$7M deal rumored for Umass' latest head coach Joe Harasymiak
The UMass Minutemen found their next coach after firing Don Brown during the season and having Shane Montgomery take over in the interim. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak will be the UMass coach, hired on a five-year deal expected to be around $7 million.
The news conference to officially introduce him is scheduled for Friday morning, and UMass chancellor Javier A. Reyes discussed his excitement for hiring Harasymiak in a statement announcing the news.
"For many reasons that became apparent in the search process, Coach Harasymiak is the ideal candidate to lead the football program at our flagship campus. Joe's leadership qualities, vision for program-building in this new NCAA environment and his authentic care for the growth of his players, on and off the field, became evident in our search." h/t ESPN
Harasymiak has a lot of the things that UMass was looking for as he has northeastern ties as well as experience as a coach. He was the coach of the Maine Black Bears from 2016-18, winning the 2018 Coastal Athletic Association, and had a 20-15 record.
It will be interesting to see who he adds as part of his coaching staff and how quick of a turnaround the Minutemen can make after not having a winning season or making a bowl game since the program was brought back prior to the 2012 college football season.
What has Joe Harasymiak done as a college football coach in his career?
After his playing career ended in 2007, Joe Harasymiak immediately transitioned into his coaching career. He joined the Maine Maritime program as an assistant coach for the 2008 season before joining Springfield for the 2009 and 2010 seasons as a graduate assistant.
He got his first Division I job as the defensive backs coach of the Maine Black Bears in 2011, and in 2014, Harasymiak became the defensive coordinator as well as the linebackers coach. However, in 2016, he became the coach of the program for three seasons.
Harasymiak left before the 2019 season and became the safeties coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the next year would be named the co-defensive coordinator as well. Ahead of the 2022 season, he became the defensive coordinator of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.