The bus carrying the University of Massachusetts football team to its opening game on Sept. 4 was getting close to McGuirk Stadium. Greg Niland of East Bridgewater, who was about to make his debut as a left guard for the Minutemen, began thinking about the strange journey that brought him to Amherst.
The Coyle-Cassidy High School graduate was supposed to be starting his final season at Northeastern University that weekend, not suiting up for a new team to face William & Mary.
When NU dropped its football program last Nov. 22, though, it left Niland and his Huskies' teammates scrambling to find new homes, and UMass is where he landed.
Coyle-Cassidy graduate Greg Niland settles in with UMass football team
  |
The bus carrying the University of Massachusetts football team to its opening game on Sept. 4 was getting close to McGuirk Stadium.
Greg Niland of East Bridgewater, who was about to make his debut as a left guard for the Minutemen, began thinking about the strange journey that brought him to Amherst.
The Coyle-Cassidy High School graduate was supposed to be starting his final season at Northeastern University that weekend, not suiting up for a new team to face William & Mary.
When NU dropped its football program last Nov. 22, though, it left Niland and his Huskies' teammates scrambling to find new homes, and UMass is where he landed.
"It hit me before that first game against William & Mary," said Niland, a three-year starter at Northeastern. "It hit me hard. I was in the bus driving to the stadium, and I said, 'Wow, I can't believe this is actually happening. I'm in a former rival's uniform.'"
Six games into his one-season stay at UMass, the shock has worn off for Niland, who has settled in as a key member of the offensive line.
After three seasons playing tackle for the Huskies, the former Taunton Daily Gazette All-Scholastic has made the transition one spot over to guard, and he has helped 12th-ranked UMass get off to a 4-2 start.
Niland and the Minutemen will be at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Saturday afternoon to face 10th-ranked New Hampshire in the Colonial Clash.
Eleven months after learning that football was no longer going to be played at Northeastern, the 6-foot-5, 305-pound Niland is happy where he wound up.
"It hit me once on the bus that day, but I'm definitely part of the UMass team now," said Niland. "It was strange at first, but I feel comfortable with the guys."
Niland transferred to UMass last January and was able to take part in spring practice, allowing him to get acclimated to the system and the team.
Joined by former Huskies teammates John Griffin, a running back, and Chad Hunte, a linebacker, Niland has turned a disappointing situation at NU last November into a positive with the Minutemen.
"It was a tough situation to deal with, obviously," said Niland. "I was at Northeastern for almost four years and my senior year was coming up. I thought I would have a big year over there, and they drop the program.
"The decision was whether I was going to stay and finish my degree there or leave. I was really happy UMass came over and said they would love to have me. It couldn't have gone better."
Niland has the option of returning to Northeastern for the spring semester and getting his degree at that school, something he is seriously considering.
That will happen after the UMass season, which has been a winning one for a team that climbed to No. 8 in the national poll before an 11-10 loss to Richmond on Saturday.
After the struggles that Northeastern went through, being in a winning program with an eye on a tournament berth is quite a change for Niland. He also got to play in front of 110,187 fans in Ann Arbor when UMass threw a scare into Michigan on Sept. 18.
"It's awesome," said Niland. "I'm not used to being on a winning team. We've had a good season so far and hopefully we can keep it going. The transition has been pretty seamless. I haven't had a problem at all.
"I knew the coaches were great. They recruited me out of high school. I had a comfort level with UMass to begin with. Coach (Kevin) Morris was the first coach to come over to Northeastern and try to tackle the situation.
"It was strange, but he was the first to come over and said, 'You're more than welcome, we'd love to have you.' UMass is a great school and staying in state for one year was great. It really worked out perfectly."
The Minutemen are happy that they were able to add a quality veteran offensive lineman who has stepped in with little trouble this season.
"Greg Niland's done an outstanding job," said Morris. "The rug really got pulled out from underneath him as he was going into his senior season.
"He's really an excellent kid, great character, great student in the classroom. He's an excellent teammate. He was here only about three months and received a number of votes for captain. To be brand new to a program, it shows the type of kid he has and the impact he had immediately upon showing up here on campus.
"He's a very mature young man. I'm getting exactly the kid I thought I'd get based on the reports. He's been everything we thought he would be. He fit right in and served a leadership role in terms of how he goes about his business every day."
Niland keeps in contact with a lot of his former Northeastern teammates, some of whom are playing against UMass in the Colonial Athletic Association. The ex-Huskies, like Niland, have settled in to new situations.
"You're going to play with more of a chip on your shoulder when you have to go elsewhere to play," said Niland. "I'm staying in touch with everyone. Everyone seems to be doing good and are making the best of the situation."
Leave a comment