Despite being the most popular college sport nationally, the football program at UMass Amherst has struggled to find its footing in an increasingly competitive field. Between 2012 and 2016, the team didn’t pick up more than three wins in a single 12-game season. During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the team did slightly better, earning 4-8 records both seasons.
Since the end of the 2018 season, two top quarterbacks have graduated — Ross Comis and Andrew Ford, along with top offensive talents like wide receiver Andy Isabella and running back Marquis Young. Their absence leaves gaping holes in the offense but also provides an opportunity for new talent to emerge — or for old talent to reemerge.
24-year-old redshirt senior Randall West has been with the UMass football program since 2015. West is also on the UMass basketball team, making him one of few multi-sport Division I athletes. Before the Minutemen’s first game of the 2019 season, he was called on as the starting quarterback. West started the first and second games — both losses. Junior Andrew Brito started the following two games — also losses. The question of who will start from now on and dominate on the field remains a pressing one.
Last week, The Sophian spoke with West to ask about his journey with football and the increased pressure of emerging into the highly scrutinized role of first (or second) string quarterback.
What about the sports connects with you, and what has kept you playing all these years?
I love the game. I love everything about it. I love watching it on TV. Obviously, I love throwing the football, comes naturally to me. I love sports in general. It’s not just football that I really enjoy — that and basketball I enjoy the most. Really, it’s something that I know I can do every day and I won’t get bored. There are always new things you can learn about the game; it stays fresh. There’s other things in my life that have come and gone, and I’ve grown out of it, and it seems like I’ve grown into football each year.
What was the most difficult thing about transitioning from high school football to college football?
Probably two things. One — I got hurt right before I started my college career, so I had a big knee injury that took about a year and a half to come back from, so that was the first obstacle that was immediately in front of me. And secondly, the speed of the game … And mentally, the defenses and offenses in college are more complex. That’s just the truth. You’re going to get certain looks that you would never dream of in high school, that you didn’t even know existed in high school.
What is something you wish you had known as a freshman?
Prepare like you’re the starter. I wasn’t involved, and that’s the number one thing I regret. I’d be on the sideline for a game and I wouldn’t know what we were running, what we were calling, and I wouldn’t be getting any mental reps of what’s going on. I think as a freshman, you want that the most, you need that the most, as many mental reps as you can get because you’re not going to get the reps because the older guys are getting them.
What is your greatest strength as a football player?
I work hard, I try to work hard. I know I’m not necessarily the most talented thrower of the football. I’m not necessarily the most athletic player. The only thing that’s going to put me above other guys is how I approach the game and how I approach the weight room, the film room, so that’s really one of the things that I’d like to hang my hat on — that I always bring a level of focus and detail and maturity to whatever I’m doing.
What is your greatest weakness as a football player?
I guess I’ve never really thought about it like that. I’ve only really thought about it as improvement. I mean obviously athletes think about things they have to improve on, but I don’t think about it as weaknesses.
How do you handle the increased attention and scrutiny of being a starting quarterback this year?
You try to focus on what you can control. I don’t have a very active Twitter profile, so I don’t go on Twitter to see what everybody is saying … I just try to focus on what Coach Bell asks of me, what Coach Mirando asks me every week, being a good teammate and doing my job to the best of my abilities, and always being ready. They prepare me and Brito every week like both of us will play. And quarterback is a special position; it’s unlike any other position in sports. A lot of the blame falls on you if the offense doesn’t play well and if the team doesn’t win. Yes, it’s hard to deal with questions of whether you’re the right guy for the job, and if somebody else can do your job better than you can. Yes, it’s very difficult, very humbling, but at the end of the day you really focus on what you can control and what you can do to make the team better on that specific day.
