FOXBORO, Mass. — UMass will introduce Charley Molnar as its new head football coach Thursday at Gillette Stadium, and a pair of alums are excited about the program's new era.
Patriots safety James Ihedigbo and Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, the NFL's two biggest names from UMass, have taken pride in next season's leap to Division I and the Mid-American Conference. UMass will also play a full slate of home games at Gillette next season.
"Extremely excited, I think it's awesome that they're making this jump," Ihedigbo said about the coaching hire and the jump to the MAC. "It's kind of a testament to the guys that have played and coached at UMass beforehand and the hard work that they've put in to put the university in this position. It's excellent for the program. It's excellent for the community and excellent for UMass."
Cruz was on the bye week during October's Colonial Clash between UMass and UNH at Gillette, so he made the trip to Foxboro to attend the game. Two weeks later, the Giants beat the Patriots at Gillette, and Cruz led the team with six receptions for 91 yards.
Cruz, too, is thrilled about the leap.
"I think it's amazing," Cruz said last month. "I think it's great for our program. I think it's great for the kids. I think it's great for the coaching staff that they can get some more scholarships and broaden their recruiting. That should get some real-life attention to our school and make a bowl game possibly and things like that. I'm just excited to see how far this thing can go or how much publicity our team can get, especially if we start off on the right foot and be a good team and things like that. I'm just excited. I'm excited for our program."
