With the early signing period opening this Wednesday, any recruits looking for a laid-back landing spot should probably take UMass off their shortlist. Head coach Joe Harasymiak made it crystal clear: this program isn’t a social club - it’s a rebuild, and it’s going to take players who live and breathe football.
“Number one is we have to get people that are obsessed with football,” Harasymiak said. “This ain’t a hangout place. So we’re going to fix that.”
That’s the tone from a coach who just wrapped up a winless season - 0-12, capped off by a 45-14 loss to Bowling Green - and who’s staring down one of the most daunting turnarounds in the country. Harasymiak took over the program last December, stepping in from his role as Rutgers’ defensive coordinator after Don Brown was let go following a 2-8 start to his third year. One year later, even two wins feels like a distant dream.
UMass was outscored by nearly 30 points per game in its 11 matchups against FBS opponents. They didn’t even manage to beat their lone FCS opponent, falling 27-26 to a Bryant team that finished 3-9.
And as they returned to the MAC this season, the Minutemen dropped seven of their eight conference games by at least 18 points. Since moving up to the FBS level in 2012, UMass has never won more than four games in a season - and they’ve only hit that mark twice.
So while expectations may be low, they’re definitely higher than zero.
That winless campaign locked UMass into the top spot in this year’s Bottom 25 rankings - the not-so-coveted title of the worst team in college football. The formula for the Bottom 25 was tweaked this year to make sure every Power Four conference is represented and that at least 10 Power Four programs make the cut each week. And once again, the list didn’t disappoint.
Final Bottom 25 Rankings
- South Alabama
- Maryland
- North Carolina
- UCLA
- Ball State
Let’s pause on Maryland for a second - because the Terrapins’ commitment to mediocrity is something else. Despite going 2-16 in Big Ten play over the last two seasons and ending 2025 with five straight double-digit losses, Mike Locksley is still at the helm.
That’s 14 straight conference losses, and not a single sign of a coaching change. Locksley has never had a winning record in league play, but apparently, those three straight bowl wins from 2021 to 2023 still carry some weight in College Park.
It’s a bold strategy - stubborn, maybe even admirable in its own way - but the results speak for themselves.
- Bowling Green
- Virginia Tech
- Colorado
- Nevada
- Boston College
Boston College is a tale of two games. The Eagles opened the season with a 66-10 blowout win over Fordham and closed it with a 34-12 win over a struggling Syracuse team.
But in between? Ten straight losses.
That midseason slide nearly dragged BC into historic lows - they were flirting with their first sub-two-win season since 1978. So while those bookend wins might soften the optics, the reality is that Year 2 under Bill O’Brien left a lot to be desired.
- Middle Tennessee
- San Jose State
- Northern Illinois
- Arkansas
- Syracuse
Speaking of Syracuse - remember when Fran Brown was a hot name on the coaching carousel? That buzz has faded fast.
After a promising 3-1 start, a quarterback injury sent the Orange into a tailspin. They lost eight straight to end the season, most of them in blowout fashion, and even had to turn to a walk-on lacrosse player at quarterback.
It’s hard to win under those circumstances, but the collapse was still jarring.
- Louisiana-Monroe
- UTEP
- Purdue
- Colorado State
- Oregon State
Let’s take a moment to talk about Purdue. It’s easy to forget just how much Jeff Brohm accomplished in West Lafayette.
Four bowl games in six seasons - that’s no small feat. Since he left for Louisville, though, the Boilermakers have gone 7-29, including a brutal 3-21 mark over the last two years.
This season ended with a thud: back-to-back blowout losses to Washington and Indiana by a combined score of 105-16. It’s been a rough stretch, and right now, it feels like basketball season can’t come fast enough for Purdue fans.
Bottom 25 Runner-Up: Oklahoma State
The Cowboys’ fall from grace might be the most stunning storyline on this list. Just two years ago, Oklahoma State was playing for a Big 12 title.
Fast forward to now, and they’ve gone winless in conference play for two straight seasons. That’s a staggering drop.
But to their credit, they didn’t completely fold. Over the final three weeks, they turned a string of blowout losses into competitive, one-score games against Kansas State, UCF, and Iowa State.
It’s not much, but it’s something - a flicker of fight in an otherwise dismal year.
Bottom 25 Champion: UMass
And that brings us back to the Minutemen. It’s not just that they went 0-12 - it’s how they got there.
Routinely outmatched, rarely competitive, and still searching for an identity. But Harasymiak isn’t sugarcoating anything.
He knows what this program needs: players who are all-in, who aren’t just looking for a place to hang their helmets, but who are ready to grind. The road ahead is steep, but UMass has a coach who’s not afraid to call it like it is.
Now, it’s about finding players who are just as committed to the climb.