UMass will begin its foray into the Mid American Conference in the fall of 2012 under new head coach Charley Molnar, and his first recruiting class was officially assembled Wednesday during national signing day.
Twenty four recruits will join the Minutemen program this fall, including 19 from the Northeast Region. The prize of the class is three star running back Stacey Bell (William Floyd HS, Mastic Beach, NY), one of three running backs in the class, and one of 17 overall offensive newcomers.
UMass searched far and wide beyond the Northeast region for players, and landed a two star guard all the way from the Punahou School, located in Honolulu, HI. Matthew Sparks spurned his home state university and several West coast schools in favor of the Minutemen.
The class has not earned much praise from national recruiting services, as Scout.com ranks it as the 122nd best in the country (out of 124 schools), and the worst recruiting class in the MAC.
Learn more about UMass football's new players on the school's officiate website.
For more National Signing Day 2012 coverage, follow our stream and visit SB Nation.