The UMass Amherst football team has a new coach.
Joe Harasymiak will make between $1.3 and $1.4 million per year during a five-year contract, according to the UMass athletics department.
"I am thrilled and extremely grateful for this opportunity to be the next head coach at the University of Massachusetts," Harasymiak said in a statement. "I can’t wait to get around our student-athletes and start building relationships. My wife, Brittany, and daughters Sophie and Ellie can’t wait to get to Amherst."
Harasymiak comes to UMass from Rutgers University, where he's been defensive coordinator. In that role, he already made a salary — $1.25 million — comparable to what he's expected to receive at UMass, according to the Asbury Park Press.
At a Rutgers press conference earlier this year, Harasymiak talked about why he loves New Jersey.
"I grew up in Bergen County. The culture of Jersey made me who I am, right? You know, driving fast and being upset with people and being in a rush and doing all those things we love to do," he said. "I was actually back home last weekend at the house I grew up in. There's nothing like getting up, going to the bagel shop where I used to go when I was a little kid. Just all those things mean so much to me."
But now he's giving up that Jersey life for one in western Massachusetts, where he played college football, from 2004-2007, at Springfield College. He tied a school record for interceptions, with 17.
His hiring was first reported Wednesday morning by ESPN.
Harasymiak previously served as head coach at the University of Maine, notching a 20-15 record, including 10-4 in 2018, his final season there before heading to the University of Minnesota and eventually Rutgers.
Harasymiak takes over at UMass after the school fired head coach Don Brown two weeks ago, owing him a $1.4 million buyout. The Minutemen have not had a winning season in over a decade.
"Joe has been a proven winner at every level," UMass Athletic Director Ryan Bamford said in a press release. "After our intensive search process, he emerged as the ideal fit to lead our program into the Mid-American Conference."
UMass joins the MAC next fall, after toiling as one of college football's few independent teams since 2016.
