UMass Minutemen’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Darian DeVries, Accepts Coaching Position with West Virginia Mountaineers Football Team
UMass athletic program faces significant change as two of its top coaches depart.
In surprising news, Darian DeVries has accepted the head coaching position for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team, leaving the UMass Minutemen’s men's basketball program after six seasons. DeVries led the Minutemen to unprecedented success, including an NCAA Tournament berth in 2021. His departure comes as a major blow to the UMass athletic program, which also recently lost football coach Walt Bell to the Florida State Seminoles.
DeVries's departure leaves a significant void in the UMass men's basketball program. He was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year twice and led the Minutemen to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in over a decade. Under his leadership, UMass achieved a school-record 27 wins in the 2020-21 season.UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford must now conduct searches to replace both DeVries and Bell, who led the football team to its first bowl game in a decade in 2021. The departures of two of the program's most successful coaches in recent years have left the Minutemen facing a period of uncertainty and transition.
DeVries's decision to leave UMass for West Virginia is a significant step in his coaching career. He takes over a Mountaineers football program that has been struggling in recent seasons. West Virginia has not had a winning record since 2018 and has not appeared in a bowl game since 2020.
DeVries is known for his innovative offensive schemes and his ability to develop players. He will be tasked with turning around a West Virginia program that has been mired in mediocrity for several years. It remains to be seen whether he can replicate the success he enjoyed at UMass at the Power Five level.
The departures of DeVries and Bell leave UMass with a lot of work to do. The athletic department must now conduct searches to find two new head coaches who can lead the Minutemen to continued success. It will be a challenging task, but one that is essential for the future of UMass athletics.
