UMass ahead of the 2024 season.
He stayed on board amid the coaching change from Don Brown to Joe Harasymiak, and he’s shown flashes of dominance on the interior line.
One of the Minutemen newcomers to make an early impact is Georgetown transfer Zeraun Daniel, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound safety. He nabbed five interceptions with the Hoyas in 2024 and made 43 solo tackles. A rangy and physical force in the UMass secondary, the junior has quickly become one of Keyte’s favorites.
“Tim Grant-Randall is having a good camp, he’s moving better up front and doing a good job,” Keyte said. “I like what we’re doing at the edge spots. We’ve got multiple guys that can play. Linebacker position, we’ve got three or four guys competing which is always what you want in camp. Defensive backs, we’ve got some older guys… [Zeraun Daniel] he’s stuck out. He’s had a tremendous camp. He’s always around the football and he’s a great leader for us.”
As will be the case with most teams across the country, UMass’ defensive unit is still ironing out some kinks as it had nearly 30 transfers come in and another 27 go out. Playbook installation isn’t always easy with so many new faces, especially if the system they’re coming from is entirely different.
Keyte noted that many of the older players on the team are helping the younger guys when it comes to teaching them schemes or answering any questions they might have.
While there’s still a long way to go until the Minutemen defense is fully prepared for their season opener, it’s evident how far they’ve come in a short amount of time.
“Compared to six months ago, we’re really clicking together,” Zeraun Daniel said. “I’m really excited to see where this camp takes us. We’re just flying around to the ball. Coach Keyte, his philosophy is swarm to the ball, stop the explosives, stop the run. As soon as we handle those three things, we’re undefeatable.”
