The UMass football team is set to begin its spring practice schedule next week, with things getting underway on Tuesday, March 24, from the bubble behind McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
With a squad that brought in new faces at position groups across the board, it will be the first time this offseason that the team will be on the field together.
Last season, the Minutemen first hit the field on March 10, getting a little bit of a later start this time around. UMass played last year’s spring game on April 19, with that timeline also being moved for the 2026 season.
After five weeks of practice, the Minutemen will take the field for this offseason’s spring game on Saturday, April 5, at 12 p.m.
Head coach Joe Harasymiak will speak with the media for the first time since the end of the 2025 campaign after the team’s first practice. His program has been busy this offseason, not only bringing in new players but also new members of the coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Max Warner.
Next fall will be UMass’ second season since rejoining the Mid-American Conference, with some changes to a few of its conference foes.
Northern Illinois will no longer be a member of the MAC in 2026, moving on to the Mountain West Conference at the beginning of the season. The open spot in the MAC is being filled by Sacramento State, making the jump from the FCS level after a 7-5 season in 2025.
The Minutemen’s schedule for the upcoming season has yet to be finalized, but it has undergone a major change within the last few weeks. UMass was set to play a 13-game season as opposed to the normal 12 due to a game against Hawaii on the road, but the game has since been canceled.
On Friday, March 6, a press release announced that the Minutemen and the Rainbow Warriors mutually agreed to cancel their games in both 2026 and 2027, giving UMass a 12-game schedule once again.
An interesting note with the change is that the rest of the non-conference matchups for the Minutemen had already been finalized, which includes games against two FCS opponents (Sept. 12 vs. Sacred Heart and Sept. 19 vs. Stonehill).
The program has yet to announce any changes to the rest of the schedule, which means, despite no longer being an independent, it seems UMass will play two of its 12 games in 2026 against FCS teams.
As for what that means for the Minutemen, it will most likely make seven wins the benchmark for the team to become bowl-eligible next season if nothing changes.
Some speculation has been that UMass may be anticipating a trip to the West Coast to take on the Hornets in their first MAC season, not wanting to have two road games across the country in the same year.
Last year, the MAC released its schedules on March 5, with this season’s versions yet to be announced.