University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Announces 2004 Football Signees
February 04, 2004 | Football
Feb. 4, 2004
AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts has announced the 2004 incoming class for the football team. Nine student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to come to UMass for the 2004-05 academic year, while two others have enrolled at UMass for the Spring 2004 semester.
The 11 players making up this year's class include six on offense and five on defense. UMass has added two receivers, two offensive linemen, one tight end and one running back on the offensive side of the ball, while bringing in two linebackers, one defensive end, one defensive back and one defensive lineman on the defensive side of the ball.
UMass finished its 2003 season 10-3, went 8-1 in the Atlantic 10, made its sixth appearance in the NCAA Playoffs and was ranked No. 11 in the nation. The Minutemen also won a share of the 2003 Atlantic 10 Conference title for the first time since 1999 (its 19th football conference championship overall), posted a school-record 10 regular season wins, had a school-record eight conference victories and started the year 9-1, their best mark in over 100 years. The Minutemen also won the 1998 National Championship.
2004 UMass Football Incoming Class
Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown / Previous School
Wilner Alexis Fr. DE 6-3 245 Somerville, Mass. / Somerville H.S.
Sean Caliccho Fr. OL 6-5 300 Brooklyn, N.Y. / Xaverian H.S.
Victor Cruz Fr. WR 6-0 190 Paterson, N.J. / Paterson-Catholic H.S.
Darnel Delaire Fr. LB 6-2 210 Bloomfield, Conn. / Bloomfield H.S.
Jon Hambley Fr. DB 6-1 185 South Hadley, Mass./South Hadley/St. Thomas More Prep
Bryan Haynes Fr. WR 5-10 170 Peoria, Ariz. / Centennial H.S.
Chris Hopkins Fr. OT 6-3 260 Beltsville, Md. / Saint John's Prep
Ian Jorgensen Fr. TE 6-5 215 Wollaston, Mass. / Quincy H.S.
Desmond Lymon Fr. DL 6-2 290 West Haven, Conn. / West Haven
Cesar Rosario Fr. LB 6-2 220 Paterson, N.J. / Eastside H.S.
Bryan Smith Fr. RB 6-2 200 Bayonne, N.J. / Bayonne H.S.
Bio information below.
Wilner Alexis Fr. DE 6-3 245 Somerville, Mass. / Somerville H.S. Has enrolled at UMass for the spring semester and will take part in spring practice ... Played for head coach Tony Gulla at Somerville High School in Somerville, Mass. ... Recorded 48 tackles, 13 sacks and three blocked kicks his senior season ... Totaled 35 career sacks in high school ... A two-time Greater Boston League all-star selection ... Also ran indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring. "Wilner is a great athlete with a tremendous upside. His best days are ahead of him." - UMass inside linebackers coach Ben Albert
Sean Caliccho Fr. OL 6-5 300 Brooklyn, N.Y. / Xaverian H.S. Played for coach Dominic Laurendi at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. ... Played in the AAA Playoffs and will compete in the Outback Steakhouse Bowl ... A first team All-League, All-Brooklyn, All-City and All-Borough selection ... Nationally ranked in the shot put (10th) and first in the State of New York ... Also holds the school-record at 60' in the shot and 185' in the disc. "Sean is a really good athlete with great feet. He is explosive and has great balance." - UMass inside linebackers coach Ben Albert
Victor Cruz Fr. WR 6-0 190 Paterson, N.J. / Paterson Catholic H.S. Played for head coach Benjie Wimberley at Paterson Catholic High School in Paterson, N.J. ...Helped the team go undefeated (11-0) in 2003 ... Totaled 19 touchdowns his senior year, including 15 receiving, one rushing, one on a punt return, one on a kick return and one on an interception return ... Scored two of those scores in less than 30 seconds on an interception and a kickoff return ... A first team All-North Jersey, first-team All-Passic County, first team All-B.P.S.L., first team Parochial All-State and second-team Associated Press All-State selection ... Also a member of the basketball team, he played on an AAU squad with current UMass men's basketball freshman Art Bowers. "Victor has the ability to explode at any time. He has the speed, toughness and intelligence to be very successful in our league." - UMass inside linebackers coach Ben Albert
Darnel Delaire Fr. LB 6-2 210 Bloomfield, Conn. / Bloomfield H.S. Played for coach Bob Gibson at Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, Conn. ... Saw most of his time as a defensive end last season, recording 22 sacks ... An All-State selection as well as and an All-Star selection by the New Haven Register. "Darnel is an explosive football player with tremendous physical ability. He has the ability to become a dominant player in the Atlantic 10." - UMass defensive line coach Sean Spencer
Jon Hambley Fr. DB 6-1 185 South Hadley, Mass. / South Hadley Played for coach Timothy Riordan at Saint Thomas More Prep School in 2003 ... He previously played at South Hadley High School in South Hadley, Mass. ... Named the Daily Hampshire Gazette player of the year ... A first-team All-Western Mass. selection and three-time All-Suburban League choice. "Jon is a very talented athlete who could play several positions at UMass. His desire and work ethic will be a great asset to this program." - UMass outside linebackers coach Frank Forcucci
Bryan Haynes Fr. WR 5-10 170 Peoria, Ariz. / Centennial H.S. Played for coach Richard Taylor at Centennial High School in Peoria, Ariz. ... Had 18 receptions totaling 409 yards and seven touchdowns his senior year, as the team went 10-2 advancing to the state playoffs ... During his junior year, he helped lead the Coyotes to a 10-3 record and a state quarterfinal appearance ... An All-League selection and first-team All-State selection by the Western Independent ... Runs tracks and has a brother, Marcus, who is a sophomore running back at Western New Mexico. "Bryan has a huge upside and was also a state champion in track in both the 100 and 200 meter run. He is extremely fast and has the potential to be and Adrian Zullo-type of player." - UMass assistant offensive line coach Neal Brown
Chris Hopkins Fr. OT 6-3 260 Beltsville, Md. / Saint John's Prep Played for coach Elliott Uzelae (who was recently named the offensive coordinator at Georgetown) at Saint John's Military Prep school in Washington, D.C. ... A captain and first team WCAC All-Conference selection ... A Junior ROTC Sergeant major who also volunteers with the special olympics and assisting the mentally challenged ... Has also worked with the Omega Phi Feed The Hungary program. "Chris is one of the most athletic offensive linemen I have seen at this stage of his playing career. He also has the ability to play several positions." - UMass inside linebackers coach Ben Albert
Ian Jorgensen Fr. TE 6-5 215 Wollaston, Mass. / Quincy H.S. Played for coach Bob Noble at Quincy High School in Quincy, Mass. ... Totaled 10 sacks on the defensive side of the ball in addition to 25 receptions for 375 yards and one touchdown on the offensive side of the ball ... A Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic selection as well as a first-team All-League pick who was also named the WATD 92.9-FM player of the week ... A two-position member of the baseball team as both a pitcher and a catcher ... Has one brother, Alex, who attends North Quincy High School. "Ian is a big strong kid who has many great physical gifts. He will be an asset to our program in many ways." - UMass inside linebackers coach Ben Albert
Desmond Lymon Fr. DL 6-2 290 West Haven, Conn. / West Haven Played for coach Ed McCarthy at West Haven High School in West Haven, Conn. ... Played in three consecutive state championship games (Class LL) for the West Haven High School Blue Devils ... An All-Conference, All-Area and All-State selection ... Totaled 100 tackles and 12 sacks. "Desmond has tremendous quickness and size. He will be a dominant player at this level." UMass outside linebackers coach Frank Forcucci
Cesar Rosario Fr. LB 6-2 220 Paterson, N.J. / Eastside H.S. Played for coach Donald Davis at Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J. ... A three-time first team All-NNJIL selection as well as a first team All-Area pick by the Herald News and the Star-Ledger his senior season ... Also a New Jersey Super 100 Team selection and a second team All-Pasaic County Coaches Association pick ... His junior year, he was named All-Area by the Herald News and the Star-Ledger ... Totaled 117 total tackles his senior year, including 66 solo stops, 20 quarterback hurries, 17 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles ... Also a member of the baseball team where he was a pitcher and first baseman. "Cesar is a physical defensive player capable of playing inside or outside linebacker in our 3-4 scheme." - UMass inside linebackers coach Ben Albert
Bryan Smith Fr. TB 6-2 190 Bayonne, N.J. / Bayonne H.S. He enrolled at UMass for the spring semester, and will take part in spring practice ... Played for coach Ricardo Rodriguez at Bayonne High School, in Bayonne, N.J. ... Rushed 208 times for 1,687 yards and 26 touchdowns during his senior season, averaging 8.1 yards per carry ... Also intercepted three passes as a defensive back, returning one for a touchdown ... Had career totals of 3,336 rushing yards and 52 touchdowns ... Served as team captain during senior year, when team won the New Jersey Group 4 Section 2 championship ... Named Hudson County Running Back of the Year as a senior ... Earned third team All-State honors from the Associated Press ... Named to the Tri-State Select 22 High School Heisman Team ... Selected All-Hudson County and All-Conference following junior and senior seasons ... Also played basketball at Bayonne, averaging 19 points per game as a junior ... Identical twin of UMass freshman Brandon Smith. "Bryan is another outstanding running back from New Jersey, who we feel can make a major impact on our program. He is an outstanding athlete, like Marcel Shipp and R.J. Cobbs, but has more height and speed. Bryan is a very natural runner who sets up his blocks very well with his patience and outstanding vision. He is a home run hitter, who is a legitimate threat to score every time he touches the ball." - UMass running backs coach Mike Cassano
