AMHERST – Last year must have felt like a whirlwind for UMass quarterback Taisun Phommachanh.

On his third school in three seasons but in his first starting job, Phommachanh injured his knee against Auburn just six quarters into the campaign on Sept. 2.

He missed three games before returning against Arkansas State on Sept. 30. After totaling 130 rushing yards in those first six quarters of the season, including 96 in a season-opening win over New Mexico State, Phommachanh totaled negative rushing yards in each of his seven games back post-injury.

UMass held him out of the entire spring season as a precautionary measure, but Phommachanh has been full-go since the start of fall camp on Aug. 2.

“My knee feels good,” Phommachanh said. “I’ve been training it and rehabbing it all summer, so I’m ready to go.”

Phommachanh has spent fall camp wearing a heavy brace on his knee for “protection reasons” and said he wasn’t sure whether he’d keep wearing it during the regular season.

While Phommachanh stayed in Amherst for another season, much of his supporting cast departed. Leading rusher Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams left for Michigan State and second-leading rusher Greg Desrosiers left for Memphis.

Leading receiver Anthony Simpson also stayed, but he is the only returning Minuteman who caught a pass last year. To replace George Johnson, Mark Pope, Gino Campiotti and more, UMass added heavily in the transfer portal. At receiver, the Minutemen brought in grad-transfers Frank Ladson Jr. (Miami), Jakobie Keeney-James (Eastern Washington) and Sterling Galban (Jacksonville State). At tight end, they added more graduate students in Dom Mazotti (San Jose State) and Jaelyn Lay (Alabama State).

“I’m finally knowing where they’re going to be for their routes,” Phommachanh said. “They’re getting a feel for me, I’m getting a feel for them, so we’re just trying to get on the same page.”

Those grad transfers are joined by young returners who new offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery hopes can take a step forward this year, like Jacquon Gibson and T.Y. Harding. Both joined UMass out of high school in 2022, Don Brown’s first season in charge, and are now redshirt sophomores. Phommachanh said he’s been taking time to get to know his teammates, new and old.

“We go eat, chop it up all the time,” Phommachanh said. “We hang out, talk it up in the locker room. We do all sorts of stuff just so I can get to know them from a personal level, not just on the football field.”

In addition to familiarizing himself with new pass catchers, Phommachanh has also been familiarizing himself with Montgomery’s offense, which will be his fourth different offense in as many years.

Last season, Phommachanh’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach was Steve Casula, who had experience as a college position coach for offensive line, tight ends and fullbacks, but not quarterbacks. Phommachanh said Montgomery “sees and understands what I see out there, what I feel out there” because of his experience playing the position. Montgomery started for two and a half years at NC State and won the 1988 Peach Bowl. He has spent 20 seasons as a quarterbacks coach for seven different programs.

Montgomery said he’s still working to get to know Phommachanh and design UMass’ offense around his strengths, but noted that he’s excited about taking advantage of Phommachanh’s legs this season.

“I’ve been places where we did not have a running quarterback,” Montgomery said. “Defenses can do some things in the box and take away your running game and make you one-dimensional, but I think with the things that he can do, we’ll be able to spread the field and keep people honest.”

Now in his fifth season of college football, his third school and his second year as a starter, there’s “nothing” Phommachanh hasn’t seen, Montgomery said. The Bridgeport, Conn. native agreed.

“UMass is like my second home now,” Phommachanh said with a smile on his face. “I’ve been here for two years now, so it’s a place where I got more comfortable with and they got more comfortable with me, so I feel at home now.”