University of Massachusets Athletics
Eight Minutemen Named To Athlon Magazine Preseason MAC Squads
June 15, 2015 | Football
Eight members of the UMass football team have been named to the AthlonSports Preseason All-MAC teams as released by the magazine last week. It marks the second time this June that a major college football magazine has recognized a sizable number of UMass players after Phil Steele Magazine place 10 Minutemen on its All-MAC preseason teams.
UMass enters the 2015 campaign was one of the most highly rated MAC teams thanks to a nation's best 19 returning starters. Entering year two of Mark Whipple's second era at UMass, the Minutemen look to build upon last season's high-octane aerial attack which was one of the best in the nation. UMass was a total of 23 points shy of being bowl eligible in 2014 with five games decided by a touchdown or less.
First-Team Offense
QB Blake Frohnapfel
WR Tajae Sharpe
TE Rodney Mills
First-Team Defense
LB Jovan Santos-Knox
CB Randall Jette
Second-Team Offense
OT Tyrell Smith
Third-Team Specialists
KR Khary Bailey-Smith
Fourth-Team Defense
CB Trey Dudley-Giles
AthlonSports ranked UMass as the 92nd best team in the country entering 2015 which places the Minutemen fourth overall among MAC schools. Toledo (75), Bowling Green (78) and Western Michigan (81) were the only other teams ranked ahead of UMass.
