UMass Gains From Hofstra’s and Northeastern’s Football Demise

Saturday, September 04, 2010

Luke Bonus and his Hofstra teammates knew something was up last December when they received text messages from the coaching staff about an urgent meeting.

Harsh economic realities forced the school’s administrators to cancel the football program. Weeks earlier, fellow Colonial Athletic Association member Northeastern had dropped football, citing similar budget concerns.

Bonus, who had just completed a stellar senior season at linebacker for the Pride, called his high school friend Evan Francks.

“We’re done,” Bonus said.

Both Medford, N.J., natives were in shock. The only good news for Bonus was that his playing days were over regardless. Still, Francks – now a senior linebacker and captain at William and Mary – felt compassion for his rival players who had just been kicked in the gut.

“To have your football program cancelled, it’s kind of hard to think about,” Francks said. “I can’t believe that all those years, all that tradition that those two schools have had is done.”

Players from Hofstra and Northeastern had the option of transferring to a new school. The Minutemen (5-6 last season), who host the Tribe at 3:30 p.m. in Saturday’s season-opener picked up five of them – the most among CAA schools.

Topping the list is all-CAA running back John Griffin, who rushed for 1,009 yards and five touchdowns on 207 carries with Northeastern last season.

“He’s stepped right in and has been a senior, a leader and a real worker on the field,” UMass coach Kevin Morris said. “I really like the way he goes about his business very professionally. He’s a quality running back. We feel comfortable at running back.”

UMass also gained a starting receiver in Hofstra transfer Anthony Nelson (40 catches, 520 yards last season) and starting left guard in Northeastern transfer Greg Niland. Former Northeastern linebacker Chad Hunte (32 tackles, one interception) and Hofstra offensive guard Anthony Dima add further depth.

“It looks like they profited from Hofstra and Northeastern dropping football,” Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock said on Tuesday.

Delaware and Rhode Island are the only other CAA schools with Hofstra and Northeastern transfers on its rosters, with three players each.

The Tribe, coming off an 11-3 season in which they advanced to the FCS national semifinals, also brought in a highly touted transfer. However, former North Carolina quarterback Mike Paulus will serve as senior Mike Callahan’s backup for Saturday’s opener.

“UMass got some really good players so it really changes their team around,” Francks said. “I think they have questions like we have questions.”