AMHERST — The wait is over, and the UMass football team has found its next head coach.

As first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Wednesday morning and confirmed in a press release by UMass athletics, Rutgers defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak is expected to be the new man in charge of the Minutemen. Thamel reported that Harasymiak’s contract is expected to be for five years, and he will make between $1.3 and $1.4 million annually.

Sources: UMass is expected to hire Rutgers defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak the school’s next head coach. A deal is expected to come together in the near future. He brings strong Northeast ties, including as head coach at Maine. pic.twitter.com/9V6etIYSYx

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 4, 2024

Harasymiak was expected to address the current players and coaches on Wednesday afternoon. UMass will hold a press conference Friday morning at 10 to introduce their new head coach. It can be streamed online at UMassAthletics.com or on ESPN-Plus.

“We are thrilled to welcome Joe, his wife, Brittany, and daughters, Sophie and Ellie, to the Massachusetts Athletics family,” UMass Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford said in a statement. “With extensive ties to football in the Northeast, which began in our backyard where he excelled at Springfield College, he is the perfect fit to lead us into a new era. A successful leader, recruiter and tactician, his feats have included a conference championship at Maine, and most recently helping Rutgers to back-to-back bowl seasons.

“Joe has been a proven winner at every level. After our intensive search process, he emerged as the ideal fit to lead our program into the Mid-American Conference. For the last six years he has built highly successful defenses in the Big Ten and has showcased an impactful record in recruiting and in building relationships with his players.”

A native of Ridgewood, New Jersey, the 38-year-old Harasymiak was the head coach at the University of Maine from 2016 to 2018 — going 20-15 including a 2-1 mark in the FCS playoffs. The Black Bears won the Coastal Athletic Association en route to their first-ever trip to the national semifinals, proving Harasymiak can help win at difficult places. He then served as an assistant at Minnesota from 2019 to 2021 before taking over as Rutgers’ defensive coordinator in 2022.

Considering Harasymiak’s time spent at Maine and his recent tenure with Rutgers (where he coached the Scarlet Knights’ defense to back-to-back bowl appearances in 2023 and 2024), he has strong ties to the New England area. He also played college football in western Massachusetts, earning his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Division III Springfield College in 2008. Harasymiak played for the Pride from 2004 to 2007.

Bamford said earlier this year, when UMass announced its move to the Mid-American Conference (MAC), that the plan was to go in with a much-increased budget for both NIL and coaching. Bamford backed that up, as sources tell the Gazette that UMass will have close to $3 million in NIL come 2025-26.

The staff salary pool is going to be by far the highest in the MAC as well. Thamel reported that Harasymiak will have over $2.7 million to work with when searching for his staff.

“I am thrilled and extremely grateful for this opportunity to be the next head coach at the University of Massachusetts,” Harasymiak said. “I want to thank Chancellor Reyes, Ryan Bamford, trustee David Brunelle and alumnus Marty Jacobson for believing in me to be the next leader of this great program. It was clear to me that we have outstanding leadership and alignment from the top down that will allow us to compete for MAC championships and to sustain that success. 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 has been nominated for the Broyles Award — which is given to the nation’s top assistant coach — two times, and he helped lead Rutgers’ defense to a top 20 ranking in 2023. He replaces former head coach Don Brown, who went 6-28 during his tenure at UMass before being fired on Nov. 18.

The Minutemen have yet to record a winning season since they became an FBS program in 2012. The UMass athletic department has shown a commitment to flipping that script with increased spending for the football team.

“For many reasons that became apparent in the search process, Coach Harasymiak is the ideal candidate to lead the football program at our flagship campus,” said UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier A. Reyes. “Joe’s leadership qualities, vision for program-building in this new NCAA environment and his authentic care for the growth of his players, on and off the field, became evident in our search. We’re excited for Joe and his family to join our campus and to move our program to new heights as we enter the Mid-American Conference. I want to thank trustee David Brunelle, AD Ryan Bamford and alumnus Marty Jacobson ‘68 for their important roles in our search and selection process.”