University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Football Adds Six Mid-Year Transfers
January 22, 2010 | Football
Jan. 22, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass football coach Kevin Morris has announced the addition of six mid-year transfers to the gridiron program. All six players will be eligible to practice with the Minutemen starting in Spring Football and will be able to play in games for the Minutemen in the Fall of 2010.
Joining the team are three transfers from Northeastern University, which eliminated its program in November: senior tailback John Griffin, who was a first-team All-CAA selection in the fall, sophomore linebacker Chad Hunte and redshirt senior offensive lineman Greg Niland. UMass is also gaining two players from the Hofstra program, which also ceased over the winter: senior wide receiver Anthony Nelson and redshirt freshman offensive lineman Anthony Dima. These five players will not have to sit out the season due to the elimination of their previous programs.
Joining the Minutemen this spring is redshirt freshman defensive line Galen Clemons, who began his career at Central Michigan, but did not play in any games.
"We were fortunate to take advantage of the unfortunate situation with Hofstra and Northeastern dropping their football programs," said Morris. "We have matriculated five students from those programs. Leading the group are three rising seniors. Each has been honored by the CAA in their careers. Running back John Griffin (All-CAA First-Team in 2009) and offensive lineman Greg Niland hail from Northeastern and join wide receiver Anthony Nelson from Hofstra. These seniors have outstanding athletic ability and have also excelled in the classroom. They will have an immediate impact on the team. We are excited that they are going to finish out their careers as Minutemen.
"We were also able to pick up two players, who were true freshmen this past year, from the former CAA programs: linebacker Chad Hunte from Northeastern and offensive lineman Anthony Dima from Hofstra. Hunte started at linebacker and the 6'7" Dima redshirted last season. These players will join another redshirt-freshman in Central Michigan transfer, defensive lineman Galen Clemons. Hunte has already legitimized himself on the field and both Dima and Clemons should push for playing time this Fall.
"The wealth of experience in this mid-year class will strengthen our team, especially considering they will be in attendance for the winter and spring sessions.
"The traditional signing day, February 3rd, will be equally as impactful as we look to finish an outstanding 2010 recruiting class in the coming weeks."
2010 UMASS FOOTBALL NEWCOMERS
Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School/Previous School Galen Clemons DL R-Fr. 6-2 255 Danielsville, Pa./Northampton Area H.S./Central Michigan Anthony Dima OL R-Fr. 6-7 271 Centereach,N.Y./Centereach H.S./Hofstra John Griffin TB Sr. 6-0 208 Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional H.S./Northeastern Chad Hunte LB So. 6-0 205 Brookline, Mass./Brookline H.S./Northeastern Anthony Nelson WR Sr. 5-10 180 Wellington, Fla./Glades Day School/Hofstra Greg Niland OL R-Sr. 6-5 305 East Bridgewater, Mass./Coyle Cassidy H.S./Northeastern
Galen Clemons
R-Freshman * Defensive Line6-2 * 255
Danielsville, Pa./Northampton Area H.S./Central Michigan
General: Joins UMass with four years of eligibility remaining ... Attended Central Michigan as a freshman in 2009, but did not appear in any games.
Before College: Four-year starter at Northampton High School in Northampton, Pa. ... 2008 team captain ... all-conference first team selection as an offensive and defensive lineman in 2008 ... earned all-area first team honors from both the Express-Times and the Morning Call ... credited with 87 tackles in 2008 ... made 83 stops in 2007, 102 tackles in 2006 and 71 in 2005 ... helped lead team to 4A Eastern Conference championships in 2006 and 2008 ... Northampton finished 10-3 overall in 2008 ... two-year letterman in track and field.
Personal: Born June 3, 1990 ... ... Son of Steve and Wendy Clemons Uncle Don Clemons spent 24 years as a coach with the Detroit Lions.
Anthony Dima
R-Freshman * Offensive Line6-7 * 271
Centereach, N.Y./Centereach H.S./Hofstra
General: Retains four years of eligibility after a redshirt season as a true freshman at Hofstra ... Part of scout team with the Pride.
Before College: Played football and ran on the track and field team at Centereach High School...Was named to All-Suffolk County and all-league teams as a senior...
Personal: Born October 21, 1990...Has one brother and one sister ...Enjoys working out in his free time...Favorite athlete is Jumbo Elliott...Aspires to a career in business.
John Griffin
Senior * Tailback6-0 * 208
Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional H.S./Northeastern
General: Will play his senior season at UMass after three seasons at Northeastern ... Honored as an All-CAA First-Team selection as well as the New England Writers All-Star Team.
As a Junior in 2009 at Northeastern: Ran for 1,009 yards on 207 carries with five touchdowns, while catching 25 passes for 178 yards during the 2009 campaign ... Was named First Team All-CAA, Northeastern's Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player ... Was named to the 2009 New England Football Writers Football Championship Subdivision All-Star team ... Became the fifth Huskie to eclipse the 1000 yard mark with 158 rushing yards and two scores against Rhode Island (11/21) ... Ran for 128 yards on 28 carries and one touchdown against Hofstra (11/14) ... Accounted for 95 percent of team's offense against Massachusetts with 52 yards on nine carries (11/7) ... Rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown against New Hampshire (10/31) ... Named CAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Towson ... Rushed for a career-high 200 yards, including a 70 yard touchdown run in a 27-7 win over Towson (10/24) ... Rushed for 75 yards against William & Mary, including a 43-yard rush (10/10) ... Had a 41-yard rush and had 87 total yards against Holy Cross (10/3) ... Tallied 75 yards on 15 attempts against Youngstown State (9/19) ... Ran for 92 yards on 18 carries against Maine (9/12)
As a Sophomore in 2008 at Northeastern: Played in 10 games as a backup tailback ... Rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns on the year ... Rushed for a career-high 110 yards and a touchdown and also caught an 11-yard touchdown pass against Rhode Island (11/ 22) ... Scored his first touchdown and had 66 rushing yards in 35-17 win at Towson (10/ 4).
As a Freshman in 2007 at Northeastern: Appeared in nine games as a true freshman ... Caught three passes for 18 yards ... Caught two passes for 13 yards at Northwestern ... Had one kick return on the season and returned it 23 yards at Rhode Island ... Was a top sprinter and long jumper on the track & field team.
Before College: Played one season of varsity football at Oakmont Regional High School for head coach Dave LaRoche ... Broke the school record for touchdowns in a single season with 25 and also amassed the highest single-season point total in school history while running for 1,239 yards ... Named team MVP and conference Co-MVP ... Led the Spartans to a conference title and the 2006 Div. III Super Bowl, scoring three touchdowns in the 28-0 win over Frontier ... Also excelled in track & field, winning the 100 and the long jump and earning Most Valuable Athlete honors at the 2007 Central Mass. Championship ... Set the school record in the 100 ... Played three seasons of basketball, captaining the team as a senior.
Personal: Born Dec. 17, 1988 ... Father, Tony, played football at Texas ... Majoring in Sociology.
Chad Hunte
Sophomore * Linebacker6-0 * 205
Brookline, Mass./Brookline H.S./Northeastern
General: Eligible to play three seasons at UMass after a true freshman campaign at Northeastern.
As a Freshman in 2009 at Northeastern: Appeared in all 11 games for Northeastern in 2009, totaling 32 tackles (18 solo) ... Had two solo tackles in a win at Rhode Island (11/21) ... Returned his first career interception 51 yards for a touchdown against Massachusetts (11/7) ... Tallied two tackles against Holy Cross (10/2) ... Recorded four tackles against Villanova (9/26).
Before College: Played three years of varsity football at Brookline High under head coach and former Northeastern football letterman Laz Mitjans (1979-82) ... Captained the team his senior season ... Named All-Bay State first team, team MVP and defensive team MVP ... Also wrestled and played basketball for one season.
Personal: Born Feb. 14, 1991 ... Father, Alan, lettered in football at Northeastern from 1978-81 ... Has two brothers, Kyle, who was also a member of the Northeastern football team and AJ, who wrestles at Pittsburgh ... Was a member of the African American Scholars program at Brookline High.
Anthony Nelson
Senior * Wide Receiver5-10 * 180
Wellington, Fla./Glades Day School/Hofstra
General: Will play his senior season at UMass after three seasons at Hofstra.
As a Junior in 2009 at Hofstra: Caught 40 passes for 520 yards and four touchdowns during the 2009 season ... Returned four punts for 25 yards and eight kick-offs for 121 yards ... Brought in five balls for 71 yards and a score against UMass (11/21) ... Caught three passes for 32 yards against Delaware (11/7) ... Caught four balls for 117 yards, highlighted by an 89 yard grab and a touchdown against Rhode Island (10/17) ... Brought in six balls for 60 yards against Maine (10/10) ... Caught six passes for 80 yards and a touchdown against Bryant (9/12).
As a Sophomore in 2008: CAA Academic All-Conference and Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll selection ... Played and started in eight games as a sophomore ... Missed the final four games of the season with an injury ... Was second on the team in receptions with 35 for 314 yards and one touchdown ... Hauled in nine passes for 92 yards against Rhode Island and nine for 85 yards against Albany ... Posted four receptions for 69 yards, including a season-long of 30 yards, and a touchdown at Stony Brook ... Returned nine punts for 31 yards ... Recorded one return for a season-best 22 yards at James Madison ... Also returned five kickoffs for 94 yards on the season ... Tallied two kickoff returns for 43 yards at Connecticut ... Recorded his longest kickoff return of the year, 29 yards, at Maine ... Made 10 solo tackles on special teams, including four at Bucknell and three against URI.
As a Freshman in 2007: All-CAA first team selection as a punt returner ... Played in all 11 games as a true freshman ... Second on the team, 12th in the CAA and 97th in the FCS in receptions with 44 ... Posted the second-most receptions by a freshman in school history, behind all-time record-holder Charles Sullivan's 68 in 2004 ... Recorded 543 receiving yards, which was second on the Pride and 15th in the CAA ... Posted two 100-yard receiving games ... Tallied 10 receptions for 128 yards against New Hampshire and six catches for 105 yards at Northeastern ... Posted seven receptions for 92 yards in his college debut against Furman ... Recorded his only receiving touchdown of the season on a 24-yard pass from Bryan Savage at Villanova ... Led the CAA and was sixth in the CAA in punt returns with 20 returns and 312 yards for a 15.6 average ... Tallied three punt returns for 83 yards at Rhode Island, including a third-quarter 77-yard runback that helped spark the Pride's come-from-behind victory ... Posted four punt returns for 39 yards at Villanova and had a 67-yard punt return at Northeastern ... Recorded three rushing attempts for 17 yards and had one kickoff return for 6 yards.
Before College: Earned four letters in football and baseball, and one in basketball at Glades Day School in Belle Glade, Florida ... Helped lead team to a 12-2 record and the Florida IA state championship in 2006 ... Named to All-Florida honorable mention team as a senior ... Named first team all-area by the Sun-Sentinel and second team all-area by the Palm Beach Post ... Posted 32 catches for 550 yards and nine touchdowns in 2006 ... Also returned three punts and one kickoff for scores ... Special Teams Player of the Year as a junior.
Personal: Born August 29, 1989 ... Has one sister ... Boys and Girls Club volunteer ... Entrepreneurship major at Hofstra.
Greg Niland
R-Senior * Offensive Line6-5 * 305
East Bridgewater, Mass./Coyle-Cassidy H.S./Northeastern
As a Redshirt Junior in 2009 at Northeastern: Blocked for a team that averaged 130.8 rushing yards per game, including John Griffin who became the fifth Husky to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.
As a Redshirt Sophomore in 2008 at Northeastern: Started all 12 games at left tackle for the Huskies ... Named to the CAA Football Academic All-Conference team.
As a Redshirt Freshman in 2007 at Northeastern: Started 10 games at left tackle.
As a Freshman in 2006 at Northeastern: Redshirted season.
High School: Lettered in football, hockey and track at Coyle-Cassidy High School in Taunton, Mass. ... Captained the football team his senior year ... Was named Eastern Athletic League MVP in 2005 ... Also named a Brockton Enterprise & Taunton Gazette All-Scholastic ... Was a member of the Gridiron Club of Boston Super 26 All-State team ... Helped football team to No. 1 ranking in Division 2 in 2004 ... Led hockey team to No. 1 ranking in Division 2 in 2005-06.
Personal: Born Oct. 5, 1988 ... Uncle, Joe Lipinski, was captain of football team at Maine ... Majored in Finance & Insurance at Northeastern.
