The UMass Minutemen are fresh off an 0-12 season with nowhere to go but upward. And the Minutemen’s stock is already rising this January as they landed a significant transfer addition over the weekend in William Watson III, more commonly known as Pop Watson.
Watson spent the last three seasons quarterbacking Virginia Tech. However, he sat behind starter Kyron Drones and earned just one start and logged 11 total appearances. Watson’s lone start transpired in the 2024 Commonwealth Cup rivalry game vs. Virginia, where he won ACC Rookie of the Week honors by leading a 37-17 victory to secure bowl eligibility. Watson completed 14-of-21 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown that afternoon while adding 48 yards and a touchdown as a runner.
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He also earned significant playing time in 2024 contests against Duke and Minnesota, with the latter game being the Duke’s Mayo Bowl — splitting time with fellow Hokies’ quarterback Collin Schlee. In 2025, Watson was limited to four appearances primarily in lopsided finishes, throwing four passes and running nine times in his final year in Blacksburg.
Watson arrives at UMass with 36 completions on 63 attempts (57.1%), 558 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and two interceptions. He also generated 81 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 54 attempts across his 11 games of action.
It’s a homecoming for Watson, who grew up in nearby Springfield, MA and starred at Springfield Central High School. The four-year high school starter guided Springfield Central to the 2019 and 2021 Massachusetts Division I state championships and graduated as the program’s all-time leading passer. He was named the 2022 Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year.
Now Watson receives an opportunity to earn more accolades in his home state, perhaps serving as the spark UMass needs for a turnaround. The Minutemen are fresh off the first 0-12 season by any FBS program since 2019 and have not finished better than 4-8 since joining the FBS in 2012. They prepare for their second year under head coach Joe Harasymiak and their second year back in the Mid-American Conference, looking for stability at quarterback after rotating between three different starters in 2025.
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All three of those quarterbacks — Grant Jordan, Brandon Rose, and AJ Hairston — entered the portal, leaving Watson as the early favorite to secure the starting job for 2026.
