[2023] Final MAC Crooting Results (AI Part 1: Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan)

[Jieret]

Today, quick analyses of 3 of the MAC's AI classes, with the next three to follow.  The user teams will probably be split up in batches of three as well.

Previous post of tables of data here.

~~~~

Remember:

• Key Recruits are not necessarily the highest-rated or highest potential players. Positional need also comes into play.
• Projected needs are mostly based on the number and the class (Senior, etc.) of bodies at a position - actual quality was not really considered. If a team had a 1* freshman kicker, for these teams they're set!
  • This will not be the case for the user team analysis.
     

Buffalo Bulls (16 3-stars, 6 2-stars, 3 1-star), Rank 63

Name	POS	Archetype	City	State	*	OVR	POT
Timothy Grube	C	Pass Blocking	Fort Myers	FL	3	C	A-
Alan Strickland	CB	Ball Hawk	Norfolk	VA	3	C	A
Abelardo Barrientos	CB	Man Coverage	Pageland	SC	3	C	C+
Daniel Patella	DE	Run Stopper	Algona	IA	3	C	D+
Eric Messier	DE	Balanced	Charleston	WV	2	D	B-
Patrick Owens	DE	Speed Rusher	Latham	NY	1	D	B
Michael Luck	DT	Nose Tackle	Avon	IN	3	C	C+
Anthony Hamilton	FB	Blocking	Wyncote	PA	1	D	A-
Gregory Rusak	FS	Ball Hawk	Cashion	OK	3	C	B-
Francisco Wood	FS	Zone Coverage	Immokalee	FL	2	D	B
Nathan Breland	ILB	Coverage	Orlando	FL	3	C	C+
Ernest Stover	OG	Pass Blocking	Hasbrouck Heights	NJ	3	C	C+
Bradley Sarkissian	OLB	Run Stopper	Eatonton	GA	3	C	B
Dwight Decker	OLB	Run Stopper	Spring Valley	CA	3	C	B-
Kent Baublitz	OT	Balanced	Avondale	AZ	3	C	C+
Jeffrey Crosby	OT	Run Blocking	Eunice	LA	2	D	B-
Bruno Carbonell	P	Balanced	Charleroi	PA	2	D	B-
Kenneth Peterson	QB	Field General	Houston	TX	3	C	B-
Lawrence Fair	QB	Pocket	Tuscaloosa	AL	3	C	C+
Erich Patterson	RB	Balanced	Ocilla	GA	3	C	C
Stuart Christensen	RB	Balanced	Rochester	NY	3	C	C
Jesse Reavis	SS	Run Stopper	Lakewood	WA	2	D	C-
Stanley Dollar	WR	Speed	Lexington	KY	3	C	C+
Juan Angulo	WR	Speed	Porterville	CA	2	C	C
Bret Wilharm	WR	Possesion	Gresham	OR	1	D	B+

 

Three Key Recruits: 3* DT Michael Luck, 3* CB Alan Strickland, 2* P Bruno Carbonell

Luck injects youth into a position group that graduates half their players in the next two season. Strickland is an underrated recruit that should see immediate playing time, and could be the Bulls' best player by his junior season.  And Carbonell?  He makes it on the Key Recruits list by default as the only punter on the roster.

Projected biggest needs next cycle: TE, K, OG, DT

Class grade (for an AI):  B-.  Some really intriguing 3-stars such as Strickland and C Timothy Grube prop up the grade, otherwise this is basically what I'd expect a typical AI class to look like.  They ended up with the highest recruiting ranking of the MAC's AI classes, but I personally wouldn't pick this as the best one.

 

Central Michigan Chippewas (10 3-stars, 6 2-stars, 9 1-star), Rank 108

Name	POS	Archetype	City	State	*	OVR	POT
Teddy Perez	CB	Zone Coverage	Tampa	FL	3	C	C+
Joseph Mullen	CB	Man Coverage	Hudsonville	MI	3	C	C
James Bielski	DE	Speed Rusher	Copperas Cove	TX	2	D	B
Bryan Gravely	DE	Speed Rusher	Jacksonville	NC	2	D	C
Gregory Bell	DE	Run Stopper	Crestview	FL	1	D	B
Steven Lantz	DE	Speed Rusher	Benzonia	MI	1	D	B
Thomas Collins	DE	Speed Rusher	Clovis	CA	1	D	B-
Michael Nguyen	DE	Speed Rusher	Honoka'a	HI	1	D	C+
Kurt Almond	DT	Balanced	Killen	AL	3	C	B-
Herman Bridges	DT	Pass Rusher	Houston	TX	3	C	B-
James Behnke	FB	Blocking	Logan	UT	3	C	C
Joseph Gander	FS	Ball Hawk	Mentor	OH	3	C	C+
Andy Debie	OG	Run Blocking	Port Huron	MI	1	D	C+
Jeffrey Young	OLB	Pass Rush	Santa Clara	CA	1	D	C+
Dudley Miller	OLB	Pass Rush	Bellflower	CA	1	D	C
Jerry Maxwell	OLB	Pass Rush	Vinton	VA	1	D	C-
Katarzyna Meunier	OT	Pass Blocking	Massillon	OH	3	C	C+
Benny Bracken	OT	Pass Blocking	Ann Arbor	MI	2	D	B
Richard Durrance	P	Balanced	Portland	OR	3	C	C
Ralph Nunez	QB	Scrambler	McKinney	TX	3	C	C
Mark Jones	RB	Balanced	Portland	MI	2	D	C+
Aruna Li	RB	Balanced	Honolulu	HI	2	D	C+
Alex Mejilla	TE	Blocking	Katy	TX	1	D	C-
Tommy Pennington	WR	Possesion	Cumberland	MD	3	C	B-
Michael Garcia	WR	Route Runner	Kent City	MI	2	C	B-

 

Three Key Recruits: 3* CB Teddy Perez, 3* P Richard Durrance, 3* OT Katarzyna Meunier

While I don't expect Perez to get much more than special teams snaps this season, he'll be an important part of a secondary that I expect to switch schemes after stud corner Ryan Herget and his partner Adrian Toilolo graduate. Unlike Buffalo's situation, Durrance isn't the only punter on the Chips roster, but he IS their best one already.  Like Perez, Meunier shouldn't start for a season or two, but that will give him time to develop and capably handle the left tackle position by his junior year.

Projected biggest needs next cycle: K, SS, ILB, OG

Class grade (for an AI):  D.  Individually there are some good players here, and that plus being able to pull in a double-digit amount of 3* saves them from a completely failing grade.  But CMU is an object lesson in how idling user coaches completely screw over a team's recruiting.  IIRC they had an idle coach for the first 6-7 weeks of the season, started AI recruiting, then got a new coach who went idle almost immediately.  Kind of amazing they were able to pull in as many three-stars as they did.  But overall?  A stinker of a class, no matter the circumstances.

Couldn't happen to a more deserving school, really.

 

Eastern Michigan EMUs Hurons Eagles (1 4-star, 12 3-stars, 8 2-stars, 4 1-stars), Rank 73

Name	POS	Archetype	City	State	*	OVR	POT
Clarence Simpson	C	Balanced	Monroe	NC	2	D	A-
Jerome Gooden	CB	Zone Coverage	St. Petersburg	FL	1	D	C+
Dagoberto Garcia	DE	Balanced	Tyler	TX	3	C	B
Christopher Bail	DE	Speed Rusher	Buda	TX	3	C	B-
Phil Terrell	DT	Pass Rusher	Groveport	OH	4	C	B+
Isaac Walter	FB	Blocking	Quincy	IL	3	C	A
Anibal Stone	ILB	Run Stopper	Austin	TX	3	C	B-
Dan Li	ILB	Speed	Greensboro	DC	2	D	C
Matthew White	K	Accuracy	Minster	OH	3	C	B
Marcel Brogdon	OG	Pass Blocking	Cedartown	GA	3	C	B
Esteban Alexander	OLB	Pass Rush	Lancaster	FL	2	D	B
Charles Kessler	OT	Pass Blocking	LaGrange	GA	3	C	C+
Marco Jimenes	OT	Pass Blocking	Ahoskie	NC	2	C	C+
Rodney Solomon	OT	Run Blocking	Fairless Hills	PA	1	D	C
Willie Hill	QB	Pocket	Cordele	GA	3	C	C+
Ryan Gates	QB	Field General	Bremen	IN	3	C	C+
Reynaldo Toscano	RB	Speed	Round Rock	TX	2	D	B-
Minh Shirakawa	RB	Speed	Gibraltar	MI	2	D	C+
Jorge Betancourt	RB	Speed	Arlington	TX	2	D	C
Moises Ramirez	RB	Balanced	Lexington	TX	1	D	B
Leroy Young	RB	Receiving	Cross City	FL	1	D	C
Scott Strahler	SS	Zone Coverage	Salisbury	NC	3	C	C+
Thomas Miller	TE	Receiving	Jacksonville	FL	3	C	D-
Joel Sheridan	WR	Route Runner	Sparta	MI	3	C	C+
Richard Mauldin	WR	Speed	Palm Beach Gardens	FL	2	D	B-

 

(yes they really did sign 5 RBs)

Three Key Recruits: 4* DT Phil Terrell, 3* FB Isaac Walter, 3* K Matthew White

As you can imagine, scarcity at the position has the fullback (only player) and the placekicker (senior is the only other kicker).  But they are both good players in their own right, especially Walter as a standout piece of what I expect to be a run-heavy EMU offense.  And not only is Phil Terrell the Eagles' sole blue-chip 2023 recruit, he will likely slot into the two-deeps at DT right away and potentially a starter the rest of his college career.

Projected biggest needs next cycle: FS, DT, OG, OLB

Class grade (for an AI):  B.  Even though the Bulls' class has the higher floor and the higher ranking, I've come around to the thinking that a class with some impact potential and more filler is better than a class with very little impact and less filler.  Terrell will be a stud for the Eagles, and I like the look of a lot their three-stars compared to Buffalo's, hence the higher grade.

Having said that, there IS quite a bit of filler here.*  Part of that, I think, is due to recruiting philosophy.  While I don't have the AI personality traits in front of me, I suspect Eastern is a school more willing to take shots on the better players.  Sometimes it works out (see: Terrell), sometimes it doesn't (OLB Robert Roe, SS Paul Pomposelli).  When it doesn't, it can take them some time to pivot and build up rapports with other recruits.  And sometimes you just run out of time and have to talk to the 1 and 2-stars.

 

*I think CMU's unconventional 2021 recruiting strategy of focusing on low-star, low overall, high potential players is a bust - many of those D/A- and D/B+ two-stars are only at C+ as true juniors now.  I'd expect a three-star C/C to easily outpace that.

Soon: AI class Part 2 (Kent State, Miami (OH), Toledo)

 

[PoopyRhinoPickle]

1 hour ago, Jieret said:

 

Couldn't happen to a more deserving school, really.

A damn shame really.