The Massachusetts football team began its spring practice schedule on Tuesday morning at McGuirk Stadium, and with it came some change.
According to multiple media outlets, including MassLive.com and the Daily Hampshire Gazette, three different players who started games last season – wide receiver Marken Michel and offensive linemen Jamie Casselberry and Michael Boland – have left the program for different reasons, which UMass coach Charley Molnar confirmed Tuesday.
Casselberry and Boland have both elected not to continue playing football in light of head injuries – which included concussions – they sustained last season, the Gazette reported. Casselberry appeared in six games for the Minutemen last season, while Boland played in seven.
Michel’s younger brother Sony is a junior in high school who is a five-star running back recruit and holds scholarship offers from elite college football programs such as Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Notre Dame, according to his Rivals.com profile. Both the Gazette and MassLive.com reported that there is a rumor circulating in which the schools recruiting Sony are also trying to lure Marken away from UMass in an attempt to bring the two in as a package.
Molnar declined to comment on that situation Tuesday, MassLive.com reported, but confirmed that Michel is no longer with the team.
Michel played in six games last season, racking up 29 receptions for 229 yards.
Tuesday morning’s practice – which began at 6:30 and lasted four hours – was the first of 15 practices this spring leading up to the Spring Game on April 20 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
One of the several storylines this spring will be the competition brewing for the starting job at quarterback between Mike Wegzyn and A.J. Doyle. Wegzyn started the first 11 games last season before Doyle started the season finale, and both will have equal opportunity – between this spring and during summer practices – to claim the starting job heading into next year’s season opener at Wisconsin on Aug. 30.
Stephen Hewitt can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @steve_hewitt.
