April 26, 2012

UMass football head coach Charley Molnar along with the other 12 coaches in the Mid-American Conference spoke with the media on Wednesday in the annual Spring Media Teleconference. Molnar spoke about the excitement heading into the fall, the progress of the team throughout the Spring Camp, the highlights of the Spring Game and the competitive non-conference schedule.

• Listen To Molnar's Media Teleconference Archive

Molnar first spoke about the transition of coming to UMass as the program was moving from the FCS level to the FBS level. "The transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the FBS has been a challenge. Our players have greater expectations placed upon them; A much more difficult schedule - not only out of conference, but in conference; And getting our fan base to understand the new schedule, the new teams and the new rivalries we are looking to create."

On his knowledge of the Mid-American Conference and the Midwest, Molnar spoke about his experiences. "I'm proud to say this is my 5th Mid-American Conference school. I don't know if there are any other coaches who have done that - I may share that distinction with no one else. I've always loved the MAC. From my time as a young coach, my goal was to get into the Mid-American Conference and become a head coach in the league. Now that I've gotten there, I'm really excited."

With the Spring Game coming up on Friday, Molnar also touched upon the Spring Training Camp and where things are with the team. "The team is getting the hang of what we want to do. We've really made strides over the last five days. I wish we had another 15 days, but regardless, we got a lot of work in. We're doing something unique for UMass where we are having an Alumni Game as part of our Spring Game. It gives us a chance to engage our alumni ... We're really excited and we are expecting well over 100 to come back."